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darkemeraldsI've been like a convert to a new religion lately. Dressing Your Truth is my latest thing, and I've been running around trying to resist the urge to put all its precepts into practice, right now, perfectly, in my clothes, hair, makeup, accessories, jewelry, bike, home decor, and blog style.
DYT is a beauty profiling system that identifies "four main Types of women who express four different Types of beauty in their physical features, body language, personality, and behavior tendencies." Instead of looking at body type, shape-and-size, coloring, or age, it studies energy movement and forms of unconscious personal expression (like speech styles. And doodling!).
Me, I'm a Type 4, the "bold, striking woman", with an energy of no-movement--still and reflective. We are thorough. We like things done right. We care a lot about order. We are discriminating. We are characterized by parallel lines and narrow rectangles: our faces, our noses, and our fingers tend to be straight-sided, our smiles horizontal lines, our posture very vertical.
We're the ones who have heard a lot of "Lighten up!" and "Why don't you smile?" in our lives. We're the ones who got in trouble for correcting other kids in school (but who were otherwise the teacher's pet). We...don't actually doodle at all--it would mess up the paper.
Type 4 style involves straight edges, symmetry, bold saturated hues, smooth surfaces, simple lines, perfect fit, very black black and very white white, solid blocks of color, not much pattern or decoration, shiny silver...you get the picture.
DYT says that in dressing to disguise those things (trying so hard to seem livelier, or softer, or warmer) the Type 4 woman just scares people. Her clothes and grooming say, "Approach" while everything else about her says "Stay back." Type 4 style lets people know the truth--that I need to observe you for a while before you come nearer. That way, I don't have to use my Freeze Ray.
To discover a style that actually celebrates the real me has been wonderfully liberating. Now, there's just the problem of buying a whole new wardrobe.
DYT is a beauty profiling system that identifies "four main Types of women who express four different Types of beauty in their physical features, body language, personality, and behavior tendencies." Instead of looking at body type, shape-and-size, coloring, or age, it studies energy movement and forms of unconscious personal expression (like speech styles. And doodling!).
Me, I'm a Type 4, the "bold, striking woman", with an energy of no-movement--still and reflective. We are thorough. We like things done right. We care a lot about order. We are discriminating. We are characterized by parallel lines and narrow rectangles: our faces, our noses, and our fingers tend to be straight-sided, our smiles horizontal lines, our posture very vertical.
We're the ones who have heard a lot of "Lighten up!" and "Why don't you smile?" in our lives. We're the ones who got in trouble for correcting other kids in school (but who were otherwise the teacher's pet). We...don't actually doodle at all--it would mess up the paper.
Type 4 style involves straight edges, symmetry, bold saturated hues, smooth surfaces, simple lines, perfect fit, very black black and very white white, solid blocks of color, not much pattern or decoration, shiny silver...you get the picture.
DYT says that in dressing to disguise those things (trying so hard to seem livelier, or softer, or warmer) the Type 4 woman just scares people. Her clothes and grooming say, "Approach" while everything else about her says "Stay back." Type 4 style lets people know the truth--that I need to observe you for a while before you come nearer. That way, I don't have to use my Freeze Ray.
To discover a style that actually celebrates the real me has been wonderfully liberating. Now, there's just the problem of buying a whole new wardrobe.
Surrogate Shopping
18/6/12 13:38 (UTC)Re: Surrogate Shopping
20/6/12 19:29 (UTC)The Cappuccino Rule
20/6/12 19:42 (UTC)(no subject)
20/6/12 10:51 (UTC)Where do you find out about all these awesome things?
(no subject)
20/6/12 19:26 (UTC)There's nothing inherently "conservative" about Type 4, just something inherently bold and simple. Pink hair, a platinum Sassoon bob, or straight black waterfall down your back could all equally express the Type 4 "bold, striking, constant, still" energy. My niece has decided she's a Type 4 (I agree) and she shaved her hair to less than half an inch. It's in perfect harmony with the Type 4 energy.
On the other hand, it's quite possible that you are trying for a Type 4 energy because somewhere along the line you learned that it was better than whatever type you really are. That's what's so fun and empowering about this system. Often the thing we were most criticized for (especially in childhood) is a pointer to our true nature.
The Type 4 child is likely to have heard a lot of "Smile, why don't you?" and "Lighten up!" and "You're so serious!" and "Go outside and play!". The Type 3 will have heard "Slow down!" and "Pay attention!" and "You're so careless!"
Type 2s hear "Step it up. Snap to it. Come on, get a move on. You're so slow! Make a decision!" And I imagine Type 1s get hit with a lot of "Don't you take ANYTHING seriously?" and "Little Tiffany needs to learn to follow through" and "Not everything in life is a game, you know..."
Being given permission, as it were, to be my true Type 4 self (even at my advanced age) has released so much tension! It's wonderful to let myself be still, chill, and without a frill, and not feel apologetic about it.