What are the signs of confidence? How do you see yourself?
There are many aspects to confidence. They include:
- how you speak,
- your goals and ambitions,
- your skills and knowledge,
- how you come across,
- your resilience and tenacity and
- your body language.
Then there is the language of clothes.
What do yours say?
There are multiple reasons why people choose to wear what they wear: to attract attention or to blend in; to look powerful or to indicate modesty; to look friendly or to say “stay away from me”; to reflect or to disguise financial status or age.
You may make choices to declare your religious views, ethnicity or political leaning or you may wish to hide them. You may simply want to feel comfortable in what you wear, and choose accordingly.
In “The Language of Clothes” the author Alison Lurie wrote: “Human beings communicate with one another first through the language of clothes. Long before I am near enough to talk to you, on the street, in a meeting or at a party, you announce your sex, age and class to me through what you are wearing, and very possibly give me important information (or misinformation) as to your occupation, origin, personality, opinions, tastes, sexual desires and current mood…..By the time we meet and converse we have already spoken to each other in an older and more universal tongue.”
Quiztime
Here is a simple quiz to help you identify what motivates your choices. Which influence you?
- Authority
- Wealth or financial status
- Class
- Religion
- Politics
- Ethnicity
- Age
- Comfort/practicality/climate
- Mood (happy, sad, confident, unconfident)
- Colour, (bright or light, dark or white)
- Attractiveness
- In fashion/trendy
- Other
There are also accessories, your hat and scarf, spectacles, tattoos and body art, jewellery or none, the newspaper or book that you read.
How do you see yourself?
What you wear affects how you feel and makes a statement to others.
And how you wear your clothes and accessories may also depend upon how you’re feeling at the time.
This in turn can further affect your mood and self-esteem and how others perceive and respond to you.
Clothes have a way of telling others how you feel that day, how you see yourself. and where you position yourself in the world.
Happy as you are?
So, consider: what are you pleased about and want to retain?
What would you like to change?
Personalised Support
If you feel one-to-one support through confidence coaching would be helpful to develop your confidence, whether for your career or personally, and you want to know more, you are welcome to arrange a free initial call for 20 minutes without obligation.