Cue Madonna's classic material girl song....
A song of the 80's, and still so prevalent today. Materialism, and being materialistic doesn't have to be a taboo subject nowadays with recycled fabrics, anti-free labour laws put in place etc.
But I do want to address the aspect of feeling good in what you wear. Especially within the fitness world. I want to share how being materialistic has helped me feel more confident.
For a guy, of average to short height, slim build, it is actually incredibly tough to find 'fitness' clothes that look and feel good. Having conversations with female friends, it also goes the same way, as soon as the fitness model or sample size doesn't cater to a all body types.
Now with fitness and then dance, these are two different worlds.
Fitness has the lycra, sweat, wick feel, anti-stain, breathable mindset. For men, its in the grey, black, blue tones (never has any color, or rarely any color), everything is loose, everything is boxy. For women, its the two piece legging a sports bra, the form-fitting everything and super bright colours and patterns. It is strange to me to not see more of a cohesive colour pallet & fit for everyone who wishes to exercise.
Dance has infinitely more options! if you see dancers, they wear the street casual look when they dance, and everyone brings their own essence. Style is a huge part of the musical identity. Depending on what type of class/music style of dance you go to, the clothes the person wears will be dramatically different.
Now knowing this, it can be really overwhelming when you enter a room and there's a seemingly visual disjuncture between you and your peers attending, just based off of what you are wearing.... this has happened to me countless times in Dance, especially at the beginning. Doing hip hop in all tight clothing? somehow doesn't feel as great as having a flowy top, or bagging track pants.
We've also experienced wearing are new purchase to exercise or dance in, and feeling unstoppable too! That feeling is the best one, because at the end of the day, it's always about feeling good.
I would LOVE to see more people bringing their own essence into fitness, the way dance does. This level of freedom and room for personal style can give you that boost of confidence when you yourself might not be feeling it yet.
You might have a strong urge to go shopping now, sorry not sorry :P
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