How to Practice Self-Love Through Style

There’s a scene in this year’s Captain Marvel film where Brie Larson’s character, Carol Danvers, asks for help when it comes to designing her superhero suit. It’s a cute scene, but one that speaks to an important part of self-care: finding your own personal style can make you feel like you can take on the world… or entire galaxies, even.

These days, many bemoan the rise of Instagram and other social media as a damaging tool to women’s self-esteem, but on the plus side — pun not intended — it’s also given a voice to those who want to advocate a different and more inclusive set of beauty standards. Body positivity has become a high priority for consumers and businesses alike, with amazing plus size models and celebrity figures like Ashley Graham and Lizzo showing us that style is truly available at every size.

Understand the importance of personal style

Lots of psychological studies have reported the impact that clothing can have on the way we think, interact, and are perceived by others. One such phenomenon discussed in an earlier Uncustomary blog post is enclothed cognition, which explains why the simple act of dressing professionally can actually make you feel more professional, and thus more productive.

Find your style inspiration

This list of curvy fashion influencers and models on Cosmoplitan is one way to start finding stylish and creative women who can inspire you to be yourself in a world that can sometimes be very toxic for bigger women. The best part? The bloggers featured on the list represent a whole bunch of different ethnicities and body types. Not every body, plus-sized or not, looks the same, and that’s where the beauty of personal style comes in. There’s only one person with the same exact body that you have, so why not flaunt it?

Don’t be afraid to experiment

The only way to find out what works best for you is to step out of your comfort zone every once in a while. The array of dresses on Woman Within shows just a sample of how many inclusive styles, cuts, and colors there are for women today, with sizes ranging from 12 up to 44. With lots of fashion brands designing clothes to fit fuller-sized women, it’s the perfect time to take advantage of the offerings at hand and find your next style. And who knows you might just learn something new about yourself and what works well with your body in the process. Don’t stop at changing up your clothes; try different hairstyles and colors too. It’s possible with authentic hair extensions and wigs. Whether you have short or long hair, you can change up your hairstyle according to your mood and outfit.

Get yourself measured

Despite fashion brands bumping up their size ranges, there’s still no unified standard as to what counts as a small, medium, and so on. Knowing your measurements (and remembering that they’re just numbers!) can help you navigate the tricky problem that comes with vanity sizing and differing size standards. Remember to get yourself measured fairly regularly too, since your measurements might change over time — but that doesn’t mean you should stop being stylish!

Look for brands that you want to support

In the same way that you have your favorite t-shirt and jean combo, finding your personal style might be easier when you find brands that you enjoy wearing. Influencer and blogger favorite Fat Mermaids is known for its comfy sweaters and shirts that have quirky, body-positive messages on them, reminding you that you can have your cake and look good eating it, too. Whatever your style is, be it quirky tees or simple basics, doing the necessary ground work to find your brand BFF can help you build your look much easier.

Whether it’s dressing for a job or dressing just for you, looking put together in a way that makes you happy is one important way to take care of yourself. Dressing up is an opportunity for you to get acquainted with your body, a way for you to show it some love and give back for all that it’s done for you. Always remember to put a focus on what makes you feel good, and the rest of the styling tips will follow naturally.