I have gathered some information for you on clothing and colors and
their effects on confidence and mood.
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CLOTHING AND CONFIDENCE
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"In the long term, confidence means having faith in ourselves and our
choices. In the short term, it helps to get a small confidence boost
each day to support your long-term effort.... Take a look at what
you're wearing: it's what others see first. Everything you put on is a
reflection of your taste, style and aesthetic sense. If your clothing
is inappropriate, colleagues are likely to question your judgment and
your ability as a significant player.
When you're considering how to dress, ask yourself: how do I want to
be perceived? Who are the people I want to impress? We're not talking
fashion statements; we're talking about what's effective in a given
environment.
Remember these four key factors:
Fit. Whether you buy designer, high street or second-hand, make sure
all your clothes fit well.
Cleanliness. Make sure your outfits are clean without pulls, stray
threads or missing buttons.
Shoes. Everybody notices shoes, generally because we get nervous and
end up looking down. Keep shoes well soled, polished and in good
repair.
Smile. A bright smile goes a long way to making us feel better about
ourselves and projects a positive image."
iVillage: How to boost your confidence
http://www.ivillage.co.uk/workcareer/survive/persondev/articles/0,,156471_164235,00.html
"Appearance counts. When you look good, you feel good. Make sure you
look groomed and neat. If you were a book, would someone want to read
more? Your clothes and accessories should be conservative and neutral,
rather than wild and loud. Your clothes are your packaging and should
not take attention away from the product."
MIT Careers Office: How to Prepare for an Interview
http://web.mit.edu/career/www/guide/interviews.html
"Confidence is an emotional state of ease and well-being. You are
confident if you feel you will be OK in any situation and you don't
have any doubts about your ability to achieve what you want. Is it
really a mysterious gift that is granted to the elite few who are
lucky enough to receive a certain kind of parenting or education?
Actually, no. Confidence is a mixture of skills, behaviours and
attitudes that we can all develop and apply to any situation. The
trick is to become more aware of our natural strengths and qualities
and how we can use them in the face of life's challenges. Remember -
we are often our own worst enemy, putting artificial restrictions on
ourselves and on our ability to succeed...
There is a very strong link between feeling confident and looking
good, but nobody is quite sure which comes first. You can transform
your image and build your confidence by consciously planning how you
would like to appear to others and how you would like them to respond
to you. Ask a friend what impression you make with your clothes,
make-up and body language and then work to alter those outward signals
until you become what you would ideally like to be."
Handbag.com: Your image at work: confidence
http://www.handbag.com/careers/careerprogression/confidence/
"Feeling: 'I don't feel confident about the way I look'
ACTION: Improve your overall appearance. Would losing some weight make
you feel great? If so DO IT! What clothes would your Confidence Role
Model wear to feel good? Get a new haircut and treat yourself to some
new clothes - it always makes you feel better and more confident. Buy
something new each month and when you put it on, view it as your own
confidence booster."
Life Coaching Studio: Personal Confidence Building
http://www.lifecoachingstudio.com/pcb4.htm
"Sometimes an outfit means more than just a fashion statement. For
low-income men, a nice suit can be one of the first steps on the path
to success. Image experts report that seventy-five percent of the
decision to hire an applicant is based upon the way he looks and
presents himself. Low-income men lack the resources to purchase
business attire to compete for high-wage jobs...
Wardrobe for Opportunity (WFO) is dedicated to providing interview and
work clothing to these men - not only to help them present a polished
image to the outside world, but also to strengthen their self-image
and to build confidence on the inside."
Wardrobe for Opportunity: Dressing Men for Success
http://www.wardrobe.org/mensprogram.html
"How to Fake Confidence: Dress and groom yourself well
Dress better than the best-dressed person you expect to meet. If you
don?t, you?ll feel inferior subconsciously which will manifest itself
as nervousness outwardly... Once you?ve faked it for a while, you?re
going to find something strange - you?ll actually become confident!
Certainly, your newfound success will help here, but it is really much
more than this. Like I said before, when you adopt a confidence
philosophy, your body begins changing it?s physiology! With enough
practice, you?re going to find that it becomes second nature - not
because you?re getting good at faking it (you are by the way), but
your body begins to accept it as fact! And, guess what - you actually
become a more confident person!"
Solve Your Problem: How to Show Confidence
http://www.solveyourproblem.com/ask_dr_neder/how_to_show_confidence.shtml
"A big part about being confident is having confidence in yourself.
