The other day I was surfing through youtube videos looking for one about profiling for my Ethics class when I came across a bevvy of videos regarding beauty profiling and the Dress Your Truth series. I was intrigued. I watched several of the videos with fascination--the same sort of fascination with which you would watch bodies being pulled from the ocean after a ferry crash.
I have to admit that some of the makeovers turned out fairly well, but some of them were total disasters. Take these twins: one looks great, and the other, well I can't take my eyes off of the huge roll of fat around her middle long enough to really appreciate her hair and makeup.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeXe9FgMNBY
This seems to be the standard result for the Type 2. Pretty hair and makeup, horrible, ill fitting clothing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYEoRTQMjPM
When will American women learn? There is no formula for dressing! There are no hard and fast rules for looking great! Fashion is as individual as the woman wearing it and anyone who tries to put all women into just a few categories is selling you a lie.
Consider color profiling--A useful tool that is actually based on science. When it first came out, there were basically 4 seasons, now these are subdivided into 4 categories each. Even so, getting your colors done is simply a helpful tool that will provide you will some guidelines--NOT RULES. When you have your colors done and are handed your palette, walk outside and take a good look at it. Are there colors you hate? Ditch them. Pick three or four that you love and are drawn to. Do you love black but were told you can't wear it? Of course you can, just keep it on the bottom half of your body. If you aren't sure of the colors you have been handed, by all means, get a second consultation from someone else. No one person is infallible.
Then there is body shape profiling. Again, it is a useful tool for helping a woman pick shapes and styles of clothing that will be flattering for her figure. The poor Type 2 women both needed more structure on top to avoid the nasty fat rolls that we all despise. Again, though, these are just helpful guidelines. If you see something you are drawn to, try it on. So what if it doesn't look great? Just put it back and think of the money you just saved. Women get discouraged trying on clothing and body shape profiling can help you avoid that, but it should not prevent you from trying on something just to see how it looks. In fact, that is the only way you will ever build a wardrobe you love. You have to try things on and be honest with yourself about whether they flatter your shape or not. Dressing well takes work.
Finally, you do have to take your personality into account and this is about the only thing I see of value in the Dressing Your Truth videos. You also have to take your lifestyle into account. If you are a girly, girl who loves pink and ruffles and lace, but work in an office that requires you to wear a suit, there is nothing stopping you from wearing a pretty dove gray suit with a ruffled pink blouse.
Ask any well dressed woman and she will tell you that looking good is a little bit science, a little bit art, a little bit psychology, and quite a bit of effort. It requires you to use your head but trust your gut. That would be your gut not someone else's, and certainly not some packaged formula that tries to stuff you in a category.
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