What Makes You Feel Powerful? A Look At How What We Wear Can Empower Us Every Day
What We Wear Has Profound Impact
On How We Feel
Studies have shown that the clothes you wear can actually change your mood and performance. There is a reason that we continue to go back to our favorite pieces time and time again. These key garments make us feel something, whether it is to feel prepared for a big interview, confident on a first date, or comfortable in our own skin. Fashion continues to evolve, just as we do, and it enhances how we communicate to others and ourselves.
For us, fashion has always been at the core of our being. From childhood, we were each individually enamored with clothing and styling—a love we carried with us into our adult lives.
“Studies have shown that the clothes you wear can actually change your mood and performance. There is a reason that we continue to go back to our favorite pieces time and time again.”
One afternoon, we met with the intention to talk about what makes us feel powerful. Hoping to spark inspiration for our next business venture in life, we brought along our favorite garments to help instigate the brainstorm. We started discussing how these garments made us feel when we wore them. At first, it felt silly to say, “This dress makes me feel powerful”, but we knew there was something deeper there—a connection to the psychology of dressing, and we began to unpack it further.
Every day, we each have the opportunity to show up in whatever way we want in the world. For many of us, clothing allows us to adjust, to shift, to evolve, and to be whoever we want to be at any given moment. It makes us feel especially powerful to communicate our values through the stories our garments tell.
“Clothing allows us to adjust, to shift, to evolve, and to be whoever we want to be at any given moment.”
We were so inspired by the conversation around fashion’s role in making people, especially women, feel empowered that we set out to ask a roster of successful and stylish women to share with us what makes them feel powerful. Here’s what a few of them had to say, while wearing some sustainable garments from our newly-launched ethical fashion brand, Left Edit.
“I would actually have to say my hair. I love the statement my curls have, and it just makes me feel so powerful. It represents all these different cultures within me. I love my curls.”
— JAZMINE
“The ocean makes me feel powerful. Dancing with nature, I feel at one with the source and I feel very empowered, especially when I conquer some new waves. Just feeling the salt water on my skin and feeling the pure power of the water, it’s very exhilarating.”
— SLOANE
“What makes me feel powerful is self reflection, because then I’m able to grow and change and learn on my own. And then, if somebody tries to come in and take away your power— especially as a woman a lot of the times, you’re able to say—nope I know myself and you can’t really change that.”
— MYCAH
How To Celebrate Your Strength
There is no one-size-fits-all formula when it comes to finding a connection to your inner power, especially as it relates to fashion, so we put together a list of ways we celebrate our strengths on a daily basis:
Find beauty in your individuality. Whether it be rocking a one-of-a-kind vintage dress or showing off some of your unique features, play up what makes you feel just like you.
Dare to NOT compare. The second you start comparing yourself to others, you disconnect from the opportunity to embrace your own personal style. Finding your own look(s) allows you to get to know yourself on a deeper level.
Take risks. Stepping out of your comfort zone is the best way to create change. Experimenting with new looks or opportunities are micro moments that lead to accelerated growth. These wardrobe adventures can help inspire larger life shifts you may be interested in exploring.
“What we wear is one of the first things people notice when we show up.”
What we wear can actually make a statement—as much as we may resist it, what we wear is one of the first things people notice when we show up. Knowing the story behind our clothes gives us the chance to add an addition layer of power and connection to our outfits.
That connection is what drives Left Edit. We come back to the story in every decision we make, and will continue to ask the questions that push the industry further. From two girls with a dream to the next—power comes in all forms and we encourage you to embrace what is uniquely yours.
What makes you feel powerful? We would love to hear from you.
About The Authors
Left Edit Co-founders Holly Stavnes + Kestrel Jenkins felt a need to bring more bold colors and custom-designed prints to direct-to-consumer sustainable fashion, a space that’s already thriving in the basics department. Check out Left Edit’s debut collection.
