Do Clothes Make the Woman, or Does the Woman Make the Clothes?

There is an expression that most people know: The (wo)man makes the clothes--the clothes do not make the (wo)man. However, have you ever noticed that when a person (for the sake of this blog and for my purpose of interest, a woman specifically) is decked out, the way they carry themselves is a lot different than how they would carry themselves if they were schlepping around? When a woman is lounging around in slouchy sweatpants and her ex-boyfriend's tattered tee, the spark and the light in which she would have if she were in an ensemble of, of I don't know--a Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress and leopard print peep-toe Christian Louboutin heels--is dead (arguably masked by the ketchup stains on the hem of the t-shirt or the scent of must beneath the armpit). Why is this? Why does the fire that is inside of the same woman fizzle out when she is not dressed to the nines? There is another expression that comes to mind when thinking of this issue; that experession is: When you look good, you feel good. And when you feel good, you carry yourself with an unparallel confidence. So, does that mean the clothes really do make the woman?

Well, let's look at this: have you ever been walking down the street ona beautiful day, only to notice an unbelievably confident woman wearing an unbelievably hideous outfit--however she carries herself in a way that says, "Yes...I am all that and a bag of baked, low-fat, lightly salted, reduced sodium potato chips AND a Coke zero." Or, on a similar note, have you ever noticed that girl in the store who's every bit of a size 12--which is perfectly fine--, but who will only buy her clothes in a size 8--which is not so perfectly fine, especially when she walks around strutting, showing all her lady lumps (and no, not the ones that the Black Eyed Peas were singing about--I'm referring to the ones that resemble cottage cheese and are the biggest foe of spandex and poly-cotton blends). Why is it that some women wear some of the most outlandish outfits (you know who you are), and they do it with such dignity and poise that it makes us all want to go out and rip up garbage bags of our own and strut them down the street as if we were Gisele Bundchen at a Victoria's Secret fashion show? How is it that some women have the nerve to wear clothes that are several sizes too small, and have no shame in letting it all hang out (literally), while some of us have relatively toned bodies and still feel self-conscious even in some of the most modest outfits? Do the clothes REALLY make the woman?

My answer is: it depends on the woman. I know that's probably not as cut and dry or black or white as you may have been hoping for, but let me explain why my answer is so gray. The media has beaten it into our brains for years what beauty is and exactly what great fashion is. A lot of women have bought into these ideas, and they feel as though if they are not adorned in the latest fashions from Zac Posen's Spring line, then they are not worthy, and their fire--that spark, that fierceness (as Tyra Banks would say)--suffers, making them feel good only when Vogue or Glamour tells them that they look good. Then there are women who do and wear what they please, throwing caution to the trends, overloooking labels thinking she's on fire (metaphorically) when really someone wants to set her--but mainly her outfit--on fire (literally).

In my opinion, neither woman is better than the other, and each suffers some sort of deep-seeded emotional issues (one has some sort of desire for acceptance, the other is just overly confident--which is equally abnormal) that no amount of the finest silk shipped over from Italy will be able to mask.

Now, there is a third group of women that I purposely failed to mention earlier in this blog, and those women are the women who fall in-between. This group (of which I belong) does read Vogue (and by read, I do mean worship) and is up to date on trends--much like the first set of women I talked about--but they are also confident enough to be able to wear an outfit that hasn't been highlighted in the latest issue of Vogue, and wear it with confidence--however, they do know when to draw a line and say, "This just is NOT for me", nor are they oblivious to their measurements and body shape.

The reason my answer is not cut and dry, is because fashion is not cut and dry. Fashion is about free expression and making yourself feel great, no matter what you wear. The fashion industry is constantly getting a bad rap for breaking down women's self-esteem, but the whole point of fashion is to do the exact opposite. It's nice to have 100% Egyptian silk rubbing up against your skin. It feels amazing to wrap yourself in the bold patterns of Betsey Johnson and have your inner lionness emerge from within and rear its Panten Pro-V treated head. Fashion is supposed to be fun and enjoyable. Even if you wear the most elegant gown Oscar de la Renta ever designed, at the end of the day, when you take it off and are standing in front of a mirror in your Hanes (you would normally wear Victoria's Secret, but you desperately need to wash clothes and granny panties are the only clean undergarments you have), you should still feel special. So, answer the question, Do clothes really make the woman?, I respond with a solid, "They certainly can--but they certainly shouldn't."