How to Tell Your Friends They Dress Badly

The way we dress says a lot about who we are as people. What we are wearing when we first meet someone is where they draw a lot of conclusions about who we are. Sometimes we have friends who don’t dress up to society’s standards and sometimes that’s okay. But other times it could affect their daily lives in finding romance, a job, or just making new friends. This could be either a fun or a really sensitive topic when confronting the person. But sometimes you just need to let your friends know that they dress badly.

1. Let Them Know You Care

This can be a delicate situation to handle. It’s always better to start out with how much you care and appreciate them. Make sure they know that you only want what’s best for them. Don’t make them feel like this is an intervention, even though it basically is.

2. Tell Them Why You Question What They Wear

It’s always good to explain that you question what they wear because it makes them seem a certain way. The crop tops your best friend wears may be a little too small for her, making her look a little too scandalous. Maybe the slouchy pants and stained t-shirt makes them look a little sloppy.

3. How Their Appearance Affects Their Lives

Give them examples of how dressing sloppy could be the reason why they can’t find a good job or how their raunchy outfit is the reason why men don’t take them seriously. Bring up past experiences in their life and let them know that the reason why something happened is because they dress badly.

4. Tell Them What Is Wrong With Their Clothes

Explain to them how their outfit is wrong. Let them know that the short skirt and crop top are too small for their body. Tell them that the plaid pajama pants with puppies on it aren’t meant to be worn out in public and the stained shirt is on backwards. At first, they might be offended but they’ll get over it.

5. Ask Them Why They Dress That Way

It’s always good to hear them out on their reasons why they dress the way they do. It could be because they’re really self conscious or maybe their grandma bought them that shirt. Whatever their reason is, help them get over it or through it. Be a good friend. After finding out why they won’t change, give them a reason to change.

6. Tell Them How They Could Change

Explain to them that they could trade in their stained shirt in for a really nice floral top or the short skirt could be switched out for a flirty maxi-dress. Explain the difference and why one choice is better than the other. Help them find their actual style in a modest and subtle way.

7. Give Them Inspiration

Make them watch reruns of TLC’s What Not To Wear. Find Before & After pictures of others in their situation. Read inspiring stories of how an outfit changed someone’s life forever. Inspiration helps people want to change, make them a Pinterest board if you have to. (And if they don’t know what Pinterest is, their may not be help for them at that point.)

8. Ask Them If They Want To Change

Make sure this is what they want to do because they want to do it, not because they feel like they’re being forced. When they do decide to change, make sure you’re there for them and willing to help. Don’t be the friend that nags them to change but doesn’t help. That’s unsupportive and what kind of person does that make you look like?