When I was about 3, I was sitting around our living room contemplating. I remember looking at my fingers and thinking how I had often pointed with my pointer finger, but not so much with my middle finger. Little innovator that I was, I decided to take this less traveled road by pointing said middle finger at my older brother.
His five-year old eyes widened as he said, "That means something bad!" I kind of laughed and asked him what it meant. I do not think he knew, exactly. But I decided from there forward to simply take his word for it.
This makes me think about the way we express ourselves, namely through fashion, recalling that trends begin in the hearts and minds of designers and become a language through which we express ourselves. But what were these symbols initially designed to say? Do we know? Some say it does not matter, because we give them our own flavor. To some degree this is true. But let's not forget that we are only 50% of our personal communication loop. In other words, we use our clothing to say one thing, but people may see another. Are people picking up what we're putting down? Had I continued misusing my middle finger, I may have found that not everyone counted it unoffensive.
So is it worth it to play an active role in communicating with others through your wardrobe? Yes! Recognize your point of view and what you want your wardrobe to express. Use the raw materials of color, cut, fabric, etc., and go from there. You have a point of view, and people need to hear it!
And of course, if you're not sure what this looks like, let Stacey's Styling help!
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