As someone who likes to dress nicely and pays attention to what I wear, I run through many little problems throughout my day:

“Do I look good?” 

“Are people staring at me?” 

“Should I have worn something else?” 

Sometimes it’s complicated, at least for me. Personal style and the brands we wear affect our emotions, confidence, and social experiences. But…how?

Do You Have A Defined Personal Style?

Personal style refers to the clothes you wear and the way you combine and wear them. Style is  a part of you and lets people know who you are before even getting to know you. I don’t mean to give you an existential crisis, but what you wear matters; it’s the first thing people see and pay attention to. It shows how you see yourself and how you want people to see you.

Well-dressed senior Mica Sims (23’) gave The Post his perspective: “I wear stuff that is unique to me but most of the time sweatpants.”  

Professional cool guy Mercer Bora (26‘) has trouble defining his personal style, but what he can say is it’s all about “pants and a shirt.”  

Style guru William Pierce (24’) puts himself in a well-defined category: “My personal style is more like baggy, almost gas station employee type outfits, like a skater, skating yeah. I wear the baggy stuff.”

Are You Self-Conscious about The Brands You Wear?  

People mostly perceive branding to signal price and quality, but as a teen going through high school, I can assure you that we care about how expensive and well received our clothes are. For us, it’s very important to wear items with status or that are recognizable and well-accepted by others. 

Brands are well aware of this influence. We tend to go for what other people like and wear. Let’s be real for a minute: Panda dunks, Lululemon leggings, and a Nike hoodie describe 40% of the students at Skyline’s “Personal Style.” 

But if you actually want to be perceived as stylish, it’s important to choose brands that you actually like. This will help you define your own personal style and be comfortable with yourself. That’s why we need to acknowledge trends and fast fashion and start choosing for ourselves. 

Stylish English teacher Amanda McMurray shared that “honestly it’s all about how I can save money but I do try to be fashionable. It’s more about price and comfort than its name brand.” 

On the other hand, Fashion Enthusiast, Natalie Sperendi (26’) said, “I feel like I need more name brand clothing and shoes and stuff because everyone else has them and if I didn’t I feel like I would get judged.” 

Is Stepping Out Of My Comfort Zone Worth It?

“I step out of my comfort zone often,” says Pierce. “Just yesterday I wore a crop top to school! And like, I don’t do that too often, it was a big step. It affected me throughout the day. I wondered what people thought, you know, not a lot of dudes wearing crop tops.” 

Stepping out of your comfort zone can be very difficult. But trust me, feeling good about yourself and liking what you wear is completely worth it. Whatever people think or say shouldn’t matter to you. 

According to research conducted by the University of Hertfordshire in England, “people tend to dress the way they feel.” So if you feel sad or down, it’s very likely you’ll wear unflattering clothes. This can also be applied the other way around, with a theory called “dopamine dressing”:  wearing specific types of clothes can make you feel better and more confident. 

We need to start wearing what we want to wear so we can be more comfortable with ourselves.