The Effect of Clothes and Makeup on Self-Confidence

What is your self-confidence dependent on? Is it your personality and identity, your actions, or your fashion.  I cannot speak for others, but I can speak for myself when I say that clothes and make-up do affect my confidence in both negative and positive ways. The truth is that the reasons for self-confidence are quite varied. Confidence can come from the validation of others, but it can come from yourself, as well.  It can also come from the types of clothes you wear, such as conventional and trendy or personally unique styles. There have been multiple studies conducted to see how teens’ confidences and preferences in clothing vary. Many studies conducted have found that teenager’s have felt closer to their environment through their fashion. Karen Pine, a professor at the University of Hertfordshire states, “Now research shows what we wear affects us too. Putting on different clothes creates different thoughts and mental processes.” This is especially true in high schoolers. In fact, she conducted an experiment where she asked students to wear heroic clothing to see their reactions. “When wearing a Superman T-shirt the students rated themselves as more likable and superior to other students,”  she says. She also asked some of the female students to take a math test with some wearing swim suits and others wearing sweaters. The ones wearing sweaters performed much better than those wearing swimsuits.  You can find out more about how clothing affects our brains in her book,  “Mind What You Wear.”

Adolescence can be a roller coaster of emotions, and insecurities can build up during our teenage years. At times those insecurities can lead to mimicking models and celebrities we have no real connection to. Many makeup and clothing brands leech off of those feelings to get young teens to buy their products. These actions can negatively affect our self-confidence, and we sometimes begin to compare our bodies and styles to those famous people that we see on TV. However, finding our own personal styles that truly make us feel like ourselves, can help change this perspective. If our styles are based on our own preferences, rather than others, when looking in the mirror, this constant comparison is more easily diminished. Self-confidence no longer becomes dependent on those around us, lessening our insecurities and allowing for our own personal growth. At that point we can be sure that internal happiness and love will follow.