As one reads about style and/or coloring, one inevitably reads about personality, because it seems that everyone who writes about these topics says that coloring = style = personality.  While I don’t ascribe to that belief, myself, it does mean that I’ve been reading some some interesting stuff about personalities.

The Dressing Your Truth system, in particular, has some interesting things to say.  Now, it’s an “energy typing” system.  The author gets into  “energy healing,” which I do not (at least not in the ways she does).  And she says that our personalities and our physical features correspond.  I’m not sure how I feel about that.  (It certainly seems like God, who is a God of order, could have done that.  But I’d have to see a lot of evidence that it always works that way, with no evidence to the contrary, to decide I agree with that.)  But there is one key element she introduces that I think is fascinating and very, very helpful: movement.

Personality Types as Movement

What she describes as four “energy types” essentially correspond to the four age-old personality types.  But she says that they’re types of movement, and I think she’s right.  We like to say that our personalities never change and, in a way, that’s true.  But our apparent personalities can readily be altered to fit our circumstances or the expectations placed on us.  Our body language, on the other hand, our underlying style of movement, the way we do the sorts of things we don’t think about (like organize — or don’t organize — our purses) — these things don’t really change.

There are several benefits to this approach.  First of all, it’s easier to identify a child’s personality at a younger age if you can watch for his manner of movement, rather than having to watch for “behavior,” per se.  (This is important for being able to train up our children in the ways they should go!)   Second of all, it’s easier to recognize whether you’re living according to your own nature, or whether you’re living in more of an “adapted” state that might be less inherently “happy” for you, where you might need to consciously choose to incorporate some elements of what feels more natural.

I also find it interesting  to hear what she says about dressing externally to match your internal nature.  People form expectations of us based on what they see.  (Regardless of the proverb, we do judge books by their covers!)  Those of us who are rather more brash have a tendency to try to “soften” ourselves by dressing soft and femininely “gentle.”  The problem is, that makes it all the more jarring to others when we are ourselves, because it isn’t what they expected — and the “soft” appearance serves as something of a “foil” to the blunter behavior and makes it seem even more so.  If you dress what you are, people know what to expect and it’s all congruent.

But What About Appearance?

Now, this is admittedly easier if the personality and the physical features do match, because the other thing I’ve been reading/learning about is dressing to highlight your physical features to best effect.  Again, we have a tendency to try to “balance” things by wearing the opposite, but this doesn’t really work.  Rounder features just look rounder, squarer look squarer, etc. because they’re being set apart.  When we wear things that echo the shapes and colors God already designed into our bodies, we look our best, because we are highlighting and supporting the unique beauty He designed into each one of us.

I do have to say that I’ve rarely, if ever, seen anyone whose physical features were the exact opposite of her personality.  (It always seemed “unfair,” for instance, that some girls seemed to get the “total package” — the softspoken, gentle girls always seemed to have the soft, feminine features and curvy bodies.  So maybe there is something to the idea that features match personality, after all.  Even if not, hopefully they are sufficiently congruent that you can dress to flatter your appearance while still dressing to let people know who you are.)