Wearing a dress just because. Trying a new, more dramatic look to see how it feels. When was the last time you enjoyed getting dressed? I’ll be honest, I don’t often feel beautiful. Fortunately, I’ve graduated from feeling completely frumpy to feeling presentable and usually confident. My senior prom comes to mind. Yes, I have felt beautiful since then, (on my wedding day for one), but my senior prom was a special night. I felt like Audrey Hepburn, confidant, attractive. I wasn’t considered very stylish in high school. I wasn’t trendy, but neither had I developed a style of my own. We wore uniforms to school and I rarely wore dresses at all. But that night I felt like the most beautiful woman in the room. Of course, I wasn’t. But that didn’t matter right then. I sparkled.
Inspiration I’ve Imbibed
Sometimes, as women, it is important to feel good about looking good. For many of us, this means the chance to have fun with our clothes. That may mean dressing up or just picking a flashier piece of clothing than we usually would. We had a freshmen mixer at my college and I was trying to find a new identity as a college student. A friend helped me pick out a pair of black, faux leather pants and a cute red tank top with black, sparkling, Eiffel Tower on it. I felt like a new person. It was silly really, though I did wear the outfit again when my boyfriend (now husband) and I threw a New Year’s Eve party a couple of years later. The tank top is gone and the pants have been relegated to the back of the closet. It’s a fun memory and an important moment.
Challenges I’ve Pursued
Plan a “sparkle” date. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to get dressed up, unless you want to. You can plan a fancy date if you like, such as the opera, ballet or art gallery opening. Or you can go to your favorite restaurant, regardless of how dressy it is, and get dressed up anyway. I almost always wear a dress on dates. I don’t care if we’re only going to Olive Garden, I want to take the opportunity to look nice and feel good. Dresses, especially pretty, sparkly ones, just aren’t practical for day to day parenting tasks. But I can manage to look presentable for a couple of hours while my husband and I find time to remember why we got married to begin with. With kids, let’s face it, some days you kind of forget that you used to be attracted to each other. (Or when you do remember, someone wakes up and needs something and there goes your romantic evening). So find some time for your and your husband to sparkle together again and see if you can rekindle the sparks too.
Next- Frumps to Pumps: Fighting the Lure of Cozy
Week 3: Dress Differently, Act Differently
Week 4: Prophesy Hope Through Accountability
Week 8: A Moment of Silence for Showers
Week 11: Too Tired to Get Dressed
Week 13: Is Being “Cute” Biblical?
