Dressed for the feed: The psychology of fashion in a filtered world

written by Paola D'Elia
edited by Jana Dreston

Reviewer: R.A. (Rosmery-Ann) Boegeholz Castillo and an undisclosed reviewer.

Fashion balances expression and expectation, but on social media, it reshapes body image through constant comparison and self-objectification, often leading to anxiety and dissatisfaction. This article explores the psychological costs of online fashion and the pressures it places on self-perception, while also showing its potential to nurture self-awareness.

Are you dressing for yourself, or for the feed?

Think of the runway, the glossy editorials, the magazine covers that turned clothes into icons. Fashion has always influenced how we view bodies and how they are presented in public. It has always balanced personal expression with social expectation. Fashion reflects both the intimate self (how we feel internally) and the public image (how we present ourselves to others). Through screens, filters, and algorithms, style becomes less about how clothing feels and more about how it looks. It is less about presence and more about performance.

Figure 1.

Every day, we scroll through countless images on social media: curated outfits, sculpted faces, perfect bodies. Sometimes, these images inspire playfulness and creativity. Other times, they become silent rules by which we measure ourselves. But what happens when fashion stops serving as a creative outlet and starts determining our self-worth?

In today's hyper-visual digital culture, the body is increasingly treated as a performance: it is styled and filtered and is constantly judged against idealised beauty standards. Social media reinforces these ideals by flooding us with edited images, and some people even turn to cosmetic surgery in an attempt to meet them. Such pressures not only influence how individuals present themselves, but also how they feel about their bodies. This can lead to increased anxiety, dissatisfaction, and a tendency to compare oneself to others [1], [2].

Women who are highly engaged with fashion and beauty content on social media, whether through frequently viewing posts, following influencers, or actively sharing their own photos, report making more upward comparisons, monitoring their bodies more frequently, and experiencing higher levels of anxiety [3]. This can create a cycle of repeated judgment and persistent dissatisfaction [4]. While some trends may appear empowering, they often focus on physical appearance. For instance, sexualised body-positive posts, such as selfies in lingerie or revealing outfits accompanied by captions about body acceptance, can encourage people to monitor and judge their bodies more closely. This constant attention may increase body monitoring (frequent checking of appearance) and appearance anxiety (worry about being judged for looks) [5]. However, fashion can also support well-being. Content that emphasises comfort or personal meaning shifts the focus from appearance to experience, fostering authenticity, confidence, and ease in the body [6].

Visibility, comparison, and the body as image

In today’s digital world, fashion is no longer just a private choice. Clothes are photographed, shared, and judged online. Once they enter the public space, outfits shift from a way of expressing personality to a way of seeking approval. This visibility can influence how people feel about themselves. When people picture how they appear from an external perspective, they begin to perceive themselves as objects under observation. This process is called self-objectification. It describes a tendency to monitor the body as if it is constantly being evaluated. Research shows that such repeated checking weakens the sense of embodiment, the natural feeling of living in and being connected to the body. It also raises the risk of anxiety, dissatisfaction, and detachment [7].

Figure 2.

Social media amplifies these effects. It exposes users to endless streams of fashion and beauty images. Social comparison theory helps explain this process. It shows that people often engage in upward comparisons. Individuals compare themselves with others who appear more attractive or successful. These comparisons are linked to lower self-esteem, more negative body image, and stronger pressure to conform to narrow beauty standards [3]. Researchers describe this repeating pattern as part of the circle of objectification [4]. When people feel judged, they often start judging others in the same way. This cycle strengthens social expectations and keeps people feeling dissatisfied.

In this cycle, fashion is no longer about how it feels to the person wearing it. It becomes a show created for others to see.

When fashion hurts: the aesthetic conformity trap

Social media platforms do more than mirror cultural beauty ideals. They also spread and reinforce them. Algorithms reward content that matches dominant aesthetics, promoting certain body types, facial features, and clothing styles. This repeated exposure produces aesthetic convergence. It means a narrowing of what is most often shown, liked, and copied. As this happens, the range of bodily expression and personal style becomes more restricted [8].This pressure often appears in the way people choose their clothes. Instead of selecting outfits for comfort or personal meaning, many choose clothing for its potential to gain approval online, such as likes and positive comments. Clothes are put together to match visual trends, to look attractive on screen, or to satisfy the expectations of a digital audience. In this context, dressing shifts from an inner process, guided by feelings, to an outer process, guided by appearance.

One study examined what happens when people look at images of fashion influencers. The researchers observed that this often increases body dissatisfaction and encourages people to see and monitor themselves as objects. The effect is strongest when viewers compare their looks directly with those of influencers. These findings show that when fashion choices are influenced mainly by external approval, clothing can increase insecurity and make people feel less satisfied with their appearance [9].

