A few weeks ago, a reader left a comment that made me think about the things we wear every day and why we wear them. She was asking for advice on what to do when people ask “why are YOU so dressed up?” As if wearing something cute that makes you feel good is a “strange” thing to do!
That comment got me thinking about dressing up and what that means.
Since when did it become an unusual thing to put effort into what you wear and have fun with fashion? Since when is anyone not wearing sweatpants and a hoodie breaking unwritten social rules? Why should “dressing up” be reserved for special occasions only?
I was immediately inspired to create this list. I firmly believe in “dressing up” every day of your life, and I think you should too!
So why dress up? Here are 25 good reasons.
1. Because life’s too short to blend in. Don’t settle for average.
2. Because you’re only young once. You’re way more gorgeous than you know and have a fabulous body you’ll one day look back on and wish you had! Take advantage now and show off how fabulous you can be.
3. Because fashion is a method of self expression. What are you trying to say?
4. Because you never know who you’ll run into. Brad Pitt at the grocery store? Hey, stranger things have happened.
5. Because it obviously annoys closed-minded people (like the guy who asks why YOU are so dressed up). The fact that it annoys them so much is all the more reason to keep doing it. They don’t get to control YOU.
6. Because you never know, there’s always a chance you could get snapped by The Sartorialist!
7. Because you deserve to look your best at all times if you want to.
8. Because you’ll never improve your sense of style if your default look is “I give up”. Yes, that was a Seinfeld reference. But it’s true! If fashion is important to you, make it a priority in your life.
9. Because dressing up helps you weed out friends who don’t love you for you. If they have a problem with the way you dress, they’re not the kind of friends you want around.
10. Because cute clothes and accessories are a great conversation starter. Wear something fabulous and people will ask you where you got it.
11. Because parties aren’t the only time to celebrate.
12. Because that fabulous party dress in your closet cost too much to only be worn once. Remember cost per wear?
13. Because it’s fun and can boost your mood!
14. Because even if you live in an “unstylish” city and are scared to dress up, cities don’t become stylish without someone going first. I know it sounds cheesy, but be the change you want to see in the world. Everyone else can follow your fabulous lead.
15. Because dressing up helps you make fashion mistakes and get past them. Mistakes happen to everyone and that’s how you learn what not to do – get them out of the way now!
16. Because it’s a test of your confidence. Dressing unconventionally forces you to develop the self-assurance necessary to stand out from everyone else.
17. Because fashion is one of the rare instances where art comes alive. What artistic statement do you want to make?
18. Because if you’ve got it (great style, killer confidence, amazing legs), it’s just wrong not to flaunt it.
19. Because someday when you have a 9-5 corporate job and are required to wear business suits, you’re going to miss the freedom of dress you had in college. Experiment now! There’s no better time.
20. Because glamour isn’t only reserved for the rich and famous, even though maybe they’d like you to believe it is.
21. Because if conspiracy theorists are to be believed, the world might end any day now. Don’t spend your theoretical final days in sweats.
22. Because Carrie Bradshaw would not approve of your sweatpants and UGG boots. You can do better than that. And deep down, you know I’m right.
23. Because dressing well means you don’t have to do your hair at all – you’ll have that ultra fabulous, slightly disheveled Kate Moss look.
24. Because nothing beats the rush you feel when you look in the mirror and LOVE what you see.
25. Because you want to. That’s the only reason that matters.
Why do YOU dress up?
What do you think? Do you make an effort to dress up every day? What inspires you to put effort into your look? Tell me what you think by leaving a comment.
–I read somewhere that fashion allows us to be monogamous while still experiencing variety
–I dress up to amuse myself, give others something nice to look at, express myself, and to be creative
–There are a lot of people in here, and they all want their own wardrobe!
Because why not?
The better I look, the better I feel about myself.
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I love this!! Fantastic article, keep them coming 🙂
Hi!!! Love love love your help. I literally am a shopaholic. I do stay in budget, definitely, but I don’t get an opportunity to wear dresses. They keep on piling up and up. I realized that the only reason I dress up is to get people’s attention, thats why I look for an opportunity. I don’t mind wearing expensive clothing on normal occasions, but, my condition is that there should be an occasion atleast. Lately, I had not been satisfied with my choices. I work hard everyday, and I feel comfortable in pyjamas and a T-shirt, but that dress code is bothering me now. I just want to look good and work hard at the same time. I want to change my priorities…
Today I was in a thrift store and found a long, shimmery, black evening dress that looks like it was pulled straight out of the late 90’s early 2000’s. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I have a very long, very slender figure and thought it looked pretty good on my virtually curve-less frame. It was only $12 when it very easily could have been waaaay more, so of course I got it.
I had no idea when, where, or why I would actually wear it, until my boyfriend recommended that I wear it to McDonald’s or to study in the campus library or to take a test. *Studys have actually been conducted: if you dress up for a test you will probably do a little bit better than you would have otherwise*
I plan on wearing it when I go get books for the summer semester ?
This is awesome and inspiring! Dressing up is so much fun. I wish when people didn’t know what to wear they didn’t throw on sweats because it’s just as easy to throw on a pair of heels and a dress.
I love this article. I’m a high school student in Canada and I go to a catholic school therefore I have to wear a uniform we get one day a month where we dont have to wear uniforms and I love wearing heels and skirts but whenever I do everyone asks me if im cold or if my feet hurt even though I find these things comfier than my uniform. I also wear a lot of designer and get criticize a lot for it but I just continue what I do and people in my school started wearing heels too!
this article made me happy.
i’m going to start dressing amazing again.
thanks.
I love this! It drives me nuts whenever people would ask me that! Now I can bring this up and show them haha!
I absolutely loveeee this post! I get dressed up everyday for class, and have always been asked since high school why I get dressed up. Personally, I dont feel ready for the day if I’m not dressed (i.e not sweats) so why not look fabulous when I do? I’m a huge shopper, and I hate saving things for a “special occasion”.
The other reason I get dressed up is for the boost of confidence I get from all the compliments. People frequently come up to me and tell me how nice it is to see someone nicely dressed on a college campus instead of just wearing a t-shirt and jeans, and those type of compliments make my day. Just yesterday, someone I barely know came up to me in the dining hall and told me how awesome and pulled together I looked. The compliment was so genuine and heartfelt rather than the usual “you look cute!”, that it completely made my day.
i don’t get why people think that just because you dress up and care about how you look means you’re shallow. reserving dressing up for only job interviews and presentations doesn’t give you the practice of building a style. also the point of you never know who you’re going to meet, you never know when you will meet someone you want to impress. job offers can come from anywhere, and who wants to hire someone in yoga/sweats. dressing up is not only for bubble brains, it makes you memorable and gives you confidence, and it can be the straw that makes people choose you over someone else.
this post is awesome, and the point about living in a small town super applies to me, but i made a promise to myself that no matter what i will stick to my heart and show off my killer style :).
Because fashion is a method of self expression.!!!!
My style is fitness chic that indicates the sublimation of a a person’s attitude towards sports coupled with the care for fashion detail in different contexts from relaxed to glamour. My mind is fitness and my heart is fitness chic.
Love this post!
I don’t need reasons though, I’m just no good at dressing down! I have no concept of ‘I’m only popping to the local store’… hehe.
Florrie x
Great reasons – I strongly believe in that. Every girl should dress up every day, no matter the occasion. Every girl should try to look her best. No matter how we feel – if we are sad, hurt or bored – women should look beautiful every minute!
My dryer refused to dry my clothes one day and I had to meet up with a friend in 30 minutes. So, I dressed up since I had no other choice. It was quite an interesting day that day 😀