Confessions of a (low key) exhibitionist: an ode to showing off & why we are living art

A subtle dash of rainbow..?

You hear exhibitionist and you think narcissist.

These two can correlate, but they're far from one in the same. An art exhibition is not a display of the artist's internalised narcissism, but rather a message to the world concerning something they believe to be important and worthy of note.

A portion of my clothing collection!

Fashion is the same for me. I have often spoken on this blog about why our style is our initial message to the world about who we are, but take that one step further: what if our style could represent more than that? What if it could demonstrate a series of beliefs or an ethos that we wish to embody? What if by people looking at us we were in fact sharing with them what we hold key to our personal ethics? It's possible, certainly.

I am, in this sense of the term, a low-key exhibitionist. I don't shout or scream or act outlandishly to encourage people to look. I don't even really want people to admire me or like what I'm wearing or doing. Instead I want people, particularly where I live - a quiet, conservative island (mostly), to be brave to wear things deemed 'different'. As someone always described as 'unique' and 'quirky' (which actually translates often to weird and off-piste), I want to be an example of how being unafraid of being different.

My clothes are a physical expression of my personality, which is so intertwined with my belief that being weird is bloody brilliant. We are part of the world's exhibition of living art, each piece different and therefore beautiful and important.

What do your clothes say about you? I'd love to hear in the comments or over on my instagram @jumper.dweller

Let them look, eh? Be brave, be you.

(I wrote this micro-essay the other day when the appropriate inspiration struck. Sorry for its brevity but I hope you like it.)

Comments

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