why do we post our outfits?
Because of the many privileges I hold, I rarely get any trolls online. However, last fall, an unhappy person decided to choose a hashtag used by people who post their outfits online to troll (probably something like #ootd, or “outfit of the day”) and they landed on my Instagram feed.
Unfortunately, they decided to delete all their comments after I engaged with them, but never fear, I got the receipts (aka screenshots). Our conversation went something like this:
Troll: “It’s pretty simple, taking your own picture too much contributes to poor mental health and increases narcissistic traits. We don’t all need to be looking at each other and ourselves all the time.1It’s an unhealthy self obsession that shouldn’t be validated. Humans can have a wonderful and awesome life while also not posing for a camera every single day.”
Me: “My business is not posting outfits online. My business is helping women realize that can tell the patriarchy to fuck off.”
Troll: “You can focus more on real world issues instead of living in a fantasy world called Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. So many people are so wrapped up in social media, they can’t separate it from real life any more. It’s not healthy for anyone.”
Me: “It looks like you tried to pick some random superficial ‘influencer’ to fuck with but you got unlucky here. I’m well aware of the attention econcomy. I’ve read (Digital Minimalism, Do Nothing,) How to Do Nothing, The Chaos Machine, and Stolen Focus2. I regularly write about digital minimalism and take multiple month long social media breaks a year. Go back and actually read a few posts, or better yet, go to my actual website, the content that I own and make money from. Why are you supporting Meta’s products here if you feel so strongly about them?
Troll: “This type of content should definitely go away. The fashion industry is the most toxic in culture, and in environmental pollution.”
Me: “This account and my whole business is literally about taking down the fashion industry and consumerism.”
Me: “Actually, the more I think about it, the more I realize how misogynist you’re being here. You clearly think something that women enjoy must be of no value. Even though it’s all true, I’m playing your game when I try to tell you all the serious stuff I post about. We can be aware of the content machine and also post whatever the fuck we want.”3
…and sometimes I want to post photos of what I’m wearing.
But (Carrie Bradshaw voice) I couldn’t help but wonder why.
I happen to like posting my outfits and it appears that others like seeing them. I take my responsibility seriously and don’t attempt to convince people to buy things or portray any appearance of perfection and in fact, consciously try to do the opposite by reminding people to be aware of predatory marketing techniques and showing my imperfections, from a messy house to messy mental health.
I talk a lot about wearing what you want to wear, for you, not for the external gaze of others. But truthfully, there’s always going to be a part of any art that wants to be seen or heard or appreciated, isn’t there? If a composer writes a symphony and it never gets played, is the piece alive? If an artist creates a sculpture and it’s never seen, is it really art? If an outfit was worn and no one saw it, did it really exist?
I wanted to check in with a few of the people I really respect on Instagram who regularly share their outfits and ask them about their motivation.
Andrea: “I was asking myself this the other day, why do I still post outfit photos even if I don't work as an influencer for a living anymore? I like to share my outfits because I am deeply interested in seeing what other people are wearing. I am very inspired by others' creativity. I love to look back on my camera roll to see what I was wearing this time last year to get ideas for what to wear. Currently, I am packing for a warm weather getaway and I couldn't remember my summer go-to looks, so I looked back at my camera roll for tips! I also find that documenting my outfits helps me to see what I don't like/feel happy in so I don't repeat it. The natural progression of documenting something is often sharing online, perhaps that is why so many of us do it. There is also a bit of 'it didn't happen if we don't share it' mentality as well? Like if a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it... I like the feedback in outfit sharing. The people who tell me I helped them figure out what to wear or how to style something. I love knowing I helped another woman figure out what to wear (something we face on a daily basis!). I don't miss anything about doing it for a living! Not a single thing! Not even the 'free' 😉 clothes.”
