Blog 3: Well-Being
Well-being is something that has been connected to us since human existence and is essential to our everyday lives. This keeps us happy, and it satisfies our human needs. Of course, it isn’t all that makes us happy, but it is a significant factor and key to self-love and self-appreciation.
Fashion in itself is such a relevant factor to well being, as it allows us to feel happier within, express ourselves through clothing, and allows us to feel comfortable in our bodies. The way we dress up can give us self-esteem, express deeper personalities. Clothes are an extension of ourselves; it can be considered as a second skin— and it lets you design your version of you. This created the diversity that is needed in this world. It is also what makes everyone so unique and special. If everyone was to be the same and dress the same, would we have significant diversity in the world as there is right now? People wouldn’t be accepted the way they are now in 2020. Judgement will always be there, but because everyone has their spot in this diversity, it makes sure everyone has people around them that think, style and feel alike so that outsiders are minimalised. There is a spot for everyone. Fashion can make everyone feel more valid since it expresses identity statements.
Dr Jekaterina Rogaten states that there are two types of well-being: Eudaimonic and Hedonic. The Eudaimonic type is psychological and focuses on the experiences that a person has, such as self-acceptance, personal growth, purpose in life, and positive relations. Whereas, the Hedonic type is more subjective to the positive and negative effects in actions and the mental state of mind. For instance, happiness, affect and life satisfaction. Fashion in itself represents a crucial role in both types of well-being, not just for what we wear, but the way we wear the clothes we choose.
DR Rogaten also discusses if more is always better? As that is something, most people assume. Sometimes you need to have realistic expectations of certain situations because you, as a person, will be harder to satisfy. It also relies on the responsibilities for making decisions. If you make the wrong choice or are unable to pick, it could lead to you being less happy with the choice made (more options makes regret easier). It produces paralyses (with too much choice, it is hard to make a decision), it is also Opportunity costs (when you choose one thing you are not choosing another).
Another striking thing Dr Rogaten mentioned, is a cognitive dissonance theory which states: “Humans have an inner drive to maintain harmony between attitudes, beliefs and behaviour” (i.e., cognitive consistency) (Festinger’s, 1957). this shows that people want to maintain a consistent level of right decisions, and excellent results. So what is a happy life? And how do fashion companies come into it? We as customers need to be satisfied with the products, and staff and employees need to be treated in a humane matter. Often production staff gets underpaid and work in horrible environments. For us, humans its all about, pleasure and individual strength.
Taking care of our mental health nowadays is vital; every single action we make influences our state of mind and have control over everything that we do. How can we improve well being? We can try to be happy with who we are as individuals, chase our dreams, fulfil our needs, and take a step back sometimes. Accept your emotions, take daily risks, laugh and determine and live your values.