Whenever people question the importance of clothes or say that fashion is useless, I always try to challenge their thinking. Although the role of clothing is to protect our body directly, its psychological effect can be extreme, too. Fashion has been studied for thousands of years – from its use to indicate socioeconomic status to its cultural significance in society – but, because of my experiences, I am very interested in exploring the relationship between dressing and mental health.
In 2018, I was diagnosed with agoraphobia. What started as generalized anxiety disorder led to agoraphobia which, at its worst, left me homeless for a year. When I started exposure therapy (this involved slowly trying to get out of the house), I found myself turning to clothes to rediscover who I was.
I have always loved dressing up. I spent my early years dreaming of being old enough to wear heels, before starting a career in fashion styling, graphic design and fashion show production from the age of 18. Although I was an anxious teenager, from the age of 13, I felt confident enough to dress differently from my peers, trying to sew and wear old clothes. Fashion was my biggest passion but, along the way – mainly because of my anxiety – I lost my focus.
This may sound strange, or far-fetched, but it is not at all surprising that my outward appearance – how I presented myself to the world – had such an impact on my state of mind; after all, the NHS lists “disregard for personal appearance” as a behavioral symptom of anxiety and depression. Conversations about personal style and mental health prove that some people are motivated to leave the house when they feel confident in their clothes, despite or because of anxiety symptoms. For example, London-based writer and vision researcher, Isabella Brunner, knows the devastating effects of agoraphobia, having had symptoms since she was 26. She says: “When agoraphobia was bad, I had a way of trying to get through it.
I inherited dressing as a mental health tool. As a first-generation Brit, my father arrived in the UK from Ghana with little money and little mental health due to the untreated trauma of his mother’s death. He was called “the French” by his peers, because of his affinity for the first clothes. Every day he wore a suit and tie; his clothes were the epitome of the “look good, taste good” philosophy., making him feel confident and successful as he deals with the challenges of adapting to life in a new country, with a completely different culture.
Shakaila Forbes-Bell, fashion psychologist and author of The Power of the Great Dress: How the Psychology of Fashion Can Change Your Wardrobe and Confidence, he coined the word “wearapt” as a connection between what we wear and our mental health. She explains the scientific basis of the term: “This believes that what we wear doesn’t just change the way others see us – it changes the way we think and feel.
Forbes-Bell, who also founded the host The Werapy Showsuggests that clothing can be used as a supportive psychological tool. “For someone with agoraphobia or anxiety, I would suggest using clothes as a form of “exposure scaffolding”, starting with clothes that feel emotionally protective, comforting or identity-affirming.
Following my father’s plan and fine-tuning my style gave me a life path – an opportunity to overcome my negative self-image, find purpose and improve my personality. I went through my wardrobe extensively, using Jennifer L. Scott’s minimalist 20-item wardrobe system as a reference. Inspired by a move to Paris, Scott wrote an account of how he found his style of dressing by having minimal clothing, simplifying his wardrobe by focusing on French basics such as trench coats and perfectly tailored trousers. It moved me; Construction clothing suddenly became the antidote to my anxious feelings, and it allowed me to focus and imagine what my future would hold.
Karina Marriot, her Bristol-based stylist, creates her own wardrobe for her 131,000 Instagram followers and private clients, referring to styling as therapy. He says that his method is to use “what we wear as small, practical ways to support the way we feel and to reconcile ourselves when life is difficult. Marriot’s ‘Style Therapy’ series on Instagram explores the psychological rewards from practices such as “dopamine dressing” – using bright colors to enhance emotions – as well as using silhouettes that have an impact, such as sewing sharp things, especially when people are often insecure. getting dressed gives me the energy to get out of the house, especially when I work from home, which can feel very isolating.
Similarly, Nicole Ocran, journalist and author of Half of it, she says she uses color schemes to help her overcome anxiety, from wearing it head-to-toe to choosing bold motifs and “fun” accessories. “If I don’t give myself an excuse to dress up, it becomes a slippery slope for my mental health,” she says. “If I’m feeling sad or overwhelmed, I’ll go for a collaboration or an easy outfit to get back to me.” Similarly, when I’m feeling anxious or scared, I wear something that makes me feel strong – sewing, for example – to add structure back into my life when things feel chaotic or out of reach.”
Once, when I was sick, the consultant I was in the hospital told me that I didn’t look good at all, probably because of my well-thought-out outfit that I had deliberately chosen to hide my feelings. Even my friends and family often comment on how overdressed I am no matter where I go or what I do, but, honestly, it’s a plan I’ve adopted as a coping mechanism.
In 2023, I moved to Paris to fulfill my lifelong dream of working as a fashion editor, where I consider it to be the fashion capital of the world. I no longer suffer from agoraphobia, and I’m sure that fashion and style played a big part in my recovery. It inspired me and made me confident and, therefore, brave enough to make a life-changing decision like moving countries. Now, I’m lucky enough to wear Paris every day, a place I would have thought about if I couldn’t walk in my front door ten years ago.
We should not underestimate how powerful clothes can make us feel. The next time you feel anxious, or maybe even anxious about the prospect of leaving the house, I encourage you to think about what you would wear if no one was watching. How do you want to feel? Dress to achieve that feeling. You don’t know how healing it can be.
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