[L I F E] S O C I A L
Dopamine Dressing
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“If we are feeling low, dopamine dressing is a good way to help shift ourselves and our attention to where we want to be if we are struggling. Dress does not solve our problems or take away pain, but it can support us if we allow it to.” ALLISON DILLARD, a licensed professional psychologist
challenge where the limits of maternity clothing emphasizes parts of her body she doesn’t want to focus on, shares aspects of her personal life she doesn’t want shared, and doesn’t display the professionalism she wants communicated at work. “I’m having to learn new ways to express myself and lift my mood as my current limited clothing options aren’t able to fulfill the role my clothes previously played,” she says. Peyton also shares how the way someone dresses can quickly lead to assumptions about an individual’s lifestyle, class or personality, something she has experienced when receiving funny looks for wearing ripped jeans or crop tops. “If I’ve learned anything through my
love for fashion, it’s that there should be no standards placed on anyone’s personal style. The only thing that should matter is that someone feels comfortable and confident in the clothes they choose to wear,” Peyton says. Fashion is more than runways and overpriced shoes. Fashion is armor, control, a statement and a feeling all at once. Fashion is control, power and personal expression. “Fashion is our first impression of who we are and how we want to be perceived, so why not use that to our advantage as women?” Allison says. Women still have stereotypes and projections to overcome, but fashion allows them the opportunity to have a voice without saying anything. “To exude strength and dignity. We can never control how someone sees us, but we can dress in a way that tells people who we are if they are willing to listen,” she says. If fashion is a conversation between us in the world, then only through understanding the psychology of fashion can we take part in that conversation. And on the stage or screen, our first impression of any character we meet comes from what they wear. Are they dressed in moody grays, powerful jewel tones, or youthful pastels? What parts of themselves do they choose to cover or reveal? How has their style changed since we first met them? And what are they trying to tell us through what they’re wearing? In a recent interview with Vogue, Heidi Bivens, the costume designer of the show “Euphoria,” described how she used costumes to reflect the psychology of each character. Although our lives (and our outfits) might be a little bit different than the lives of characters, the philosophy still applies: The way we dress impacts us.
