Image Courtesy of Cosmopolitan

It starts at a very young age for most of us with your mother telling you that you can’t go to school in your ballerina tutu. It continues when you hit middle school and your friends tell you that braces are dorky and weird. The issue furthers in high school when you are told that you need to look like all your favorite celebrities or you won’t be popular. Just when you think it would get better, it only gets worse as you reach your twenties and thirties when you are supposed to maintain a perfect look, the ideal corporate job and a stable relationship. We don’t even need to talk about the brutal scrutiny that women over the age of 40 are under!

Women are constantly given rules by our peers and the media telling us how to look. These standards seem impossible to maintain, and for many of us, they are simply unrealistic. We all have different bodies, different needs from our style and different tastes that do not always fit into the mold that the media creates.

Instead, we should create our own set of rules, rules that focus on the true meaning of style; to make every woman feel beautiful and confident every single day. Here are the fashion rules that the media doesn’t tell you, and why you should ditch everything else and follow them instead.

1. The garment should work for you, not the other way around

Every piece of clothing and every accessory should work only to enhance you and your beauty. You should never feel the need to squeeze into a tight pair of jeans in order to look skinnier if you are not comfortable doing so. Instead, take those jeans in the next size up. You will feel better and look better in clothes that fit you properly.

2. You should never cast out a style because of your size

Many girls are told they cannot wear certain styles and trends because of their body. For example, girls who are small on top are told they cannot wear sheath dresses. These ideas should be cast out for every woman, you need to try the look on yourself and find the right fit before you determine that the look works well for you or not.

3. Never buy anything before trying it on

Some big changes have been made in the world of online shopping, so the need to spend hours in a department store dressing room is no longer necessary. Most online stores offer free returns and exchanges and free shipping, so you can get the same items at lower prices without leaving the house. You can even buy bras online with new bra sizing apps that ensure that you will get the best fit possible.

4. You can wear trendy looks at any age

Celebrities today have proven that age does not need to determine your style anymore. You can still pull of trendy looks no matter what your age is. Look to celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Stacy London for trendy looks that are still age appropriate so you can maintain your fashion forward style.

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Tina Hamilton is a journalist, blogger and social media guru. You can usually find her online or walking along one of Southern California’s beaches with her dog, Joey. Look for her on Twitter.