Originally posted by Liberator
I haven't had a lot of reason to dress up in my life. I cannot imagine spending half a week's pay a month on clothing.
Trying to be different and confident is a lot of work and often unrewarding. If you put a little bit of effort into your appearance (and i dont mean by ironing things etc, just trying to keep up with a few basic trends) then you find you stop worrying "oh my god everyone thinks I'm a fat nerd", feel happier about how you look, and feel more confident because of it.
I've been through pretty much the same crisis for most of my teen years, got the upper hand on it now though.
Unfortunatly its easier to change youself than it is to change society. This doesn't leave you without options however.
Remember society is very superficial. People
will judge you on how you look, and from that decided "Do i want to speak to / be firends with / even be in the same room as this person?". The thing to realise from this is that you
do need to change how you look to fit into society, though you
don't need to change your opinions/personallity. No need to be a fashion icon, just not a fashion disaster.
So your a university student? This is great, becuase you don't have to wear a uniform. Don't dress like your going to church! Like people have been saying, keep it causual.
Find a style that suits you. Being fashionalbe doesn't mean you have to wear Gucci shoes or have an extreme haircut. I wouldn't go for any extreme style, not like a highschool jock, not totally goth. Find something inbetween and
keep it casuaul. If you wear a shirt and tie just to go to uni, your probably going to look a bit uptight to people around you. Just wear a pair of jeans and a t shirt, its much more approachiable.
You can fit a suprising amout of style into jeans and a t shirt. If I wear a pair of blue jeans, white sneakers and a black battlestar galactica t shirt, I look like a bit of a nerd. If i put on a pair of brown faded, flared low rise jeans with a vintage grey t shirt, fabric belt and pair of black converse, I look like I'm in an indie band. Note that I go for the second option, its simple and cheap to achieve, and looks good.
Finding the right place to shop is pretty important. Remember brands are expensive. Here in the UK shops like Topman, River Island, and Next sell fashionable, good quality stuff, but its cheap - because its not branded, just made by they're designers. If I buy a pair of Levis here it cost £80, thats for a boring pair of blue jeans. I usually spend £30 (~$50) on a pair of good jeans in shops like these. I don't think they are in america, but think along the lines of GAP (which is actually a bit more expensive). Shoping at traditional menswear stores is expensive and the stuff is a bit dated I find.
T shirts say a lot about who you are (or atleast who you want the world to think you are). Keep them simple but not bland. Maybee avoid light colours becuase they make you look big. Black, blue, grey, brown is good. Don't buy plain t shirts either, try to have some sort of pattern/logo on the front, it draws attention away from problem areas (stomach etc). This doesnt have to be a brand name remember, it doesnt even have to be relevant. 'Vintage' style t shirt are good.
Hair is an important aspect too. Comb-over? Its a bit 80's. Its better to spend 10 seconds on your hair giving it a bit of style than to spend 10 seconds combing it to be neat. You could get it cut shortish, and just put a bit of gel through it when its damp. Its fast, cheap, any barbour will be able to cut it short back and sides and a bit longer on top.
Just remember its ok to actaully put a bit of effort into what you wear, even if you think its hypocritical. Try to blend in with what everyone else wears, it doesnt make you any less of a person/individual. You'll find rooms will
stop emptying when you walk it, and that will make you happier and more confident than trying to be different ever will. People won't avoid being seen talking to you, and when you get talking to people you find they aren't as different to you.
