One woman says she “dopamine wears” – choosing bright and colorful clothing based on how she feels – choosing green to help with stress and pink and yellow for “pick me up”.
Marianne Taylor, 48, has always loved colour, but started to feel more confident with her clothing choices a year ago.
Dopamine dressing is a fashion trend that involves wearing clothes that make you feel good and confident – based on the idea that your clothes can affect your mood and happiness.
Now Marianne plays with different shades from her rainbow wardrobe – with around 400 bags, shoes and clothes – including African print skirts and colorful jumpsuits.
Marianne, a size 16, dresses for comfort and doesn’t care if it’s not “flattering” or “age appropriate.”
She finds herself drawn to green clothing on stressful days and pinks and yellows when she needs to feel cheerful.
Marianne, a photographer, who lives in Newquay, Cornwall, said: “Just the act of getting dressed is something that can give you a spark of joy.
“It is not fictitious.
“It’s about taking care of yourself.
“It’s liberating.”
Marianne has always loved color, but grew up surrounded by diet culture and found herself pairing her bold clothes with black items.
Her weight fluctuated between a size 12 and 22 over the years and Marianne ended up with a wardrobe full of clothes in different sizes.
She said many of her style choices were about trying to look smaller or more feminine.
But Marianne had a turning point in 2020 when her best friend Susanna, 44, died of ovarian cancer.
Marianne said: “The last time I saw her after her operation she was very happy to be alive.
“She talked about how she couldn’t wait to wear smaller sizes because she’d lost so much weight and it felt so grotesque.
“What does it matter if you’re skinny?”
Marianne decided to stop the diet and after a period of grief began to bring back her colorful side.
She said: “I really like styling models for photoshoots.
“Why did I never think I could be worthy? I started planning my outfits according to what I wanted to feel.
“I rejected what the trends are — ‘is this age appropriate?’ or ‘does it make me feel weak?’.
“Instead, I thought ‘does it bring me joy?’, ‘does it make me feel good?’ and “is it comfortable?”
Marianne did a clothing recall of everything that didn’t fit her and started wearing more of her bright clothes.
She said: “I don’t care if something makes me look older, older or not age appropriate.
“I have a lot of fun planning outfits.”
Marianne has a spectrum of colors in her closet, but says she’ll mostly reach for pinks, blues and oranges.
She said: “When I feel stressed I find myself wearing more green. There is something quite soothing about it.
“The pink and neon light in my house calms my nervous system too.
“When I need to feel more cheerful, I go to yellow and pink – it’s something that gets me.
“It’s just the dopamine kicking in.”
Marianne says her styling is a hobby for her and she has two aesthetics – a “tiny colour” and “colourful grunge”.
She said: “I try to combine them.
“Colorful grunge is nostalgic and makes me wish I was back in the 90s.”
Marianne hopes to encourage others to try dressing with dopamine – and says it doesn’t have to be in bold colors and patterns and can be anything that brings you joy.
She said: “There are days when I don’t want to get dressed and I think I’ll feel better if I do.
“Then I’m more likely to get out of the house and do something.
“Celebrate what you have.
“Get rid of the idea that you have to dress more flattering.”
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Image Source : nypost.com