What Wearing A Tulle Skirt For A Day Taught Me About Self-Love
I remember as a young girl, from the age of five until about ten, I twirled around on stages in sequined tops, leotards covered with tulle skirts, tights around my legs, and ballet slippers or tap shoes on my feet. When it came to rhythm or routine, I wasn’t the most coordinated little girl in the dance group, but if there was one move I knew well, it was smiling and embracing the moment that was in front of me. Through the high-beamed stage lights on the ceiling, I wore my outfits proudly and tapped my way through the performance with confidence, moving as if I was the only girl in the auditorium. Somewhere along the way, the memory of that young girl became faint. However, an experience recently brought her back to life.
On occasion prior to the pandemic, I enjoyed dressing up in outfits that exerted feminine appeal. As a woman in her early thirties and one for comfort over everything, I latched onto the “stay-at-home” style with ease and little effort at all. As the world around me opened back up and as I attracted invitations to social gatherings, I felt naked and exposed walking onto the stage of social life. Dressing myself to run errands alone felt like a vulnerable task, which nudged me to realize that I needed to ignite a spark to welcome back the radiant and confident woman I once knew, just like that young girl who embraced her essence on that stage.
Through a conversation with a colleague about self-love and acceptance, we were inspired to take creative action. We coordinated a day where we dressed up in vibrant tulle skirts of pink and red to wander around town, taking pictures and embracing the moment of feeling alive. We drove to a Party City in my neighborhood to grab heart-shaped pink and red balloons for our “photo shoot” and paraded around a Ritz-Carlton Hotel for fun, elegant shots. We then ended the evening by grabbing dinner and drinks in our outfits at a nearby restaurant and lounge. After a number of conversations with bystanders and countless turning heads as we walked by, this is what wearing a tulle skirt for the day taught me about self-love.
Wearing a tulle skirt for the day taught me that you can put a smile on someone’s face simply by walking past them. Sure, wearing an eye-catching and quirky outfit attracts attention, but it can be much simpler than that. Genuinely happy people like to see other people happy, and all it takes to turn someone’s day around can be a smile in their direction or a friendly hello. Tulle skirt or no tulle skirt, if we welcomely acknowledge the people around us and how we can positively affect them, it shows us the reflection of the appreciation and acknowledgement we show ourselves.
Wearing a tulle skirt for a day taught me that it’s okay to be playful and to not take life so seriously. Even though it was challenging through the past year, I realized that we truly have the power to control how we react to the world around us. Life is what you make of it, and like a magnet, we attract what we put out through our thoughts or actions. This moment was a reminder that even through moments of uncertainty, we can make the most of our experiences by enjoying the unique fun that it offers. We just simply have to give ourselves a little push.
Wearing a tulle skirt for a day taught me how to once again step out of my comfort zone and into my unique feminine side as a human being. The divine feminine lives within us all and can provide us with the tools and resources on how to connect with ourselves and others if we allow it to teach us and guide us. Somehow down the line, we forget that our internal compasses are all we need to look out for. Stepping out of our comfort zone and into feminine energy gives us the opportunity to get into flow with playfulness, our creative side, dance, art, music, and other originative aspects in our lives that we cherish.
Wearing a tulle skirt for a day taught me that confidence truly is an inside job. When I first put the tulle skirt on, I felt uncomfortable, embarrassed, and quite honestly kinda foolish. However, when I looked at myself harder in the mirror, I remembered a young me on the dance stage who felt radiant, beautiful, and ready to take on the routine with grace. Confidence is a cultivation of the acceptance, gratitude, and respect you give to yourself for simply being YOU.