What I wear...shows how I value...who I am?

'How does it matter what I wear, as long as I'm comfortable in it, I could wear a night gown and visit the market for all I care!' 

I've seen a lot of women go out in a night gown-even in my home town. They comfortably and conveniently walk around town in these, oblivious to what anyone else might think of them or how anyone would perceive them. And there are also those who would 'dress up.' It's interesting to observe how these women carry themselves as well as how others around them respond to them. 

Judith Rasband, Conselle CEO and a Certified Image Master (CIM) maintains that our clothes affect who we are. What we wear forms a significant portion of our ‘image’ or our ‘appearance’ and this not only portrays ourselves to others but what we wear also has an impact on our own selves!

Two researchers, Hajo Adam and Adam Galinsky from the Northwestern University, according to a 2012 study believe that our clothes influence our behavior and the way we think. They have coined the term 'enclothed cognition' describing the mental changes we undergo when we wear certain clothing. Amazingly, they say when you wear athletic clothing, you become more active! This simply supplements my thoughts on clothing!

Click on this link if you'd like to read more on their study of How fashion affects fitness.

The Image Cycle perfectly puts it - Our self image, or how we see ourselves is affected by how we dress and groom ourselves which in turn affects how we think, feel, act and behave which affects how others see us, react and respond to us which brings us back to and of course affects our 'self image.' 

Why don't you experiment for yourself. If you are the kinds who loves to dress up, try dressing down and doing the chores that you'd generally dress up for. And if you are the kinds who doesn't spend too much time dressing up, try matching your clothes, accessories, adding a touch of foundation and a little eyeliner/kajal before stepping out for your routine chores. I'd love to hear how you felt when you tried this!