Who is your mind's-eye/imaginary audience? Do you have one? - YouLookFab Forum

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Who is your mind's-eye/imaginary audience? Do you have one?

Claudia

Veteran

I may be totally embarrassing myself here, being the only one that does this mental "exercise," but when you SYC for new, creative outfit combinations, inspiration, or try on a new look or item, do you have a mental scenario where you role play wearing the outfit and imagining how it is received by imaginary people?

For me it's usually walking into Starbucks to stand in line for a coffee or to meet friends. The people there are the usual mixed bag: soccer moms, office folks, college kids, the out of work, etc. and I feel good in the outfit and know people are looking at me approvingly.

I don't know why I have been thinking about my doing this (maybe because it's weird?) and wondering if others do it too, in one way or another.

Do any of you do this, and if so, what is your mental gig in reviewing how a look feels to you in evaluating whether to go for it or not in walking out the door?

Dressing

39 replies

Latest reply was from catgirl

Anonymous

Hmmmm. I don't think I have a mental audience. I am always in front of our church, but I don't think that influences me greatly. I am more of a "what would Jackie/Grace/Audrey do?" kind of gal. I also have some fashion inspirations in my personal life (friends) and I think "would she wear this?, "would she want to be seen with ME wearing THIS?"....

Mo

(website)

Veteran

Good question! I usually imagine the actual audience I'm going to encounter that day. So, going to Tampa on a day trip to Nordstrom's, lunch, and a baseball game would be different than walking the mile and a half up the street (in midday heat with no sidewalks) to the Big Lots store. I'm afraid my surroundings and lack of transportation this year have brought my style quotient down a notch.
At home, my target audience is my peers. South Lake Tahoe is a surprisingly small town and closer knit community than one would think, given all the tourists and casinos. I always run into somebody I know. I like to be dressy casual most of the time at home, and I have a car there, as well, so I can wear more heels than here.

MsMary

Veteran

Heh. This is super easy. I dress for Angie! LOL Like, every day!! I figure if she's pleased with my outfit, everybody else who matters will be, too!

Makrame

Veteran

This is such a great question! I honestly don't know much of the time except on teaching days. Then my audience is my students.

MsMary

Veteran

Coming back to say of course I dress for my ACTUAL audience, too! Like... head-to-toe neon citron with leopard and purple accents goes to the beauty salon but not to work. Pencil skirts and blazers to work (almost every day) but not for Date Night. And so on. My outfits can vary a LOT depending on where I'm going and what I'm doing, but it all has to pass the Angie-in-my-head test!

Anonymous

Ha, good question. A very fashionable man at work. I will try things on and wonder what he thinks...and to clarify, we are not interested in each other, he is married to another man but he has excellent taste in clothes

Claudia

Veteran

MaryK, do you have an imaginary Angie that is in the woman cave with you offering her comments and approval/disapproval in your head as you put something together?

christy

Veteran

I think about this *all* the time. When I'm at work and expecting clients, I must appear polished, professional, successful, but not flashy - thus typically a suit. When I'm at work but not expecting clients, I feel a bit more freedom in choosing my outfits but still need to dress appropriately so that if a client does drop by unexpectedly (which happens rarely, but still occurs) I don't feel self-conscious or inappropriately dressed. When I'm out and about outside of work, running errands, etc., I want to be at least smartly casual in case I do run into someone I know.

It's interesting, because my husband is really a great representation of how I think most of my clients would perceive me. So I'll often run something past him to see if it's too "out there". While I don't always agree with what he says, his perspective is important because if he thinks I look wacky, chances are a client would also.

MsMary

Veteran

A while ago I posted on the forum about the Angie in my head, and Angie replied, "I hope my voice in your head is kind," and my answer to that is YES! So the Angie-in-my-head-in-the-woman-cave never offers disapproval... just gentle suggestions for improvement! It's kind of awesome!

Janet

(website)

Veteran

This is an interesting question, and I totally get it, even though I've not really thought of it that way before.

I'm going to be totally honest and say my imaginary audience is a mix of 1) my husband because he understands me and my style better than almost anyone else, 2) Angie because she has steered me gently but firmly toward a more refined version of my rock'n'roll persona (and I find myself wanting to make her proud, like a fashion mama!) and 3) an imaginary ex-boyfriend I could run into at any moment's notice -- I can be casual or dressed up, but never frumpy or dowdy!

lyn*

(website)

Veteran

I sure do! I think my imaginary audience is similar to your Starbucks "mixed bag" - I do try to wear something that I think most people would "understand" and "appreciate" but also adheres to my normal style.

I used to have an audience that would be more in line of what professional attire was; but I found that the result wasn't "me" ... so I try extra hard to stay true to what I like too!

Scarlet

Veteran

That's a really interesting approach. I have never thought that way though. I do think something like, is this outfit worth taking a photo of? So in a way YLF would be my audience. To be very honest though, although I have a couple of kind cheerleaders here, I don't expect very many people to like or approve of my style. I would like it if they did, but it just seems like my personal likes are out of tune with a lot of people's. Or maybe it's that I don't cross paths much with the people who would like my style, so I think more than anything I listen to my own eye. I can feel good without expecting to be admired, as long as I feel like I am expressing myself the way I want to.

One thing today though that struck me about the comments on Angie's blogpost (about high-tops) was how judgmental and negative a few people sounded. A couple of folks said if they saw someone dressing that way they would think the lady in question needed to shape up and dress her age. I respect having strong likes and dislikes, but I am kind of surprised by how judgmental people can be about others. I guess I live in a bubble and expect some tolerance for my choices, just as I like to think I exercise for others.

