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I was delighted to speak to Mail+ about the way people relate to their clothing, ‘Dopamine Dressing’ and escapism in a post pandemic era.

The pandemic ‘has caused a shift in the way people relate to their clothing, so it’s less about “how does this look” and more about “how does this make me feel”, both psychologically and physically.’

‘People really use clothing as a tool to help them alleviate certain negative emotions, to improve their wellbeing. When you wear an outfit that makes you feel happy, you get a rush and that rush is linked to the chemical dopamine, which is released in the pre-frontal cortex.’
It may not be time to relegate loungewear to the back of the wardrobe just yet, though Shakaila Forbes-Bell admits that while ‘you have the bold dressers that are utilising outlandish creative styles as a means of escapism… to free themselves of loungewear pieces that can feel like a uniform,’ she also admits that most of us ‘will operate somewhere in the middle – wearing clothes that make us feel comfortable, but that say something about ourselves and our creativity’.

Watch the interview here and check out the fascinating insights from Nicole Ocran, Vicki Kalb and myself.

Shakaila Forbes-Bell

Author Shakaila Forbes-Bell

Shakaila Forbes-Bell is a Fashion Psychologist and writer who has been featured in Marie Claire UK, i-D, Who What Wear, All Walks Beyond the Catwalk, Fashion Bomb Daily, The Voice Newspaper, Gal-Dem, Black Matters US and more.

More posts by Shakaila Forbes-Bell

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