New clothes don't mean compromise
Dear Amy: I'm a woman in my mid-20s. I've spent most of my life in jeans and T-shirts. Dresses make me uncomfortable, and I don't have the best body.
After breaking up with my boyfriend, my friends have been encouraging me to "dress prettier" and wear makeup.
I hate feeling so unnoticed all the time, so I've been going along with it.
The thing is, the other day someone told me how much she admired me for "always being my own person" and never succumbing to peer pressure.
Now I'm worried: Am I sacrificing who I really am by wearing the new outfits? Am I succumbing to peer pressure?
How do I compromise my desire to be "pretty" with my need to be myself?
Worried
Dear Worried: You don't seem to know who you are, so you are letting your friends fill in the void created by your uncertainty. Let's blame this on your recent breakup.
The person who admires you for being yourself is creating pressure for you by making you second-guess your choices.
You can sidestep this whole "peer pressure" issue by choosing to be "prettier" and authentically yourself.
The pulled-together and cleaned-up version of you is as real as any other version no matter what you're wearing.
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