Psychologically, this way of dressing can have negative effects over time. When people choose clothes mainly to gain approval, they may feel constantly observed, as if others are always judging how they look. This pressure can make them more anxious about their appearance and less confident that their clothes reflect who they truly are. Instead of supporting identity, fashion in this case may leave people feeling doubtful and emotionally distant. These effects are especially visible among young people who spend much time in social media spaces where appearance is the main focus [10].

This process is closely linked to what psychologists call body alienation. It means feeling disconnected from the body, as if the body and the self are no longer fully aligned. When appearance becomes the main priority, clothing choices are guided less by inner signals, such as mood or comfort, and more by imagined reactions from others. Over time, this can weaken the ability to notice and interpret internal signals from the body, like hunger, tension, or heartbeat. Being able to notice internal signals helps people respond to their body’s needs, regulate emotions, and maintain psychological well-being [7].

In a study involving young women, researchers discovered that higher engagement with Instagram is linked to greater self-objectification, more frequent social comparisons, and higher anxiety about appearance. These factors predicted stronger body dissatisfaction [3]. In such cases, fashion may no longer support the body. Fashion controls the body. Instead of helping people feel present and comfortable, it pushes them to perform. It no longer promotes ease. It creates distance between who people are and how they appear.

Importantly, the effect is visible even with passive use. For example, imagine a teenager scrolling through fashion posts on Instagram. After only a few minutes of curated outfits and aesthetic trends, they may start to feel unsure about their own clothing, even if they had no intention of posting. They might check the mirror, adjust their outfit, or change clothes altogether. The goal is no longer comfort but alignment with a digital aesthetic. The pressure is not only to be seen but also to feel “postable”. The priority shifts from comfort to matching a digital standard.

When fashion heals: clothing as connection

Figure 3.

While digital fashion culture often makes people feel less connected to their bodies, clothing itself can support psychological well-being. When clothes are chosen for comfort or authenticity, they can ease stress, boost confidence, and lift mood [6]. When people decide what to wear based on how it feels rather than how it looks, fashion becomes more than an image – it becomes an experience. Choosing clothing that feels authentic, comfortable, or emotionally meaningful can foster a feeling of connectedness to the body.

One study found that comfortable clothes are linked to feelings of ease, freedom, and confidence [6]. People involved in the study explained that such clothing helped them feel relaxed at home, more confident in social situations, and more authentic overall. In this way, clothing supports a closer connection between physical experience and personal identity. This describes a shift from viewing the body as an object to dressing in ways that emphasise how the body is lived and felt, not only how it looks. Researchers call this embodied self-expression.

Clothing can reflect four different sides of identity.

The private self, connected to comfort and authenticity at home, for example, in soft or relaxed clothing;
The unrestricted self, which comes out in clothes that allow free movement, such as sportswear or loose casual outfits;
The body-conscious self, which emerges when clothing makes people more aware of their body, whether by attracting attention to it or by covering it;
The confident self, which is linked to outfits that give assurance and empowerment, such as carefully selected clothes for work or social occasions [6].

Expressing these sides of identity through clothing can support well-being. It helps people understand their emotions, feel more secure in their identity, and stay present in everyday life [11]. Studies from neuroscience and textile research show that sensory qualities such as softness, temperature, and fit matter not only for physical comfort. They also matter for emotional well-being [12]. When clothes feel pleasant to wear, they can promote emotional balance and a sense of safety in the body.

The theory of enclothed cognition explains that what people wear can influence how they think, feel, and behave [13]. This effect depends not only on the physical act of wearing clothing but also on the symbolic meaning attached to it. For example, in a study, people wearing a coat described as a doctor’s lab coat performed better on attention tasks than those who wore the same coat described as a painter’s smock.

Choosing clothes that feel comfortable and personally meaningful can therefore strengthen the connection between mind and body.

Rethinking the beauty in a filtered world

Figure 4.

On social media, fashion takes place in a culture where everything is visible and amplified by algorithms. In this space, clothing is no longer only a personal choice. It becomes content. What gains attention is what fits with dominant beauty ideals, and following these ideals often becomes the price of social approval. This process leads people to view themselves as objects, to constantly check their appearance, and to feel anxious about how they look, especially women and adolescents [3], [14].

Reducing the harms of filtered beauty culture takes more than personal awareness. It also requires education that helps people question beauty standards, understand how social media works, and reflect on the role of fashion in shaping identity. Learning to dress for comfort and presence, instead of dressing to get likes or comments online, can be a simple form of everyday resistance. In a world full of images, paying attention to how clothing feels can be a way to reconnect with the body on our own terms.

Take-away message: Constant exposure to idealized images and algorithm-driven beauty culture can lead to lower self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, and broader psychological distress [15]. Therefore, dressing for comfort and authenticity, rather than approval, can be a means to reconnect with the body and a more positive self-image [13]. Every outfit is a decision. Do we dress for comfort or for approval? For presence or for performance? These everyday choices demonstrate how fashion is connected to who we are and who we aspire to be.

Figure 5.

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