It can feel like walking a tightrope trying to both look your best and not appear conceited. It’s considered self-involved if you care too much about your looks, but it also comes across as lazy or unappealing to not care at all. On top of all this, people are told to love how they look without being too boastful. If you are having trouble maintaining your confidence and feeling good about your appearance, you will find guidance on embracing your looks below.
How You Look Impacts How People Treat You
It’s obvious that how you look influences the way you are treated by others. If you work in an office and turn up wearing pajamas, this will be noticed. There are some parts of your appearance that you can control to an extent, like your clothing or hairstyle. However, you have no control over what other people think about you or your appearance. This is why focusing on what you want to look like is more valuable.
Self-Expression Can Come Through Your Appearance
How you portray yourself to the world through your looks is helpful for cementing your sense of self. For example, hair can be extremely important as a form of self-expression through appearance. Losing hair, therefore, is a potentially traumatic experience as it can feel like your identity is changing against your will. Places like The Harley Street Hair Clinic are there to help people restore their hair and their confidence. When you feel more in control over how you look, such as by restoring and styling your hair, it improves your self-esteem. This may sound frivolous or superficial at first, but outward appearance is an important part of constructing an identity.
Disordered Perception
Sometimes it can be hard to accept how you look, especially if you have had negative experiences relating to your appearance. Disorders such as body dysmorphia seriously impact a person’s mental health and reduce quality of life. Getting in touch with a therapist is the first step to resolving these issues.
Positivity or Neutrality?
There are some people who advocate for loving your body and appearance no matter what, while others support the idea that feeling neutral towards these aspects of yourself is healthier. Both movements intend to help people feel better about their appearance and build their self-esteem.
Appearances are Informative
The way a person looks shouldn’t be the main basis for making any judgments about their character. It can, however, tell a story about their priorities and lifestyle. This is why completely overlooking or denying the meaning behind appearances can be unhelpful and flawed. While appearances don’t define a person, they do hint at certain aspects.
If you already have low self-esteem, it is easy to fall into the trap of believing that caring about how you look is shallow or vain. While obsessing over appearances with either a positive or negative approach is unhealthy, it is possible to accept how you look and start to feel good about yourself inside and out. Hopefully, this short guide has helped you embrace your appearance and improve your confidence.