Are you a fashion trend watcher? Do you spend a lot of time
flipping through magazines and analyzing the wardrobe choices of
others? Do you buy trendy items only to despise them–and
yourself–later?
Trend-watching–and, more precisely, observing our
trend-watching–gives us tremendous opportunities to create
awareness of the traits we hope we have but are not sure we do.
In fact, being frustrated, embarrassed, or depressed that we
have succumbed to a trend is a perfect chance to discover what
we value most.
It usually comes down to this: creativity and confidence. If we
find ourselves buying that trendy little bag or those must-have
shoes, that little voice inside us shouts “Sell-out!” and we
start to feel that perhaps we’re not all we’d hoped to be. After
all, a truly creative person would buy–or even make–something
unique, and a confident person wouldn’t hesitate to go against
the current trend and head in a completely different direction,
or choose to buy nothing at all.
And thus begins a soak in the self-loathing tub, followed
inevitably by an abandoned item at the bottom of the closet.
To avoid this, you must pay attention to it.
What trendy items are buried in your closet at this moment? Why
did you buy them? Who were you with when you made the purchase?
How were you feeling about the world in general and yourself in
particular?
A little mindful shopping will help alleviate the Trendoid
syndrome. And while you’re at it, check in with yourself on that
monologue going through your head when you see others sporting
the latest fashion fetish. You’ll learn a whole lot about
YOURSELF if you listen carefully and–this is the hard
part–non-judgmentally.
If you do melt at that crucial cash register moment, don’t
berate yourself. Simply take note of the way you feel now, and
pay attention to how you feel later. Can you see that downward
slide? Ah. That’s better. Things are getting clearer now.
Buying into a trend helps us feel connected when what we really
long for is a sense of confidence. Take a look at how you can
create greater confidence WITHOUT buying that
blouse-of-the-moment, and find ways to tweak the latest trend in
a way that makes you feel more creative.
Fashion can be fun and absolutely harmless, and you can use your
mindful mall meanders to tap into your own sense of who you
are–and what you REALLY need.
Now, that’s what I call a perfect shopping day.