Who Are You Dressing For?
Before you put on your clothes and head out the door, have you ever stopped to think about who you're actually dressing for? Sure, the outfit you picked might have been chosen by you, but how much of it was influenced by popular trends or others' opinions? If you often sacrifice comfort to fit certain standards, that might be a telltale sign you're not dressing for yourself, but to impress the people around you. Read on to see which side you land on.
1. You Sacrifice Comfort
You don't care if your top is a size too small or your jeans are too tight—you're wearing them to look good, not for comfort. In fact, as long as you get compliments from other people about your outfit, you'll continue to sacrifice your comfort to look attractive and put together.
2. You Obsessively Follow Trends
Your closet is full of trendy and once-trendy clothing; hardly any of the pieces were something that you bought for yourself. Whenever a new trend pops up, you're immediately on it and adding it to your cart. To you, it would be unfathomable to be the only one not following what's popular.
3. You're Constantly Worried About What Others Think
And yet, even when you're consistently following trends and buying outfits based on what's currently popular, you're still constantly worried about what others think about your outfit. What's the point if other people don't see your outfit as "cool"?
4. You Dress Up for Social Media & Photos
When you rock your outfits, you dress up mostly for social media and photos. Sure, you don't feel the most comfortable or like yourself in those clothes, but if you're happy with the way your pictures turn out and they're perfect for posting on Instagram, that's all that matters.
5. You Follow Other People's Advice
You don't have any opinions of your own—or, at least, that's what you think. To you, your opinions weigh less than others', and you'll always follow someone else's advice over what you're more comfortable with. If they say you look good in plaid, you'll wear it even if you don't technically like plaid.
6. You Compare Yourself to Others
Another sign you dress for others and not yourself? You constantly compare yourself to others. Sure, you might do this even when you dress for yourself, but people who follow other people's opinions are much more likely to care about what other people think, and how they perceive you.
7. You Ask for Other People's Opinions
You don't just blindly follow other people's advice, but you also feel the need to ask for their opinions before leaving the house. You might, for example, take pictures of your outfit and send them to your friends for "approval."
8. You Change If Someone Tells You To
The second someone tells you they don't like your outfit, you're changing out of it. After all, you don't want to be wearing something that's considered "uncool" or seen as outdated or untrendy to others. Whatever others say you should wear instead, you immediately agree with their words.
9. You Buy Things to Seem "In" or "Cool"
You're not just always updated on the latest trends and styles, but you also willingly purchase things that are out of your budget to seem "in" or "cool" and "hip." For example, you might buy a trending pair of jeans or a handbag, just because you've seen everyone talk about it on social media.
10. You Spend Way Too Much Time on Social Media
Speaking of social media, you spend far too much time on it. No matter whether it's TikTok, Instagram, or Twitter (X), you know exactly what's popular. In fact, it's because you spend so much time online that strangers have started to influence the way you dress or style your clothes and hair, as well as how you perceive yourself.
Does this sound like you? If none of these points seem to reflect you, that might be a sign that you actually dress for your own sake. Here are 10 other ways to tell that you choose your outfits based on your tastes, not anyone else's.
1. You Choose Comfort, Always
It doesn't matter how trendy or popular something is—if you feel uncomfortable wearing it, you'll put it back on the shelf. To you, it's never worth sacrificing your comfort for clothes, and you'll never choose a smaller size to fit into beauty standards or others' expectations.
2. You Wear What Makes You Confident
You don't just wear what makes you feel comfortable, but you also wear the pieces that make you feel confident. But more than that, you feel confident in everything you wear, even if it's a style you don't always sport.
3. You Experiment with Different Styles & Looks
Why do you feel confident in everything you wear? It's simple: because you already love experimenting with different styles and looks. Even though you have a style you always rock, you're open to expressing yourself in other ways.
4. You Don't Care What Others Think
You dress for yourself—you don't care what other people think. In fact, no matter what others have to say about your outfit and the way you style yourself, their comments slide right off you. You're not affected by their opinions because they're just that, opinions.
5. You Don't Blindly Follow Trends, But Have Your Own Opinions
Even if you keep up-to-date with trends, you don't immediately feel the need to buy a popular coat or a pair of shoes that everyone on social media is talking about. Instead, you have your own opinions on these items, and you might think the price tag isn't worth it, or that there are better options out there.
6. Your Style Reflects Who You Are
No matter what you wear, your style reflects your personality. You love expressing yourself through different means, whether that means tying a scarf to your belt or putting stickers on your tote bag. How you present yourself is purely for yourself, and not for others.
7. You Don't Mind Being "Underdressed" or "Overdressed"
Instead of stressing over whether you're under- or overdressed, you just rock the outfit you like. That might mean that you'll just wear sweatpants with a hoodie out; other times, that might mean you'll be dressed to the nines, in tailored slacks and polished shoes.
8. You'll Proudly Repeat Outfits
You don't care if people think it's strange that you're wearing the same outfit for the third day in a row—if it's comfy and you like it, you'll wear it, and it's as simple as that. You don't feel the need to constantly purchase new clothes like you're a fashion model.
9. You'll Proudly Wear "Outdated" Outfits
You'll also proudly wear "outdated" outfits. Sure, maybe others see your clothes as retro or "last season," but again, as long as you like it, you'll rock it until your tastes shift and you want to try out a new style. Plus, who knows? Maybe this "outdated" style will have a resurgence, like the '90s or Y2K look.
10. You Always Feel Like You, No Matter What You're Wearing
At the end of the day, the number one sign that you dress for yourself is that you always feel like you, no matter what outfit you're rocking. You never feel like you're pretending to be someone you're not, or like you're only wearing something to impress others.
