5 Reasons What You Wear Matters & How to Harness That Power!

Somedays are crazy busy and we just want to head out the door as fast as we can. Other days we like to take a little more time with our appearance. Sometimes it feels important to look good and sometimes we just don’t care. You may wonder if what you wear matters when noone seems to notice.

I have been a cleaning lady for over 18 years now and on my work days I throw on exercise clothes, put my hair in a pony tail, draw on some eyebrows and eyelashes (I’m blonde) and head out the door. There are honestly days where I never look in the mirror again, even when I’m literally cleaning mirrors.

For my volunteer work though, I have to dress nice and professional and how I dress makes a huge impact on the first impression I make and how people treat me.

With those two extremes in mind, does how you dress matter? Is worrying about our physical appearance a sign of vanity or shallowness? Absolutely not! What you wear matters in a lot of really meaningful ways so let’s figure out how to harness the power of the right clothing!

1: What You Wear Matters Because it Speaks Before You

The first reason that what you matters is because people can see your clothing before they know anything else about you. For good or bad they will make judgments about you based on what they see before you ever open your mouth.

If you want to make a good impression on people remember that while may not have thought a lot about the clothes you put on in the morning others will certainly think about what your clothing represents about you.

2: How You Dress Matters Because it Identifies You

For example, a lot of our clothing ties us to certain identities or groups of people.

At first glance would someone think you are a professional? A goth? A hippy? Maybe a biker? Or a cowgirl? One of the “people of Walmart”?

This part of getting dressed can be fun but it can also be difficult to navigate. After all no one wants to get a reputation that doesn’t match who they really are. Because of that you want to think about how you are dressing and ask yourself if you look like group you want people to identify you with.

3: Does How You Dress Matter to Others?

Another reason that what you wear matters is it shows the people around you how you feel about them.

For example, if you were to go to court dressed for date night you would not look like you respect the judge or the situation. If you go to church in a prom dress you convey the idea that you have no idea what church is for and when you go to an interview in your “people of Walmart” attire you won’t get hired.

There is a time and place for different types of clothes and the way you dress can show your respect or disrespect for the people around you.

Another way that what you wear matters to others is that it shows them what kind of response you want from them. If you are dressed professionally they understand that you are serious about what you are doing. When you dress casually you cue others to relax. If you dress sexily you should expect those kinds of responses to come your way.

When your dress in a way that evokes the wrong response at the wrong time from the wrong people others might feel offended, hurt, and even repulsed by you.

4: What You Dress Matters Because You Need to Be Prepared

So far we have talked about how you dress matters to how you appear to others. But there is another important reason that what you wear matters. It’s plain and simple practicality.

The clothes you wear each day need to be functional for the activities you will be involved in.

For example, I can’t help laughing when I watch crime dramas and the lead female detective is wearing 6 inch stilettos for a day chasing bad guys.

We all want to look good but when you choose to wear clothing that looks good but is inappropriate for the situation you are asking for misery and people will also think you are crazy.

Consider the weather, the activity, and the location every time you get dressed because what you dress matters if you want to enjoy your day.

5: How You Dress Matters Because it Affects How You Feel About Yourself

Last but not least how you dress matters because it affects how you feel about yourself. Just as strongly as your clothing sends messages to other people it sends messages to you.

For example, during the initial lockdowns of the Pandemic I saw no reason to get out of my pajamas or put on makeup but soon I realized that when I didn’t get dressed I didn’t accomplish much with my day and I felt depressed and lazy. Once I decided to get dressed every day I found myself accomplishing tons of things even if I never left the house!

So what about you? What do your clothes tell you about yourself? For example, do you feel fat cause your pants are too tight? Do you feel pretty because your clothes fit your body and your personal style? Are your clothes helping you build your self-worth or are they tearing it down?

Take note of what you wear for a week and see how your clothes affect your mood. At the end of the week I guarantee that you will see how what you wear matters to what you think about yourself and even what you achieve.

What Do Your Clothes Say About You?

As you can see the question of what you will wear is not shallow at all. It is true that the clothes do not make the man and we should not judge a book by it’s cover. However, it is still important to acknowledge that what you wear affects others as well as yourself.

When you know how to harness the power of what you wear you will be able to make great first impressions, put people at ease or make them take you seriously, and feel great about yourself!

So ask yourself this question: What do your clothes say about you?

Create Your Simple Closet!

After reading this article you may realize that your closet and the wardrobe in it needs a major rehaul. Don’t worry! It’s easier than you think to do a great closet cleanout and create a simplified wardrobe you love.

Learn how to dress like a minimalist and create a colorful minimalist wardrobe that fits your style and your life!

Find out how to find your personal style and simplify your closet to match a minimalist lifestyle!

Everything you need to know is in the Closet Simplicity e-book which I wrote to help people who love clothes simplify their wardrobe!