If you have the means, investing in your fashion can be a life changing confidence boost.

Tl;Dr – Join a fashion advice subreddit and pay attention to how you look. It can really help boost your confidence and self image.

I had never been the most formal or thoughtful person when it came to my dress. On the other hand, my discomfort with my appearance has always been a huge hit to my confidence in social situations, especially feeding into my anxiety that everyone is judging me for how I look all the time. I would wear whatever was comfortable, which was often just sweatpants/athleisure shorts/maybe jeans and whatever T shirt I stumbled upon.

Recently, I decided to improve my style, and since I was already in dire need of a wardrobe refresh, I took it upon myself to make it a good one. I looked at some style boards on Reddit, as well as some r/malefashionadvice posts (sorting by top all time is great), and set out to do some shopping.

Already I feel like a completely different person, and my confidence in how I look has shot through the roof compared to how I felt about myself before. I didn’t even buy that much that was super expensive or flashy, but just a few of each clothing item is enough to make a great outfit with very little effort. Before making this decision I found myself dreading all the effort I would have to put in to make myself look better. As someone who is also slightly overweight, I had some doubts about how good anything could look on me. I have found that simply paying more attention to how you dress can make a huge impact on your self-esteem, and it really is that simple.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

If you are struggling with body dysphoria or are depressed and/or anxious please seek therapy. Dressing better won’t fix a clinical diagnosis. I also realize that there are likely people without significant means whom this guide may also not help.

Fast fashion can also have a significant climate impact depending on where you shop. Be sure to research a company’s policies on climate change if it disturbs you as it does me.