Experiencing Personal Style Blowback? I have a technique for that

Experiencing personal style blowback? It’s a common experience. (And it sucks.) Blowback, snide comments, backhanded compliments, etc. Fortunately, I can help you upgrade your style while also helping contain any blowback. Keep reading for more…

I was talking with a friend recently and we got around to talking about clothes and they were beginning to think about upgrading their style. We talked about options, where to start, if it made sense to try to DIY or get help, etc.

And we eventually got to a very common stumbling block when it comes to embracing and focusing on your personal style – blowback.

(This is a beautiful definition of blowback focused on the context of self-confidence and self-expression.)

Blowback – it’s a thing that happens when we upgrade our style.

Personal style blowback: how it shows up

Sometimes it’s certain. Your mother has never kept her opinion of your clothing choices to herself and is unlikely to start now.

Sometimes it’s anticipated. You know your catty neighbor will probably say something.

Sometimes it’s a wildcard. Your significant other, or best friend, or sibling, or cousin, etc, may say something and it might be nice. Or it may be not-so-nice. Or it may be a backhanded compliment. But then again, maybe they will say nothing at all. You never know.

Sometimes it is us conflating the present time with sometime in the past. Your coworker or friend or (not catty) neighbor says a very neutral “nice sweater” and we read into it because of that thing that happened in middle school.

Unfortunately we can’t eliminate blowback entirely (if you have a mother who always comments, they will still comment). But we can mitigate it. And we can have a plan for it.

We can use things like buffer phrases, and internal alignment, and steady confidence in our style decisions. We can build our support network, and take the time it takes to transform your style.

Another thing we can do is make intentional choices with our clothing. I’m sharing one of my go-to tools with the person who was worried about blowback, and it might be helpful for you too.

This is one of my favorite ways to level up an outfit without overdressing (and minimize blowback!).

Use my Go 5% fancier Technique

You can think of this technique a little bit like the inverse of the Coco Chanel quote “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.”

Chanel’s advice works great if you have a habit of over accessorizing and are aiming to embrace understated elegance. But remember Chanel was born in 1883, when “getting dressed” even in the most basic outfit, meant something a century and a half away from “throwing on a t-shirt and jeans.”

With my Go 5% Fancier Technique you’ll elevate your style without worrying about being overdressed, while also minimizing blowback. It’s an outfit you’d normally wear, just a tad elevated.

If you’re ready to elevate your style without worrying about what everyone has to say, find out how we can work together here.