A Few Tips To Read Before Drastically Changing Your Look
There are lots of reasons someone might get the urge to change their look: graduating from school, getting a new job, starting or ending a relationship—the list could go on. Sometimes, when we have a big life change, or when we want to have a big life change, changing our look can put us in the right mental state.
There are lots of ways you might consider changing your look, but if you’ve never actually tried any of them before, you may feel like you just aren’t sure if any of them will work for you. If you’re thinking about changing something big about your general look, be sure to consider these pointers before taking any steps:
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Make sure you sleep on it. That is, give yourself a week or two to really think about it to make sure you aren’t being impulsive. When it comes to making a really major change, you can’t exactly change your mind afterwards!
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Think about how the new look will fit in with your general sense of style. For example, if you’re thinking about trying out a pretty strong new hair color, consider how the wardrobe you already have reflects the way your hair looks now. That is, if you tend to dress business casual a lot of the time, you might feel a little at odds with yourself when sporting bright blue hair. Give yourself some time to make sure you are going to feel at home in your new look.
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By that same token, don’t allow yourself to chicken out. A lot of people tend to put off new looks indefinitely: “after I get the new job,” “after I get into school,” etc. At a certain point, you might just have to take a plunge if it’s something you’re really serious about trying out.
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If you’re still nervous, try to find some ways to test out your look before committing. For example, if you’re thinking about trying out a shorter haircut, try wearing your hair up, even tuck it under a hat for a day, to get a better sense of how you will look and feel. It won’t be a perfect reflection, but it will help you sort of get used to the idea. Or if you are thinking about getting a new piercing, check out some clip-ons like the ones from Emitations to see how you like the look. Of course, with something like a piercing, if you decide you don’t want it anymore, you can take it out, but you won’t be able to get your money back. Even if you suffer from one of the complications associated with piercings like infections, development of scar tissue, rejection, or even cartilage collapse, you won’t be able to get a refund (with most piercers, you have to sign an agreement first that frees them from responsibility for common complications).
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While you shouldn’t make your appearance choices based on what others are going to think, you should keep a realistic picture in mind of how it will impact your interactions with people or your ability to continue to function in the workplace. Some companies have strict limitations on things like visible tattoos and piercings, and hair styles, especially in the service industry. You may also face particular limitations in the medical field where you are limited on what kinds of jewelry you can wear. Tattoos that could be considered offensive or controversial could also cause problems, so be sure you really consider the potential outcome. You could always go with one of my personal favorites on the weekends: flash tattoos. While in most cases, tasteful changes to your appearance won’t cause problems, you should be aware of the real reactions you may get from all of the people you may interact with.
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If you’re nervous about making the plunge, consider some milder ways that you can alter your appearance. For example, something like a new makeup style, a new hairstyle (without cutting it) or even a few new items for your wardrobe may help you get that sense of change you want without having to do anything major.
When it comes right down to it, most of the time when you are worried about making a look “work,” all you really need to do is to feel confident in your look. So don’t overthink it! Once you’re sure it’s what you want to do, just go for it and make it your own!