With there being a lot of media attention currently on the changes being made to the lockdown restrictions in the UK. We thought it would take a break from that for a second and spend some time talking about a more light-hearted topic.

Clothes!

We have all heard the phrase “dress to impress’ whether it be on an invitation or as a party theme, but I personally have a couple issues with it.

First, this phrase generally means to put on some ‘fancy’ clothes like a velvet dress and a suit and tie, but in reality there are a lot of people who don’t have the privilege of owning clothes like that for one reason or another.

Secondly, it suggests that we are dressing nicely in order to impress the people around us, this suggests the false idea that we should rely on others for validation, to tell us that we look good and to recognise our wealth.

So, now I have complained, what do I think we should do about it? It is unrealistic to assume that we can get rid of this phrase, but what we can do is change its implications/the way it affects us.

I think that we should take this phrase as an opportunity to impress ourselves meaning that we wear clothes that makes us feel good about ourselves! And sure, this could mean that you wear a brand new suit and tie, but it could also mean you wear that one shirt with the wacky design you found at the charity shop.

If you are anything like how I think I would be reading this, you have two questions; one being: Why are you talking about this? Well! I’ll tell you!

With the changing weather and the stresses of university life, I have had some bad days recently, nothing to be worried about as we all have days like that, but they’re bad none the less, so I decided that the one thing I could do is dress to impress myself, it gave me the confidence to approach the day as the best form of myself even though I really didn’t want to leave my bedroom, it reminded me that I am an individual when I laced up my 2 inch platform sketchers that just make me smile.

Secondly, you may be thinking, what do you want me to take from this Tom? Well, thank you for asking! I want you to finish reading this with this new definition of ‘dress to impress’ but also more broadly with the understanding of your own ability to create your own positivity and confidence! It may be through clothes, music, or even exercise. But just know that you are capable of helping yourself through the bad days and making them just that little better completely on your own!