Graphic by Sara Johnson
It’s scary when you feel like everyone is staring at you and judging what you look like. But if you are confident and like what you are wearing, then who really cares?

As ridiculous as it sounds, I still remember the first time I wore a dress to this school. It was in the seventh grade and just like any other self conscious paranoid tween, I was afraid of judgement. Would people think I overdressed? Would I be called an attention seeker? I couldn’t help but ask these questions over and over again.

Yet somewhere between copying other girls who looked nothing like me and wearing anything that clung to my skin with a big brand labeled on the front (we’ve all been there, done that), I started to find my own style.

Through finding my own style, I gained more confidence because I knew and expressed myself more. I felt like I finally found myself and what I wear reflects that.

That being said, not caring about the way people look or talk about you is much easier said than done because criticism and judgement hurts. So how can you gain confidence in your style? Just don’t care.  Because really, if you like what you are wearing or the way you look, nobody can tell you differently and their opinion does not matter. Besides, in a few days, no one will even remember what you wore.

Constantly getting weird looks doesn’t help when you live in a small city either where out-of-the-norm attire and behavior is sometimes looked down upon opposed to a big city where there are thousands of people with different personalities and styles. I remember in Harajuku, Tokyo the street was swarmed with young teens who looked like life sized dolls with Lady-Gaga inspired skirts, sky high platforms and creepers, and an assortment of candy colored hair. People there all embraced the YOLO attitude and weren’t afraid to express themselves. Therefore, no matter how ridiculous they may have looked, you couldn’t notice because they wore the most important thing: confidence. I couldn’t help but stare with excitement and immense admiration at how free they seemed to be.

It sounds kind of bad, but don’t show that you’re nervous and instead act like you’re confident. You can trick your brain into thinking anything, and soon the people around you will be fooled too.

In the end, I think there’s no such thing as being too over-dressed or weird as long as you like it and just have a little confidence. So if you’re ever hesitant about wearing something different  or looking a certain way, just do it because you can.