The Style of Becoming: Fashion & Beauty as Tools for Growth
What if your transformation didn’t start with a grand life event — but with a lipstick, a haircut, or the courage to wear what feels like you?
Transformation is not only something we feel within, it’s something we express outwardly. Style and beauty are powerful tools of becoming, allowing us to signal to the world who we are and who we are becoming. From a fresh haircut to a new wardrobe piece, the way we adorn ourselves is often a mirror of inner growth.
Think about the last time you changed your hair, experimented with bold lipstick, or bought a statement piece of clothing. Chances are it wasn’t just about vanity, it was about confidence, renewal, and the desire to step into a new version of yourself.
Style can be a declaration: “This is who I am now.”
For women in seasons of transition — whether stepping into a new career, recovering from loss, or simply choosing themselves — fashion and beauty become creative tools of self-expression. In October, this transformation feels especially natural. As we shift from summer to fall, wardrobes change, colors deepen, and layers invite us to explore texture and form. This seasonal shift gives us permission to evolve.
But style is more than clothes and makeup, it’s energy. It’s about aligning the outer self with the inner self. As writer and cultural critic bell hooks once said, “When we choose to love, we choose to move against fear — against alienation and separation. The choice to love is a choice to connect.” Style, at its best, is a choice to love ourselves outwardly and unapologetically, connecting our private growth with the world around us.
Similarly, model and activist Iman reminds us, “The way women present themselves — the way we choose to show up — is the way we claim space.” This truth reveals that clothing and beauty are never trivial. They are statements of identity, sovereignty, and transformation.
When a woman wears something that reflects her authentic essence, she doesn’t just look different, she feels different. And that feeling — empowered, bold, seen — is what transformation is all about.
The style of becoming is not about trends, it’s about truth. It asks: how can what I wear today honor who I am becoming tomorrow?
So I leave you with this: What does your reflection say about the woman you are becoming?
Deneen L. Garrett is a Dream Lifestyle™ coach, speaker, writer and creator & host of a 100 Best Women’s Empowerment podcast Women of Color: An Intimate Conversation. She helps women design lives they love through intention, creativity and bold self-belief. Deneen also contributes to Culturs Magazine and Medium.