At first glance, it might seem like a ‘bad marriage’ when health and fashion are mentioned in the same sentence. However, it’s important to note that the earliest use of clothes was for health purposes, i.e protection from dirt, dust, etc.
In modern times, the relationship between health and fashion has become much more complex and, in some cases, affects the health and quality of life of individuals.
In a world like ours where perception is everything, it has become normal, and even fashionable, to compromise on health to meet up with fashion trends. The result is a strain on physical and mental health as well as wrong lifestyle choices which could affect one’s quality of life.
Fashion and Mental Health: Look Good, Feel Good?
In most cases, fashion choices are closely associated with how people feel about themselves. The general consensus is “when you look good, you feel good.”
While this is a positive statement with many positive applications, in reality, there’s a general media-induced perception of the appearance which often leads to negative body image and depression. Your opinion of yourself should never be tied to how you look. It should come from a confidence in self, independent of external factors.
When your validation stems from your appearance, you might be placing power over your happiness and self-esteem in the hands of other people, because more often than not, people define the standard for what looks good and what doesn’t. So you look good and feel good in yourself, regardless of societal expectations.
Contrary to popular belief, a lot of the fashion wear and accessories in your clothing cabinet are literally not as harmless as they may look, as they have the potential to cause serious and sometimes debilitating ailments when worn without any recourse to health implications. Here’s a rundown on some fashion wears and accessories that affect your quality of life and the healthiest ways to rock these items.
Tight Pants
While wearing tight pants and skinny jeans might be fashionable, it brings a world of trouble when it becomes a habitual dress code.
Issues with blood circulation, slow food digestion, nerve impairments, dilated veins, and many more could arise from constantly wearing tight pants. If you love tight pants, then wear them sparsely, and not all the time. Give yourself some breathing space, literally.
High heels and health risks
Research indicates that as fashionable as high heels may be, they come with their own brand of side effects. The prevalence of foot problems, ankle sprains, osteoarthritis, nerve damage, and potentially permanent damage to the back, tendons, knees, and hips are all resultant effects of using high heels without due recourse to health demands.
It’s interesting to note that ladies who walk in heels regularly may continue walking in the same stance even when out of heels, consequently causing strain on their calves.
So if you must wear heels, get a pair of supplementary shoes that are comfortable and easy to wear. Avoid walking long distances in heels and insist on heels with a heel height not exceeding 2 inches. It may surprise you how good they’ll look and how comfy they’ll feel.
Heavy earrings and necklaces
Recent studies show that ear piercings can be prone to infections. This worry has become significantly more problematic with the escalating number of ear piercings more and more people have begun to participate in. An ear-piercing procedure not properly carried out runs the risk of developing serious health complications, with the occurrence of infections and abscesses as serious and possible health concerns. Ensure that your piercings are done properly.
Ties
Tight tie knots and small shirt sizes pose a serious problem for blood circulation in men.
Restrained neck movement, increased intraocular pressure (fluid pressure of the eye), increased muscle tension in the back and shoulders, as well as reduced blood circulation, are all possible effects of wearing overly tight ties and small shirt sizes.
Other fashion items to use consciously are heavy and extra-large handbags which can cause posture-related issues, muscular tension, headaches, and severe neck stiffening, hair dye which could be detrimental to your hair quality when substandard products are used, as well as expanding your earholes to accommodate unnaturally large ‘earrings’ within the cartilage of your ears which could cause serious damage and deformity to your ear cartilage, wearing damp socks constantly which could create a conducive environment for bacteria and fungi infections to culture on your feet and a host of other problems.
As we enjoy the glitz and glamour of the Lagos Fashion Week, you must understand that your health and quality of life are greater than the need to make a fashion statement.
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