You must feel that you are sure you are able to do something and not
worry about what others think or how they judge you. Feel sure you can
do the task by yourself. Likewise with your clothes and how you dress.
You've got to please yourself first. If you look in the mirror and
like how your pants look, then that is what is important. It is not a
contest to see who is the most 'correct'. Obviously, you want to dress
tastefully and in style, but what others think is not the most
important thing. It is what you think."
School for Champions: Readers' Questions on Confidence
http://www.school-for-champions.com/excellence/confidence2.htm
"Can changing how you dress REALLY change your life?
We see variations of the story often enough in the movies, in
everything from My Fair Lady (1964) to The Princess Diaries (2001),
but could such a thing REALLY happen to the average woman on the
street?...
For her birthday, Linda's mother gave her a session with an image
consultant to get her pointed in the right direction. Like the push
that sends a row of dominos falling one right after the other, the
makeover became the first step in Linda's journey to achieving her
goals.
Her new polished look instantly caused people to treat her with more
respect. This quickly boosted her confidence, which made it easier for
her to make more sales calls. The calls generated more leads, which
lead to her closing more sales. The higher her numbers, the more
attention she got. The more attention she got, the more in demand she
became, which soon lead to job offers from rival hotels. She accepted
one, and her new, more prominent position lead to higher exposure in
the community, which put her in contact with a handsome young
stockbroker who proved to be her ideal mate. She married him shortly
before her 32nd birthday. They settled into a new house that they
bought together.
And all this happened because she decided that to have the life she
wanted, she needed to start by looking the part."
Career Intelligence: Change Your Clothing, Change Your Life
http://www.career-intelligence.com/management/ChangeYourClothing.asp
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COLOR AND MOOD
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"We use color to express our feelings. We may say we are 'feeling
blue,' 'green with envy' or 'red with anger.' Color is used to control
traffic -- stop on red, caution with yellow and go on green. Color can
inspire action, warm us, stimulate happiness or provide serenity.
When shopping for clothing, color usually gets our attention first. If
the color is appealing, we are then ready to look at the fabric, style
and texture. Color choices affect mood and reveal personality traits.
What does your wardrobe say about you? Do you use color to counteract
a gloomy day? Do you find yourself gravitating toward certain colors
and avoiding others? We should respect our intuitive feelings about
colors we like to wear, and yet we also need to experiment with other
colors."
NebGuide: Analyzing Color in Your Wardrobe
http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/textiles/heg192.htm
"Feeling blue? Put on an orange sweater and change your mood. Colors
can be used to alter your mood and the mood of those around you. Some
suggest that you don?t just see color, you also feel it.
Colors come in three basic moods: active, passive and neutral. Active
colors are warm and create a positive, confident environment. They can
help in social situations by inspiring upbeat conversations,
creativity, and productivity. Passive colors create calm while neutral
colors work as a bridge between the others...
If you want others to see you, wear yellow! It also has healing
qualities, increases energy and is good for mental clarity and
insight...
Orange is a happy color. It stimulates appetite, conversation and
optimism. It is a great color for social gatherings...
Red increases energy and is known to be the power color. If you need
to take charge, wear red...
Purple can comfort and creates mystery. It is often the associated with royalty...
Blue, a favorite color among lawyers and police officers, calms and
soothes the soul. It creates serenity and helps with relaxation.
Green is good for inner stability, balance, and has a refreshing quality."
Pharmasave Teen Library: What Color is Mood
http://www.pharmasaveteen.com/body/mindarticle.asp?artID=166
"What colour are you wearing? In the language of clothing colour is
one of the top things to consider. It gives away your mood, your style
and personality.
Red is a warmth feeling, sometimes sexy and alluring. It represents
courage, determination and is an optimistic shade. Don't be confused
with the sexual aspect of red. Watch those lines when wearing red.
Purple is a royalty signature colour. (I love purple) It has
distinction and a class of its own. Match the colour with the season
and you will look stunning.
Yellow seems to be a relaxed sensible colour. It identifies the person
is self confident, intelligent and comfortable.
Blue is the ultimate is many things. Blue is the colour of relaxation.
(My kitchen is blue) It brings calmness about everything. Don't overdo
it, as too much deep blues can be a trigger in a subtle depressive
state. Liven up blue with an alternative light shade for room
decoration and clothes.. offset the blue with some white or yellow.
