I like to call this my ZERO F@#*S GIVEN outfit. I started wearing it a lot this winter after Evan challenged me to try caring less (a lot less) about what people think about me in 2017. To which I responded, uh, DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?! I am a neurotic freak who gives ALL the F@#*S about ALL the things. To which he responded, uh, EXACTLY!!!!
And here’s the honest truth – I had no idea where to begin. So I started with my outfit. Sure that may sound silly, but I am of the mind that to feel a certain way, you’ve gotta look the part. There’s something about a band t-shirt, ripped jeans and combat boots that screams badass bitch to me – whenever I see a woman wearing this, I think she’s pretty freakin’ rad and confident and love that she bucks traditionally feminine clothes. That’s what I needed to channel in order to contemplate what it meant for me to give zero fucks.
So did a giant furry coat and ripped jeans change who I am fundamentally? Of course not. But my mindset was definitely transformed on that first day of trying to give less fucks about what I look like and what people think about me. Caring too much about those things was putting up a wall between me and other people. I don’t want that – I want great relationships and friendships based on character. So this experiment was a great first step. But not the only step.
At the very least, what I’m contemplating here is the transformative power of a look. In this case it was mostly positive, but there’s a negative too that I see as I look back on this photo – the perils of layering lots of bulky pieces. It happened to be chilly and rainy this day so I put a leather jacket under the furry coat (it’s actually not that warm). I thought it might contribute to my new punky vibe, and maybe it did. But what it did more of was add a lot of weight to my frame. If you’re gonna go big on a piece, you gotta go slim on all the others to balance it out. For a furry coat or vest, I’d recommend skinny jeans, pointy-toed pumps, and a tight body suit underneath if you really want to knock it out of the park.
And so completes Day 2 of my March Writing Challenge. I’ll keep you posted on my caring less efforts. I’ve come a long way since this furry-coat day and it’s been deeply liberating. But more on that some other time.
