Does fashion make or break confidence when suffering from lichen planus skin disease?

Fashion is said to boost confidence, but can it also break it? Yes, I believe so. So how do we make the right fashion choices every time? Let’s discuss.

When we choose our clothing, there are many factors we consider in the process. To name a few: where am I going, who will I meet, what type of event is it, what is its nature, and how do I want to be portrayed today, do I want to be comfortable or not, do I wish to look bold or camouflage? These are just a few of the steps we can think of.

There are all sorts of people, and one of the categories is those who believe they don’t spend much time choosing their clothing. These are also the people who do spend time choosing their clothing items, even though the duration might be as little as two minutes. But it’s the thought that counts.

I recently came across the term, "enclothed cognition." The term "enclothed cognition" describes how wearing a piece of clothing and embodying its symbolic meaning will trigger associated psychological processes. It creates emotions, behaviours, and attitudes, and affects moods.

I have a personal example—many, actually—to share. When I first realised I had lichen planus (autoimmune disease), I was surprised, but I was okay. I had faith that it was not fatal and that it would be cured soon. It was until I realised how this disease would affect my fashion choices that I became depressed. From my first breakout in 2020, to 2022, I had no option but to cover most parts of my body due to the lichen planus spots, and the start-up experience was, horrible. They say there are basic things that a human being needs to survive—food, water, shelter, clothes but you need more to be happy. I had all of the basics and much more, yet I was devastated.

Now, in this world where looking good is a part of everyday routine, having a disease that affects my appearance was not making me stronger. Each item of clothing in my wardrobe screamed, “What am I wearing? Why do I look like this? Am I not pretty? Will I never be pretty again? Is this it? Is this who I am? Is this how my life’s going to be forever?”

The silver lining is that, after all the struggles, pain, and tears, I have overcome the challenges and learned how to be happy. One of the major things is to accept my body and learn how I can keep my fashion game alive.

So as 95% of my body was covered in spots, it was really tough for me to wear skin showing clothes, sheer fabrics. On top of this, I gained six kilograms, and that made me say bye-bye to bodycon. This was the hardest, because, as we all have a best feature, mine was my waist. I realised that I was unable to wear 99% of the clothes I owned.

Throw away all your clothes, metaphorically. I am not preaching, "Don’t show your skin," but do not wear anything that can upset you. During this phase, keeping your mental health is very important, and if you are someone like me who adores fashion and dressing up, it is highly important to stay clear of the clothes that make me feel low. This is just like staying away from negative energy, and negative energy can come from anything. Therefore, I am going to share four secrets that helped me stay on top of my fashion game without losing confidence.

Secret No. 1 Patterns

Patterns greatly aided me in looking fashionable and confident. Even when I chose full-sleeved tops or patterned bottoms, I was covered while staying stylish at the same time. Patterns assisted me in achieving my goal of having one standout element in my outfit.

Secret No. 2 Midi Dresses

A midi dress or midi skirt has a hem that falls halfway between the knee and the ankle. The dress ended right where my darker spots got covered, and usually if you choose lighter fabrics, midi dresses accentuate your waist, but because of the lighter fabric, your flabs are not that prominent. Extra two stars if the dress has prints or patterns.

Secret No. 3 Trousers

Trousers have been my savior. I got a pair of brown trousers from Mango, and I wore them all the time. Paired with a crop top, a heavy leather belt, or a simple cotton shirt, the entire look was casual but very put-together, every time.

Secret No. 4 Blazers

I purchased four blazers and paired them with many other pieces of clothing. Blazers make you look smart, put together, and elegant. Blazers are such a versatile piece of clothing, you can choose which style you wish to carry through the day, whether casual or professional, and just pair similar styled pieces of clothing.

When you are reading this article, I don’t want you to feel that there is a need for you to cover your body. I chose to cover most of my spots because they were very dark, which led to a lot of people asking questions when they saw them.That made me uncomfortable, and I did not want to divulge into such conversations or receive sympathy. When my wardrobe was transformed into the items I just shared above, I realised that my style had become more sophisticated and elegant. These keywords are what I started looking for when shopping, as opposed to sexy, cool, or hot items.

My aim is to create a happy wardrobe that I can wear without feeling guilty or sad, and that’s how I started shopping. Stay tuned for my next article on mental and physical health during lichen planus.