The right outfit can boost your self-confidence, while an uncomfortable dress can make you painfully self-conscious.

It was lovely to be interviewed by Stijn de Wallander for a feature in the Belgian newspaper DeMorgen Coach. The article is in Dutch but Google translate was able to help me with the headline and the first page. You can read the full article in Dutch at the link in my bio.

For those not fluent in Dutch, the headline reads: “The right outfit can boost your self-confidence, while an uncomfortable dress can make you painfully self-conscious.”

The first page reads: Psychology and fashion may seem to have little in common at first glance, but don’t be mistaken: the clothing we wear does indeed have a significant impact on our mood, self-confidence, and how we interact with others.

“Our clothing acts as a kind of second skin through which we show the world who we are as individuals, but we also use it to define the boundaries of our identity for ourselves. Today, we have endless possibilities in this regard, from the type of shoes we wear to how we paint our nails and whether or not we have tattoos and piercings. They all say something about the kind of person we are or want to be and how we want to be perceived by others.”

Stijn asked if I could give an example of how our clothes influence our psyche.

“You can feel the psychological impact of your clothes right away when you simply put on a clean outfit. If you walk out the door with a stain on your sweater, you’ll likely feel self-conscious about it all day. On the other hand, putting on a freshly washed t-shirt or a just-ironed shirt can immediately boost your mood. Even when you’ve just polished your shoes, you’ll probably feel slightly better about yourself.

“It goes beyond the mere aesthetics of those clothes. By wearing a clean shirt, you show that you care for yourself. This also has a demonstrably positive effect: when you feel good about yourself, you’re more likely to strike up a conversation with someone, gesture more, and improve your body language. So, we all benefit from taking a little care in how we present ourselves.”

At the end of the interview, Stijn asked me for some tips to boost your confidence with an outfit:

Go shopping with a candid friend who can help determine whether a piece of clothing suits your personality. This way, you can avoid major fashion blunders.
In need of a quick mental pick-me-up? Put on a freshly washed T-shirt or a freshly ironed shirt.
At work, it’s better not to wear clothing that stands out too much from what your colleagues are wearing. This demonstrates alignment with the company’s values and reduces the risk of creating distance from the rest of the team.