Good article. I have been living this mindset for the past 8 years. Essentially when I started university I decided to start dressing how I wanted rather than following “fashion”. It was partly because I had an eating disorder at the time and the pressure to look good within a limited societal framework was heavily contributing to it.

So I started dressing in clothes that made me feel empowered. They included all bright, vivid, harmonious colours, silk sashes and most of all, headdresses I make myself from artificial flowers, leaves and fruit, each one designed to complement the colours of my attire. Even when I dress “corporate” it’s still in vivid colours (think yellow, purple, red or emerald), with subtle headbands of gold leaves or silver stars, and it makes me very striking. I almost never wear subtle colours, white or black.

Most of all, when I dress this way I feel like ME, and I am projecting to the world exactly the type of person I am. And I end up living up to that image too. Powerful, bold, creative and confident. I currently work in a technology startup as an account executive and I am their top performing sales person. My style is unconventional but people like it. When I am out in public people smile with joy and tell me that I’ve made their day. It’s improved my life so much.