my personal style is extremely important to me ... if i'm dressed in something i dont like, feel boring in, doesnt fit well, isnt a nice color on me, etc. i dont feel quite like myself. dress me in a polo shirt and khaki pants, and i *feel* boring. but put me in my favorite pinstripe pencil skirt and some hot heels, and suddenly i'm mae west.
so, to the extent that a person's confidence can be literally unleashed upon the world through a good confluence of personality and style, yes, by all means, find your style.
ever watch the show "what not to wear" ? some of the transformations that take place on that show are simply stunning and i would encourage anyone who doubts the power of fashion to transform a person to watch an episode or two (TLC or BBC, both work fine).
when i opened this topic i thought you were going to ask if style and fashion are a suitable life purpose. this is something i've struggled with myself, because i am a person with a very diverse portfolio of interests and talents, from writing to singing to designing software, but somehow my forays into the fashion world are where i've had my largest impact on the greatest number of people.
i often feel weird about this. because, although i know personally how much fashion means to me, fashion is generally seen as a frivolous pursuit. in fact i myself see it that way, even though i derive great joy from putting together great outfits and also from helping people discover what kinds of clothes they can feel great in, too.
i actually had a reading with erin where she told me fashion is where i will have my greatest impact -- specifically, fashions for bigger girls, who are often left out of the whole fun part of dressing. when she said that, i was kind of disappointed, because i feel as though my mind is too good for fashion, or something. like my gifts could be put to better use elsewhere.
so ... i still havent stepped forward with my fat girl fashion line. i am still struggling with whether that is a worthy pursuit for me, or not.  |