Remember when choosing colour to look at the season, style and your
own personal colour."
Times .10 Magazine: You & Your Colours
http://www.times10.org/rebecca102001.htm
"Have you ever noticed that when the weather and your mood turn gray,
your clothing choices sometimes follow? It?s amazing to note how many
people who feel stressed and depressed wear only black, white and gray
clothing. Like many other things, color affects our moods, and our
moods can affect our wellness and our reality. If you surround
yourself with neutral colors, and wear mostly black and white
clothing, adopting color can seem, oddly enough, a little scary. Color
makes us visible! It makes us stand out! And it can lift our mood and
feelings of wellness. For example, reds and oranges are warming,
yellow can help us cheer up and focus, blues and purples can be
cooling and calming, green can uplift and stimulate creativity, pink
can seem calming and nurturing. Different shades, tones, and colors
work for different cultures, moods or constitutions. (To learn more,
check out the book Discover Color Therapy, by Helen Graham.) Ask your
intuition what colors will help you create balance on any given day."
Ivy Sea Online: Beat the Blues and Master Your Mood
http://www.ivysea.com/pages/intrap_0104_1.html
"Starr Walker says that 'colors are neither good or bad, but they do
influence the human psyche.' Walker goes on to say that this is
because of the different vibration levels of colors. Red has a much
higher vibration level than black, while clear or bright colors are
more positive and emit a higher vibration. Dark or muddy colors give
off a lower vibration. Walker also discusses the effect of colors of
clothes that individuals choose to wear. She claims that mental state
is very much affected by the simple detail of color of clothing. The
following are her interpretations of colors:
White = purity and clarity; red = power and strength; pink =
sensitivity and love; orange = stimulation; yellow/gold = energy;
green = harmony in mind, body, and soul; blue = healing and calmness;
violet = spirituality; brown = earthlike and natural; and black =
depression and seduction."
Miami University: How Color Affects Mood
http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/nsfall99/FinalArticles/Final1.HowColorAffectsMoo.html
"Symbolizing energy centers in the body, each chakra is associated
with a color... each unique as color can directly affect mood. Need
more grounding? Red is root chakra, attributed to stability and inner
strength. Want to feel sexy? Orange is sacral chakra, associated with
being sensual. Big day ahead of you? Yellow is solar plexus chakra,
associated with energy and increased confidence. Need a hug? Green is
heart chakra, associated with compassion and unconditional love.
Feeling shy? Blue is throat chakra, associated with increased
communication and creativity. Want to be psychic? Indigo is third eye
chakra, associated with the unconscious self. Need wisdom? Purple is
crown chakra, associated with wisdom and the spiritual world."
Be Present: Be Present Debuts
http://www.bepresent.net/news.html
"Our colour preferences often grow with us, says interior colour
therapist and Plascon colour manager Anne Roselt. Babies, used to the
womb, show a preference for pearly, womb-like colours.
From the toddler-to-tween stage - during which they need stimulation -
children are attracted to bright colours. This lasts until the dawning
of 'The Dark Ages' - the teenage years in which they often yearn to
paint their walls black and slouch around in dark and gloomy clothes.
Black is the perfect colour to hide behind, which teens often feel the
need to do since they're so confused by all the changes happening in
their lives...
From our twenties onwards we start developing personal colour
preferences that will be influenced by our changing style, moods and
surroundings...
Scientists have also found that colours can influence our mood - a
process called chromodynamics. Gayle Friedman, founder of The Sunshine
Health Academy in Cape Town and a member of the International
Association of Colour Therapy, says that when your eyes see colour, it
sends a message to the brain which is transferred to your body."
Women24: Colour in your life
http://www.women24.com/Women24/Life/BodySoul/Article/0,7173,1-2-4_5815,00.html
My Google search strategy:
Google Web Search: clothes OR clothing OR dress "our OR your confidence"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=clothes+OR+clothing+OR+dress+%22our+OR+your+confidence%22
Google Web Search: clothes OR clothing OR dress "more confident"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=clothes+OR+clothing+OR+dress+%22more+confident%22
Google Web SearchL "dress OR dressing for success" confident OR confidence
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22dress+OR+dressing+for+success%22+confident+OR+confidence
Google Web Search: clothes OR clothing color OR colour mood
://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&q=clothes+OR+clothing+color+OR+colour+mood
I hope this is helpful! Please let me know if anything is in need of clarification.
Best regards,
pinkfreud |
