To be fashionable or to be Superficial, thats is the question.

"To be or not to be, that is the question." (Hamlet,Shakespeare)

Obviously influenced by Hamlet's infamous speech,  contemplating life verses death,  lets discuss the question, to be fashionably alive or superficially dead?

The line between fashion and superficiality is quite small and is almost always misinterpreted.

 I have dealt with this skepticism most of my life having grown up in a family of doctors, professors, and "intellectuals". My interest in fashion has always been snubbed, or brushed off as a youthful enjoyment for shopping. A shallow desire of materialism, and concentration of purely exterior qualities.

 I always took great offense to the comparison, because "superficial", I am not.

                                       TO BE SUPERFICIAL 

 When is fashion superficial?

Fashion is superficial if your motivation is purely directed by exterior qualities and if you feel you can somehow "buy" an identity.

Here are some questions to ask yourself. 

Do you dress to be better than others? 

Is your goal to be the prettiest, trendiest, coolest, etc.?

Do you feel people with the highest brands are some how better?

Do you believe your clothes make you a better person?

Do you shop mindlessly with no regard to what you think or feel?

Do you have a purpose, or idea of what you want to say with your look, or are you simply following the fashion band wagon?

Do you consider your style unique and a good representation of who you are?

If your goal to be attractive, outweighs your desire to be yourself then this is a life centered on your outer being, rather than your inner you. 

                                   TO BE FASHIONABLE

To be Fashionable means total acceptance of who you really are, and finding beauty in it. It is the process of bringing your inner qualities to your outer being. This is quite different from someone who places value only on appearance while neglecting the contents of who they are.

The value of fashion has nothing to do with having the most expensive clothing brands, or latest trends. Your fashion identity is purely you, and should be customized for you. In other words, everyone can be fashionable, if they understand who they are. 

Learning to use fashion as a form of expression will help you celebrate the glory that makes you irreplaceable. Finding it is a challenge, but there is nothing superficial in the pursuit of your identity. 

 Fashion  is a art form of expression. It is something that comes from within, and a process of constant creativity. It is a journey of finding yourself, and listening to your inner voice telling you who you are, and what you feel and like. The point is not to be cookie cutter and look like everyone else, or to strive to be anyone but the person dying to come out. The point is to find "YOU". 

The glory is in the process.  Create who you are, question it, pursue it and come to your own solutions. This is what character is made of.