I’m a bit of a pack rat.
I have this weird attachment for things – clothes, dishes, nick nacks, books, recycled materials, etc – that makes it really difficult for me to let go of things, even if they serve me no purpose any more. I’ll start with thinking it’s no problem and I’m going to purge a ton of items, and then, with each piece I look at, I can figure out a way to talk myself into keeping it. I need this tacky dress in case of a luau party. You know how often those happen! And those boxes could certainly be used for something.
Don’t dare get rid of these. I need these.
So while I was going through the very stuffed bin of summer clothes I had put away as part of following my resolve to purge and organize, My attention was brought to the fact that I own a lot of skirts and dresses. There are long skirts and shorter skirts, sleeveless dresses and cute little numbers with buttons and belts.
But, when was the last time I wore a skirt?
Even before the little one joined our family, I would tend to throw on a pair of pants or shorts instead of a more classically feminine outfit. Working in daycares and preschools, it was always just easier to be able to bend and roll and stretch without worrying about flashing anyone. Then, when I became a mother and FULL-time baby-chaser, I seemed to completely forgo the ladies’ section of my closet for comfort and ease.
Which is fine.
It’s nice to be able to be with your little one without any hesitancies about if your wardrobe is malfunctioning or if you’ll be able to do what needs done as a stay-at-home-mom in a comfortable manner. However, I have to admit that for the last 18 months I haven’t felt very sexy. I haven’t felt very feminine, even, which is slightly ironic for the fact that being a female is the whole biological cause for me becoming a mother and wholly embracing the cozy comforts of stretchy pants in the first place.
So, when I realized that my hoarded skirts and dresses were hanging neglected in my closet, tempting the moths who seem to have come with the house to eat them like the forgotten antelope carcasses, tossed aside by a lucky lion, I decided it was time to reclaim my femininity. I made the resolve to wear one of my pretty, flowy, and flirty skirts at least 5 times out of the week.
Well, the week came and went, and I ended up surpassing my goal, only wearing shorts one of the days. I thoroughly enjoyed the week of “dress”ing up.
Breaking out of my clothing routine was far more satisfying than I had thought it would be. At first I was sure that I would have a hard time putting together an outfit from these skirts I never wear, and thought I would be self-conscious in them. Happily, I found the opposite to be true.
Wearing a skirt has a fabulous effect on how I feel about myself. Walking around, out in town or here in the comfort of my home, I was empowered with a strong sense of being a woman. Putting on these pretty, playful, feminine pieces transformed me from the eh-whatever-throw-it-on mom into a confident woman. The swirling, whirling of the skirts around my legs made me feel pretty, put-together and cooler on these hot days. I even felt the urge to continue to pamper my appearance and put on makeup twice this last week, which is something I have only done a handful of times (literally) since my babe was born.
I wasn’t the only person who noticed the effect of my dressing up, either. Over the course of the week I received a wealth of welcome compliments on my appearance. Even though I get all awkward when someone passes me a compliment, the kind words really do have a way of uplifting my mood and making me feel more alive, awake and put-together than I would be if I flew under the radar in my yoga pants and a tank top.
And so, I will be continuing to wear a dress or skirt at least as equally as legged garments this summer.
[tweetthis]Feeling frumpy as a new mom? Throw on a dress and bring sexy back! #momuniform[/tweetthis]
It’s amazing how a simple piece of material flopping around one’s waist can change how positive I feel about myself as a person. It may seem superficial, but the clothes you wear really do have a lot to do with how you carry yourself and how you feel about yourself. If you’ve been feeling a little frazzled and unkempt, I suggest digging deep into your closet to pull out something that makes you feel pretty. Maybe it’s a dress, or perhaps their is something else that makes you specifically feel good about the person you’re presenting to the world. Give functionality up for the day (or find a compromise between function and style) and break out of your wardrobe routine.
You might find this one little change makes a huge difference in how you feel about yourself.
And on a different note, I just have to say that I’ve gone in and out of this post in my draft folder a few times in the last couple days, and every time I see the title I for some reason get Donovan’s “Season of the Witch” song stuck in my head. If you like oldies, you might know what I’m talking about, and proceed to have it stuck in your head as well. If so, I’m sorry. But not really.