Preppy Pear

Veteran

I love this question! I haven't been able to post any photos yet (I don't have a good mirror to take pictures of myself, and I need to figure out a daylight time for my dh to take pictures, I know, excuses, excuses) BUT I do really think about YLF as an audience these days. The YLF I imagine is much kinder to me than I am!

It's amazing how much YLF has influenced my style in positive ways already. Inspired by all of you and this supportive community, I'm wearing some looks that I would not have felt confident enough about before - not anything really wild, but big steps for me, like flats, jeans tucked into boots and skinny jeans. And feeling great in them!

I'm not sure what I imagined before, but the audience I imagined before had no appreciation for all types of beauty and style. Now I think about really cool, savvy women (and men) of all ages and shapes having a blast with clothes as my target audience.

Vildy

Veteran

I'm just here to offer such a contrast that your own imaginary audience will be pffft, like nothing. I always have an imaginary audience and it influences my shopping choices, too. Now this is not for real life where I want to be respectful of others and the occasion and don't want to draw a lot of attention to my clothing choices but for close friends and being out and about and for my private purposes (homelife, even if home alone), I always dress as if for a date, as if I'm going to meet my date. And a new date or a blind date or a newish relationship, going somewhere in public. So, modestly dressed but something feminine about it, maybe a touch of something luxuriant, maybe something a little sassy, maybe a skirt where most women would be in pants. I guess I'm playing at being a romantic traveller, always arriving. Little air of excitement about me in some way.

Ariadne

Veteran

My imaginary audiences are:
Other people (moms, mostly) on the playground
DH & my lovely sister
Friends
YLF/Angie-in-my-head!

And then if I'm going somewhere other than my usual places--say, to a poetry reading or to my volunteer work or on a date--I imagine the actual audience I'll be encountering at those places. So If I'm going with DH to a fancy restaurant, I imagine walking into the restaurant in what I'm wearing, and think about whether I'd feel confident, appropriate, and true to myself. "Appropriate" seems to crowd out the other two quite often, which is something I'm working on.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Had to chime in quickly here to say:

- fun post, Claudia! The Starbucks queue is a goodie.

- HUGS to Mary and Janet!!! Your comments were very unexpected, and I am humbled. Also know that your audience is most impressed with the styles that perform on stage

- Scarlet, believe that your high tops looks rock. I can't be more clear about that!

- Ariadne, hugs to you too.

Got to run!

catgirl

Veteran

I'm the opposite when it comes to appropriate! My audience is:

Angie and YLF
The inhabitants of a medieval-futuristic post-apocalyptic world in which I'm some female equivalent of Strider from Lord of the Rings
Myself

If I'm meeting friends, going to court, or doing something that requires a specific dress code, I will take that into consideration but for the most part, I try to wear what makes me feel most like me.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

Um, salespeople in Barneys, Nordstrom and some local boutiques. Crikey, that sounds shallow.

Claudia

Veteran

Very interesting. I've loved reading these and am relieved that I am not the only one that Walter Mitty's their outfits as part of the process.

Janet, I've also done the running into the ex-boyfriend scenario. And Anna, that cracks me up!

Ariadne

Veteran

Una, I need to take some lessons from you!

Caro in Oz

Veteran

Fantastic question. It's a fact that there are always going to be critical people & I really don't want to give my power to them. I think about my "audience" in terms of how I want them to perceive me. Having said that I would always take into consideration a particular dress-code but not to the point of feeling like an impostor. I'm also open to constructive criticism & that's why I'm here.

Marley

Veteran

Hahahaha! This is a great question - and my answer to it just cracks me up. I dress for the PAPARAZZI! That's right girls - in my head, I am a ROCK STAR! So, when I get dressed to go out, my mental image is that photographers will madly be snapping photos of me and my pic will be plastered everywhere is just a few minutes. OMG - I can't believe that I am admitting this! (but its true!)

Carole

Veteran

I always have a little voice in my head that says, "what would Angie think of this outfit?" I have to admit that makes me a try a little harder.

Claudia

Veteran

Marley, that is just SO awesome! I can see it with you and your fantastic, quirky, dramatic, beautiful style, ready to be caught leaving the party or seen running about town.

jen

I dress for my mirror

D'Ellen

Veteran

First and foremost, myself. And second, even though I don't post my outfits, Angie and all the fab ladies (and gents) of YLF.

Beth

Veteran

Hm, interesting topic. I dress for Angie and YLF, even when you all don't see my outfits. Like Scarlet, I often think "is this outfit photo worthy" or "is this WIW post worthy?"

Other than that, I don't think I really dress for an audience besides considering if outfits are appropriate for work. I'm much more likely to dress, like Jen, for my mirror, and I'm much more influenced by my imaginary lifestyle. Oops:)

Susie

Veteran

Wow, interesting question!

If I am trying to decide on a particular item- is it stylish enough or too dowdy- I ask myself if I would wear it with my sister or my friend Jodi was with me. They are thin and pretty and seem so effortlessly stylish that its easy for me to feel frumpy compared to them.

My mom was involved with fashion since I was a preteen. She managed, and bought the clothes for, a really hip clothing store. Then later she wholesaled women's clothes. So I had always looked to her for 'what to wear' advice. But I also went through a rebellious phase and wanted to break away from her influence.

I do still keep "appropriate" in mind, in terms of the setting/event, my age, my husband, and my body shape. But I am interested in refining my style and being more concerned with pleasing myself.

Although I'm still fairly new here, I've started to add the lovely women of YLF to my audience!

Caro in Oz

Veteran

Marley - love your answer so cool & it would set the bar fairly high too.

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