Recently, my friend Nadia & I went to a “nerdcore” themed party. We were trying to think of ways to appear nerdy but still stylish, when I came up with the idea of wearing blinged-out calculators. I bought a couple of cheap calculators for about $2.50 each, then went out & bought cellphone stickers. We then duct-taped a chain onto the back so we could wear them around our necks. The result was pretty fantastic… if I do say so myself.

It got me thinking, though. In each of us there is some kind of secret, some thing that we think is embarrassing or shameful or makes us “uncool”. Why not learn to embrace it? Why not put that on the outside? If you ARE a secret nerd & you DO love calculators, why not wear a sparkly one around your neck?! Why not incorporate that as part of your look?

We remove our shame & seize back power when we are brave & admit to things. Walking around pretending to be something other than we are gives power to other people. You will always be afraid someone is going to call you out on something, or that someone is going to find out what a phony you really are. But if you reclaim those secret parts for yourself, you subvert the power balance. “Yes!”, you can shout to the world. “I AM a dork & I DO love my mother & Where’s Wally? books & physics!”

True style is about personal expression & courage & humour. Allow your clothing & accessories to tell a story about you. Our clothing tells tales about us even if we’re not aware of it — why not tailor that story to who you really are?

It’s yet another way of mixing self-love with style. Who said the two don’t go together?