Just because someone chooses to not be fashionable doesn’t mean they have low self-esteem. Putting together nice outfits and wearing great clothes takes time, especially if you’re a woman.
However, I don’t think it’s wrong to choose to wear clean, well-fitting clothes that offer a great deal of utility, but may not be the most fashionable. Instead of spending hours on hair, makeup, etc. the person choosing to wear these clothes may decide their hours are better spent reading, studying, or enjoying time with their loved ones.
For example, I could spend an hour and a half getting ready every day and look my most fabulous. Or, I could spend 15-30 minutes getting ready for the day and look good. The hour or so that I save can be used for thing I value more highly than looking fabulous, like writing papers or working. Sometimes I do choose to look fabulous, but it’s not every day.
With the case of Kira, she was too busy BEING an individualist, then trying to SHOW it. Too many people TRY to look like they are individualists, then actually BEING individualists. In trying to look like it, you are dependent upon others eyes, judgments.
I think that it’s entirely contextual. Narcissists, particularly somatic narcissists, like getting narcissisitc supply from the clothing they wear, attention it brings to them, etc. Now they have self-esteem issues, but that does not mean, like what Vicki was saying above me, that those that are fashionable, are then automatically those with low self-esteem.
I wear Dockers to work, black ones. Generally I take an approach more like Einstein did, except I don’t have many of the same suits, just the same types of shirts and pants. I like what Anton LaVey wrote about on fads, and “slaves of fashion” in his The Devil’s Notebook. I don’t have time, or else I’d quote from my Kindle 2 from it.
Just because someone chooses to not be fashionable doesn’t mean they have low self-esteem. Putting together nice outfits and wearing great clothes takes time, especially if you’re a woman.
However, I don’t think it’s wrong to choose to wear clean, well-fitting clothes that offer a great deal of utility, but may not be the most fashionable.
I would agree with that. Given what I’ve seen, clothes of utility are often great looking by most standards. Aesthetic is important, and just because something has utility does not preclude it from being “fashionable,” if fashionable is to mean “of high aesthetic quality.”
After thinking about the topic more, not paying much attention to what you wear may not necessarily mean low self-esteem, but what it can tell you is there is room for self-esteem growth. But I would still say paying attention to what you wear is a sign of high self-esteem, minus the exceptional cases of people who take vanity to the degree of ignoring or forgetting about other important values.
On Saturday I went to one of my vacant properties. I wore paint stained pants and a paint stained shirt. I painted, worked on the final repairs, cleaned a fridge, etc.
I wear my paint stained work clothes with pride.
As I recall - Hank Reardon carried his clothes with assurance no matter what he wore too - be it suit or overalls.
Interesting take, but some who dress poorly would claim their lack of attention to appearance as evidence that they are secure with their self image, therefore they have high self esteem. But I think that the occasion matters quite a bit. I don’t think the outfit one wears while grocery shopping is a good indicator of one’s self esteem. Most of the time I’d prefer to be in PJs, for instance, but that doesn’t mean I’m depressed by the thought of myself. On the other hand, I’d never go to work or out for cocktails in PJs, and I’d almost never go to a costume party in them.
Amen.
I often get compliments from others because of my ensembles. Little do they know most items they find interesting are secondhand clothes scored online - vintage, as I’d put it. There are times, though, when I practically live in ratty oversized jerseys and recycled tennis shoes. Not being that mindful of one’s appearance, particularly one’s choice of clothing, doesn’t equate to low self-esteem. If anything, whenever I don my worn-out, albeit comfy outfits, I’m showing a great deal of confidence. Why’s that? Well, cause I couldn’t care less what others may think of me. I know I’m fab as is. And there’s nothing better than being comf, right?
And there’s nothing better than being comf, right?
Well, other than being comfortable while looking good. Or being comfortable while looking astonishingly good.
Clothing has certain aspects that are objectively judged independent of self-esteem, such as a good-looking fit, a comfortable fit, color, variety, utility. Of course, all of those can relate to someone’s self-esteem, also, depending on their appraisal of those elements in relation to themselves, in a given scenario.
All clothing can produce almost any feeling depending on the individual’s judgement of it in an endless variety of contexts. I know that sounds broad and general, but so is the subject of “Clothing in relation to self-esteem.” One would need to specify which clothing and which context.
The context of the sort of society you live in is important too, since in the western world it really isn’t difficult to make yourself look presentable. You can dress well on a budget with minimal effort.