Writing something deep and thoughtful in a fashion column makes about as much sense as, well, writing something deep and thoughtful in a fashion column. Fashion columns should be reserved for colorful descriptions and overuse of words like “fierce” and “trendy.” When you put too much thought into it, it kind of falls flat, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try.
I, for one, am a firm believer that your style is a reflection of who you are inside. After all, can’t you usually pick out the artsy or athletic people in a crowd simply by the way they’re dressed? It’s almost like an art form in itself, a means of expressing yourself and what you are about to the world.
Sadly, that world isn’t always so accepting. That’s why we have “queen bees” in high schools judging each other solely on what their underlings can afford to wear and creativity-stifling dress codes put in place to combat that. But that was high school; this is college. Why are things that happened back then still a big deal now?
Once upon a time, in a junior high that will remain unnamed, a seventh-grader decided to try something none of her peers were doing at the time—wearing red lipstick. She loved that lipstick, the way it complimented her pale skin and made her teeth look whiter. Most of all, she loved the idea that, just maybe, it would get her scrawny, awkward self noticed for once.
it did. Oh, did it ever.
For the first time ever, her name was on everyone’s lips. Unfortunately, that name tended to be followed by the words “looks like a hooker.” As many of you know, that word, along with other various synonyms for “prostitute,” is about the worst thing you can be called in junior high, especially when you are already dealing with smelling funny, mountain ranges of zits and getting a hang of that shaving thing and—oh yeah—trying to have friends.
That poor awkward seventh-grader was absolutely, inconsolably heartbroken. She was me, in case you haven’t already inferred that. So the little tube of red lipstick swiftly met the trashcan, as did any glimmer of popularity I ever dreamed of having.
Things like that can mess with someone’s confidence for a very long time, as anyone who has dealt with a similar problem in middle or high school can attest to. A lot of people have graduated with more than their fair share of social and emotional burns, and it’s something you carry with you your entire life. Like the way you can take the nails out of a block of wood, but still be left with a collection of holes, you can’t completely repair the damage of cruel words or the holes they left in your confidence.
So what does this have to do with fashion again? Well in the years since my infamous red lipstick faux pas, I’ve always been secretly, seriously envious of girls who can pull off the look. It’s such a classy, sophisticated touch. Then I got to thinking, what’s the difference between the
girls who can rock red lipstick and me?
Absolutely nothing.
As soon as I could, I marched right down to the cosmetics section of Meijer, grabbed myself a tube of bright red lipstick and wore it with all the poise and self-assurance I could muster. And believe me when I say that it was wonderful.
It’s a shame it took me as long it did to have this epiphany and even more of a shame these people who put me down so many years ago had such an effect on my self-esteem well into my freshman year of college. Why do we let people control us like that?
So this fashion article comes with a challenge. Who has hurt you the most with their words in the past, and what has it prevented you from doing now? Find your “red lipstick,” whatever it may be, and dare to confront it. You might be surprised at how much better you feel.
After all, confidence is the greatest fashion accessory anyone can have.
