What if your way of being (and dressing) could honour your innate energy type?
In my last post, I mentioned Diane in Denmark, whom I discovered the other day while researching Danish Hygge. In her videos, Diane mentioned that she 'dresses her truth'. Well, that caught my attention straight away. What is dressing your truth? And, down the rabbit hole I went. Oh no, Diane, what have you done? My friends and family were still grappling with the super-complex Kibbe system, and here I was immersing myself in the pleasures of learning about 'energy profiling', a style-related typing system formulated by Carol Tuttle.
Dressing Your Truth is an aspect of a much broader concept which is the idea of Living Your Truth. Carol has observed that people exude different types of energies in their facial features, movement and body language, and that these reflect their underlying ways of thinking, feeling and existing in the world. When we allow ourselves to live according to our natural energy types (and again typing is suggested as a tool to guide us rather than to categorise us), we will be the happiest, healthiest and most confident versions of ourselves. Dressing our truth can help us to bring this into alignment. When our style reflects our innate energy we feel right in ourselves, and the way we exist in the world also makes sense to others.
Dressing Your Truth involves four energy types, and each type will have leanings towards a secondary type. The system applies to women, men and children, and even newborns. The women in the videos discuss a number of emotional impacts of dressing at odds with their natural energies, and this can apply to people of all ages. It is a very nurturing, self-affirming, allowing concept, which I believe could have significant benefits for people who choose to apply it.
Type 1s are people whose features and facial expressions point upwards. They are a high-movement type with energy that flows outwards. They are bouncy, fun-loving people who feel their best with clothes, hairstyles and accessories that have some lightness and movement to them.
Type 2s have a soft, gentle energy that flows inwards. Their facial features slope slightly downwards and they tend to look down when they speak. They need to take their time with things. When dressing true to themselves they prefer to wear muted colours and soft, comfortable clothes. Princess Diana is a good example.
Type 3s have a more forceful, outward-flowing energy. They have more angularity in their features and expression. They are higher movement, with a heavier step and a vibrant way of speaking. They like their clothes and accessories to have some weight and structure to them, as well as some texture and deep colour. This is Carol Tuttle's type.
Type 4s have a stillness to them. Rather than a flowing energy, they focus on what is most relevant to them. They have a lot of parallel lines and symmetry in their faces. They are precise in their movements and tend to sit very straight. Audrey Hepburn is an example of this type. They prefer very clean, clear colours with minimal movement in their clothes and accessories.
Carol has a number of videos in which she sits with women and discusses their processes in identifying their natural energies and adapting their styles. It sounds as if many women have developed significant shame around their natural ways of being, stemming from their childhoods. They were told to "be quiet", to "put yourself out there" or to "calm down". Many women had mistyped themselves. They were very out-of-touch with who they really were, because they felt that their real self wasn't 'enough' or was 'too much'.
When the type 2s were told that it was okay to honour their natural energy they usually started to cry because they were exhausted or had developed illnesses as a result of not allowing themselves to function in a softer, slower way. Type 4s realized that it was okay for them to voice their opinions and make choices that they knew were right for them. Type 3s learned to embrace their natural loudness and ability to get things done, and Types 1s came to life wearing their fresh, bright colours. When dressing against type, some women reported feeling sick, heavy, silly or ungrounded, as well as old or dowdy.
For those who are familiar with the Colour me Beautiful system, the Type 1 colour palette is basically 'Spring' colours, Type 2 is 'Summer', Type 3 is 'Autumn', and Type 4 is 'Winter'. It's really surprising, but the facial features and movement / energy patterns of each of the types somehow matches up with people's skin tones etc. It's quite incredible to me. So, you can honour your energy type and dress in your colours at the same time.
As an example, I can't tell that I'm being 'prim and proper', but it was always "look at the way she's sitting'' or "look at the way she's eating". Now I just laugh at this and probably play it up a bit, but I used to see my lack of movement as a complete lack of personality, absolutely non-descript. Carol calls Type 4, ''the bold, striking woman", as the stillness provides a magnetic personal power. A much better way of seeing yourself, definitely.
I have very specific likes and dislikes when it comes to aesthetics, so if I can find what I'm looking for in the shops I dress according to the 'Winter' colour palette. Unknowingly, I have also been dressing according to my Kibbe Type and my energy profile for as long as I can remember. We are typically drawn to our natural energy colours and styles, unless we feel that we need to be different from our true selves.
I really don't like necklaces or bracelets dangling around me, and I often don't enjoy having my hair around my face. I also prefer minimal fabric and layering. It never occurred to me that this was an introvert thing. Extroverts are higher-movement. They thrive when what they are wearing mimics this. Introverts feel overstimulated if there is too much movement. They prefer that their clothes mimic this. So enlightening.
If this sparks your interest, I would encourage you to look into it. It has the potential to be a lot of fun, but most importantly, for some people I think it has the potential to provide deep healing.
Carol Tuttle has masses of resources, books, videos etc. on energy profiling and other methods of healing. She has also written 'The Child Whisperer', about nurturing children's natural energy types https://www.amazon.com/Whisperer-Ultimate-Handbook-Successful-Cooperative/dp/0984402136
I might add that I have written a book called 'Young Children, Personality and Wellbeing', based on my observations as a kindergarten teacher. It provides suggestions for supporting the natural sensitivities and inclinations of young children, illustrated with some cute quotes that I collected from children over the years. You can download it from Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com.au/Young-Children-Personality-Wellbeing-Muller-ebook/dp/B07DSVM771/ref=sr_1_11?dchild=1&keywords=penny+muller&qid=1596774957&sr=8-11
The above video can be accessed here:
Tuttle, C. (2019, April 19). What is dressing your truth? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1UObEmBVaE&t=473s
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