Beauty Can Save The World - And The Modern Woman
The way we dress communicates who we are to those we encounter. So we have the freedom and responsibility to think deeply about what we choose to wear.
As women, we seek a way for the standards of beauty to align with our individual personalities, which means there are as many ways to dress beautifully as there are women in the world.
Although clothing throughout most of history served to accentuate the female form, the push to empower women through fashion has resulted in much more masculine and avant-garde styles of clothing. Fashion today can quite often feel like a revolving door from skinny jeans being “in” to “out” and neutrals or neon holding a grip on our favorite brands. But, can we remain on-trend while still expressing our femininity and womanly beauty? Nicole Caruso, makeup artist and author, writes in her book Worthy of Wearing, “We can dress ourselves to communicate anything we like.”
What we wear can be one the simplest and most effective ways to communicate with others.
As women, what we wear can be one the simplest and most effective ways to communicate with others. Choosing how to dress is a way to share a story with others, so it has to mean more than throwing on the first pair of leggings we see in the morning. It can be a process that frees us to be more who we are. Our souls speak through our body, and as women, our souls are made for beauty!
Unlike men, who have relatively limited clothing options, we can show a piece of who we are through a feminine outfit. Our greatest attribute as women is our beauty – how we choose to accentuate that is by what we wear. I love that when I wear a pastel dress, I can convey a simplistic and gentle look. But I also love when I wear all black streetwear and sneakers for some fall street fashion. Womanhood can be multifaceted, which means we don’t have to limit our fashion choices to one style. Different phases of life and different seasons call for unique pieces. All of this comes together as a whole woman does – complicated yet cohesive!
Embracing Creativity To Communicate Who We Are
Our outer appearance is truly a reflection of our internal selves. Our soul speaks through our body, and as women, our souls are made to appreciate and embody beauty. Therefore, when deciding what to wear, we should dress with the internal in mind first before considering the external. If how we dress speaks to who we are, our clothes mean a lot more than throwing on whatever is most convenient every day.
As women, we are born to create, which applies even to our fashion sense. We naturally gravitate towards creating and making things lovely. The idea of pursuing beauty for beauty’s sake has fallen out of favor, but that doesn’t mean beauty isn’t still powerful. As Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky said, “Beauty will save the world.” As the muses of beauty, every woman is a vision in the right clothes.
As a young woman working in a city, I find it fascinating to observe the distinct difference in purses, high heels, and lipsticks my fellow working women wear versus the mundane looks of a man's suit and jacket. Even in the office, each woman brings her distinct gift of beauty through the way she dresses. But if beauty will save the world, as Dostoevsky says, we need to rid ourselves of the notion that traditional femininity is at odds with the newest fashion phase. There is a way to find cohesiveness between the two ideas.
Bringing Beauty to the People around Us
From baggy jeans to lace dresses to Crocs (maybe that is an objective evil), we have seen everything go through the revolving door that is trendy fashion. It seems like there is no “right” way to be stylish anymore, which leaves people feeling lost and confused about how to dress both to feel attractive and in order to communicate their values.
In a society that encourages androgynous dress, it‘s radical to present ourselves as classically feminine. Throughout history, women have served as muses for artists, authors, and designers alike. A culture is formed by the standards of beauty women set into place. We should embrace this powerful legacy proudly and carry the tradition on into the 21st century. So how exactly can our personal style choices save the world?
How can this bring beauty to those around me?
We must find a cohesiveness between traditionalism and trendiness. What’s “in'' and what’s “out” can change quickly, so finding your personal style is key. A good mindset when buying a piece is, “Does this reveal the beauty of who I am as a woman?” and “How can this bring beauty to those around me?” These may seem like extreme questions to ask over when debating a dress or a silk shirt and jeans, but when we begin to ask “why,” our mindset shifts. We begin to realize that the clothes we wear every day can be a means to bring beauty to others. And this can influence those around us as well. These little changes in our mindset and dress bring the feminine influence that‘s so valuable and missing today.
Closing Thoughts
So yes, what we wear matters. In fact, it can invite others to know what is good, true, and beautiful by bringing those things to the world. And that starts with the first thing others see – the way that we dress.
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