Tiffany: In 2019 I started @tiffany_makes which I thought would be cooking and sewing and knitting but I quickly began to focus on sewing. I had followed similar accounts for years and I wanted to be a more active part of the community. I continue to post pictures of myself online both as a catalog of my style and wardrobe and because of the sense of community. I regularly refer to posts or archived stories to get outfit inspiration from my own closet. I am also inspired by others who post online and it is great to see other sewists with similar body shapes or find thrift and vintage inspiration. I love being a part of the intersecting sewing and slow fashion communities online – and this has evolved into gathering in person at annual ‘Frocktails’ (cocktail parties for sewists) or just meeting up locally with new friends. I also have more photos of myself from the past 12 months than the last 12 years – and I think seeing myself in photos has helped me remain focused on what styles I gravitate towards because of how they make me feel – what items in my closet bring the most joy?”
Emily: “For me it is typically a combo of wanting to catalog how I wear and style the things I make in my day to day life (rather than only in a ‘finished object’ post one time) and to be another source of ‘this is how these clothes look on a body like mine’ since I have found that kind of labor from others SO helpful for me personally.”
Val: “I share my outfits online for a few reasons: I have a chronic illness and suffer from chronic pain, so I am partially housebound. I share my outfits as a way to encourage myself to get up and get dressed. I share my outfits so that I don’t “disappear,” which is to say that I need to socially interact with people in some way or else my mental health takes a dip. I also share my outfits online because I grew up not seeing bodies like mine (disabled, fat, in a wheelchair) anywhere much less wearing cool clothes. I share my outfits to hold brands accountable when they say there isn’t a market for disability accessible/plus size clothing - my outfits demonstrably show that there is a market.”
So, a few reasons for posting outfit photos: community, representation, activism, a creative outlet, documentation, body diversity…
As for myself, I enjoy the process of thinking about an outfit. I like gathering inspiration. I like looking at pictures of pretty things. I like thinking about how I can do something similar, but that will always be different just because I’m me. I like the process of hunting down the items to create an image I have in my head. I like the trying of combinations and the spark of excitement when I think of just the perfect thing to add. I like to document what I’ve worn and look back to get a visceral memory of that stage of my life. I like that taking photos of my outfits motivates me to put on clothes on days where that’s something I’m up for. I like (or hope) that it helps other people by attempting to show up as someone imperfect, with a changing body, trying to be mindful with their wardrobe, trying to show others that it’s not them, it's the fashion industry.
And also some less lofty reasons: I Iike existing out in public and being perceived, something that is rare as someone who works from home after years of being in an office every day. I like when there’s a certain perception of me because of the way I curated the items I put on my body. I like the validation. I get a hit of dopamine every time someone clicks on that heart icon.
Bottom line, I enjoy it, and that’s enough.
The other day I happened across a Substack newsletter in which the author had regular posts of what they had worn that week. The thought had never occurred to me that I could also post outfit photos here. This is a space for serious writing, right?
If I posted outfit photos here, could I divest a bit from social media? Not be so attached to that dopamine hit when a post does well? Or would I just be shifting the dopamine hit over here? What do you think?
P.S. I just got back from a lovely vacation. If you have travel coming up and have trouble packing for trips, check out my travel packing ecourse, with all my tips and even a spreadsheet 🤓📊 for $37. I also have courses on cleaning out your closet, finding your personal style, and how to shop mindfully. The next session of my group program where you get my input weekly, Making Space, will start in April. Get on the waitlist here.
I totally agree and it’s why I turn “self view” off every time I get on a zoom call.
Affiliate links, I may earn a commission if you purchase through them.
I just have to reiterate how much privilege I have (or maybe just got lucky this time) that this person did not start to attack and bully me beyond this. I have many friends, especially in the anti-diet, fat positive community who are not so lucky.
I love seeing real women with real bodies sharing what they wear. Thank you
I would love to see more photos here. I am not on instagram, facebook or tiktok and it seems like that is where a lot of the photos are. Bringing them here would be great.