Last night I went out to a bar wearing the same outfit I wore twice last week. This is one of the perils of living out of a suitcase, with 20 kilos (44 pounds) of possessions to my name for the next three months. Five years ago it wouldn’t have been a problem because there was no digital record being documented – but now, Facebook reveals me as a fashion hobo!
This whole ‘one suitcase’ for life concept really highlights that the fabric and style we choose for our bodies is the fundamental reflection of how we ‘present’ ourselves to the world. Yes, it’s about personal taste and comfort, but the relative external message is the one being watched.
To have some fun with this, I often change up my style drastically to gauge & observe the reaction of the outside world. One night, ‘Rock star Barbie’. The next day, ‘Girl next door Barbie’. Tomorrow, ‘Professional Barbie’. It’s really fascinating to see the difference in how various people speak to you and treat you when they’ve decided on the person they perceive you to be!
I’m now three weeks in to my trip; I’m beginning to feel a pleasant lightness and freedom from having so few options & choices. It is what it is, so I have to make it work. If I buy something new, something old goes to thrift to keep the weight in balance. The result is a lower personal connection with material items, and a greater emphasis on my ‘personality’ to be received by the world.
Next time you’re having a conversation with a new person, change their outfit up in your mind. Use your imagination to see them in an Armani suit, then in work-out wear, then in hipster-style clothing; whatever. Once you’ve rolled through a few character outfits you might be surprised to have broadened your perception of their possibilities.
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