Identity is understanding who we are, what we connect with, how it affects us and how we represent ourselves in our everyday lives. Through appearance or style as individuals, we announce who we are and who we hope to become. Anything we wear, from hair dyes to accessories is a part of our style because our individual personalities influence whether we want to colour our hair or wear ripped jeans. As humans, we absorb characters and behaviours from our environment, friends, family, which adds to our identity.
While we should not let our self-confidence be affected by the opinions people have of us, there is no doubt that what we receive from people (through encounters) throughout our lifetime will have an impact on our identity.
Our fashion identity starts to be shaped even as a toddler because of age or gender. You might be asking, how?
- Gender
Have you ever been to a baby shower and you see blue or pink in everything around you, from balloons to chairs and even the mums’ clothes? There has been an unwritten rule that the colour blue is for a boy child and the colour pink for a girl child. But as it is in the present times, with the wide acceptance of gender fluidity and individual choices, our streamlined ideas of men and women fashion is no longer the best way to identify someone’s gender. People see it as an opportunity to express their unique sense of style and personality.
2. Age
Sometime back, my friends and I were to meet up for brunch. On getting to the location, one mentioned, ‘Hey, why are you dressed like you are 40 something?’ sounds familiar right? As we grow older, society has tagged some clothes as immature or inappropriate at some periods in our lifetimes. The main reason for these changes in fashion is the evolution of our identities. Fortunately, the world has given more room for the expression of fashion. Imagine yourself still wearing shorts or a bow tie, as you would do in your teens.
As individuals, we are subject to a constant identification process, trying to relate to the world around us and the world around us relating to us. This process is crucial in knowing who we are, and equally importantly, who we are not. Unfortunately, society would still see those who choose a different approach to fashion as weird. Take a risk and do not give in to the worlds unrealistic standards of what is and is not appropriate for fashion today. At the end of the day, it is YOUR identity.
