Cover photo by Mia https://www.blissfullens.com/
Life is busy! And, we all want to feel while we navigate through it. I'm not talking about coffee or a morning energy drink. As wonderful as those options may be, I'm talking about feeling great about what you wear. This is about how your wardrobe effects the way you feel.
Keep reading to learn how to make your style valuable.
You may be known as the office fashionista. On the other hand, you may be the comfortable relaxed-look type of gal. Either way, you recognize the necessity of clothes to function in your daily life. We all need them at some point, and you have plenty. Something tells me your clothes matter to you.
T-shirt sales have once again skyrocketed in the multibillion dollar clothing industry. Chances are, you own a few t-shirts, or maybe a few hundred. Some were probably free from that time you volunteered. Some are products of impulse buying from when you just couldn't walk away because it screams something you represent.
It's all about what we seek most as human beings - validation and expression. Let's talk about how to achieve both with the most simple choice in your wardrobe, a t-shirt.
T-shirts represent many things to us. One tee may be your go-to sleepwear. Another tee might be a memory from a concert. If you're a runner, they brag of all your races. When you finally buy pajamas or no one care about you race from 10 years ago, you use them to wash your car.
I want to introduce the shirt that is too valuable to wash your car with. This is the the t-shirt that displays a statement straight from the core of your values. It's the shirt that has your favorite colors and animals, or tells everyone you're an introvert with a sense of humor.
Human relationships are paramount to our existence. It would be fun to talk about reproduction here, but I'll just giggle to myself as I continue on topic.
Relationships have been studied for hundreds of years due to how dynamic and unique they are. Bottom line, we need each other. We have a need to connect to people who look like us, think like us, or share common goals. Our need for relationships is evidenced by the population growth.
According to Max Roser, Hannah Ritchie and Esteban Ortiz-Ospina, in the article World Population Growth (2013, rev. 2019)
Two hundred years ago the world population was just over one billion. Since then the number of people on the planet grew more than 7-fold to 7.7 billion in 2019.
Use your senses. Well, actually just one - sight. The first thing we notice is a person's clothing. A woman with a bible scripture on her shirt can tell you a lot about her. Chances are, you'll be willing to find out more if you're wearing one too.
The storm rages on. I like to call it the rat race. Life is so busy with meetings, school, dinner prep, social media, and other social functions - rare these days with social distancing (eye-roll). Whatever the circumstance, you should make the best of it. You have the awesome ability to effect your own mood above anything else you encounter. Yes! You can rise above your complaining coworkers and pain-in-the-rear brother.
When you believe you look great, you feel great. Don't just grab that wrinkled plain white tee from the drawer. Choose the one from the closet. You know. The one with the soft premium 100% cotton that fits you perfectly and looks great with your favorite slacks. Allow your shirt to encourage you all day with a scripture graphic design referencing how you can do anything you set your mind to, like this Cooki Bloom design.
Last, but not least...
Your shirt can be powerful. Let me give you an example of how a shirt can lift your best friend's day. Imagine surprising your bestie with a gift. She opens it to find a t-shirt pointing out your favorite quality about her. She will know you understand her. She will know you value her quirks, and so will others. It's the same idea for the people who see us everyday.
On the other hand, your dog graphic shirt can rattle your grumpy neighbor who constantly complains about the barking dogs, but who can deny the humor in it?
As I mentioned before, it's totally natural to desire relationships. In the article, The Importance of Human Interactions and Relationships (2018), Professor Greg Jabloski points to how healthy relationships can be.
For one thing, it is important for our mental health. Social contact helps us to cope with stress and major life changes like a divorce, redundancy and moving house. And knowing that we are valued by others is an important psychological factor in helping us to forget the negative aspects of our lives, and thinking more positively about our environment.
Here's a challenge. The next time you go out, try to count how many times you read someone else's shirt. It's inevitable that you will do it. I believe it's safe to say - if someone put it on their body, they believe what it says. To go a step further, they want you to know. They want to relate to you.
Try it!
You know it's going to be a special day when you wear your special shirt. Walk into your day with a t-shirt that can make the surliest man crack a smile, like the Cooki Bloom Pour Some Glitter on Me shirt.
Now, you have a responsibility. To whom? You decide. Wear the shirt that speaks to you and speaks for you. Make a difference in your wardrobe and the world around you.
What's it worth to you?
