The Effects of Clothing on the Self-Esteem of Teen Girls

Clothing is an expression of self, no matter what your age, but teenagers feel the intensity of this expression much more acutely than younger children or adults. The peer pressure your teenager faces on a daily basis, combined with media messages about what is currently cool can make or break many outfits, and should your teen choose wrongly, the gaffe could have psychological effects, according to Psychology Today. This means, in a teenager's world, clothing is not just clothing, nor is it simply a status symbol. Clothing is a reflection on herself.

  1. Body Image

    • While clothing is just a small part of a teen's body image, it is an important one. How your teen looks to other people is a crucial part of her self-identity as she grows because she is just starting to see the world as more multi-faceted than herself, according to EduGuide. She views her clothing as one of the most direct ways she can tell the world about herself and who she is. It helps her express her own personal style regardless of her shape and size. When teen girls are able to express themselves in a way in which they feel comfortable, their self-esteem rises.

    Validation

    • Clothing can exist as an external means of affirmation and validation, says psychoanalyst Dr. Brenda Berger, in a piece for Psychology Today. When your daughter emulates her friends' styles, she is seeking their approval to bolster her own ego. Although this indicates a fragility in self-esteem, it is also completely normal. Most teenage girls go through a phase like this, and it is developmentally important, according to the article, "Why Your Teen Insists on Dressing Exactly Like her Friends."

    Collective Identity

    • A study on both Bangladeshi boys and girls studying in London found that girls wearing western-style garb dealt with negative self-esteem issues and discomfort more distinctly than girls wearing traditional clothing, according to Scientific American. These findings show that fitting into a collective whole is important to a teenage girl's psychology. Interestingly, the findings were reversed for boys. The researchers postulate that taking part in a collective identity could be beneficial to girls by providing security.

    Self-Worth

    • More important than looking good to a teenager is not looking foolish, according to counselor Dale Sadler, at EmpoweringParents.com. Therefore, your daughter may adopt the same two or three outfits to wear throughout the year, simply because she knows they are "safe." She will not be made fun of for wearing them because they have been approved by her set. A teen's fragile self-esteem can be devastated if her peers point her fashion choices in a negative way, so wearing the same clothing is a protective measure. Because a teenager's sense of self-worth is bound to outer appearances, she may choose her clothing out of fear more than out of style, but Empowering Parents states this phase usually passes before the end of high school.

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