Why Looking Good Makes You a Badass

If I was me three years ago I would have told current me to "shove it" just based on this post's title. However, I encourage my younger self and any other skeptics to keep reading and trust.

Over the last year I have discovered my love for fashion. I don't necessarily mean mainstream media fashion, but more my personal style. I used to hand-to-heart believe that anyone who spent any of the precious hours of their day getting ready was... well, to put it nicely... a "superficial hoe". I know that sounds horribly judgmental of me, and it was. I felt that true feminists showed the world their bare face with a giant middle finger in the air, and everyone else was just a poser. I thought that I was feeding into false beliefs over what beauty was if I wore fake eyelashes. I had a very strict set of rules I followed in order to not be a materialistic millennial absorbed in the newest social media craze.

Let me be the first to tell you how wrong I was. Feminism is the belief in the equality of the sexes and if that means a person, any person: male, female, non-binary, wants to get dressed up and rock heels and all the makeup and hair extensions, then dammit, they should. In that same vain, fashion is whatever you put on that makes you feel like you could pose for a "Yes We Can" poster as your totally, freaking awesome, bomb-ass self.

When I look in the mirror half way through my day and think, "Oh dear lord..." I don't tend to bring my A-game to that day. When I take a few extra minutes to look the way I love, I can bring 110% of me to that day.

See, it's not about looking good for others or dressing in a way that will appease the social media gods. It's about dressing and looking like your most authentic self, whatever that looks like.

You're a no makeup, baseball cap, and seekers person?

Rock on!

You're a freshly pressed blouse with immaculate makeup person?

Frick yeah!

You're a second-hand, eclectic wearing, new-hair-color-every-week person?

Badass!

I feel best, am most productive, joyous, and optimistic when I dig the way the human in the mirror looks. Let's face it, we are superficial creatures. We like to like the way we look, AND THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. So why not try that outfit, rock that hair, or do that look; who actually even gives one single flying crap? Only you.

The more you love and take care of you (however that looks), the more you can pour back into others. You are a wine glass, stop trying to tip yourself to pour into others. Instead, fill yourself up until you are overflowing into those around you.