Clothes, looking good and feeling good

I've never been a real girly girl. As a kid, I dressed like my brothers and even until today I don't wear skirts, dresses, jewelry or accessories very often. I've never taken the same level of joy from my clothing that some women do. I do, however, like to look good, with "good" being defined by me. Especially now that I'm in my 40's, I pay more attention to how I dress, even just to run errands. When I was in my 20's, I could wake up, put my hair in a high ponytail throw on some sweats and look cute and young. Somewhere around my mid-30's, this ceased to be the case and I just felt like I looked sloppy and unkempt. This is no great tragedy though as I have enjoyed my new look.

There are a great many shows on that cover fashion, but the one I really learn from is TLC's "What Not to Wear." The two hosts, Stacy and Clinton, make over a very average looking woman (and sometimes a man) from scratch and the results are astounding. The women they choose are someone you would probably either not notice or notice that she really looks under-dressed, even for the grocery store. They do a high-drama scene where they force the woman to throw away her entire wardrobe so they can start from scratch. At the end, predictably, the woman looks great and is someone who is attractive enough to be noteworthy.

I could do without the drama in this show, but aside from that there is a lot to like. First, they start with average looking women. What a great message that you don't have to look like a supermodel to look good and that average looking women deserve to look and feel good. Second, they often uncover reasons why the woman didn't want to put effort into her looks. Often the reason is some variation on the theme that she doesn't feel like she deserves it, and again, what a great message that everyone deserves to look good. Third, the show does a good job of teaching the woman the principles of the clothes she is buying. They demonstrate specific characteristics to look for in clothes that will work for her and send her out to shop. In other words, they teach her to fish rather than give her a fish. I've learned a lot about what kind of clothes to buy based on watching the show and following general rules for everyone as well as specific rules for women built like me. Fourth, they do a good job of working within the woman's lifestyle. If she doesn't even wear makeup or spend any time on her hair, she's not going to do a 45-minute beauty regimen. They tailor the regimen to her goals too - a young woman in the fashion industry got a much more elaborate make-up treatment than some other women who don't even want to wear makeup.

I've learned a lot from this show. For one thing, I almost always wear fitted clothes now. No matter the weight, shape or size, it seems almost everyone looks better in fitted clothes. Clothes that fit properly are very comfortable. I've also learned that I feel better and people treat me better if I look like I care about myself. A really big lesson is that looking good doesn't have to take a lot of time. I buy almost everything I wear at Old Navy, so shopping is easy and not very expensive. Because I am meticulous about fit, everything in my closet looks good on me. I deliberately buy my clothes so that almost everything can be worn together. I have also started wearing makeup on regular days and not just for special occasions. I didn't use to wear makeup for everyday use because, not being a girly girl, I didn't want to look made up. What I have learned is that with very little time (well under 5 minutes) and the right products (I like Glow Minerals), I can look fresh and polished and like I naturally have perfect skin and wear no makeup. That's a look I like!