The New 'Flexing': Who, What, Why?

‘Flexing’ is the new term to denote ‘peacocking.’

It can be intolerable when in the wrong company. We think of someone we know bragging about their new car, or how much money they made this year. The term was born from the flexing of muscles, perhaps best emphasised by Arnold Schwarzenegger at his prime at Mr Olympia, representing the International Federation of Bodybuilders. Of course, it’s a shame that trying to represent yourself in the most glowing and beautiful light can often be quite aggravating, and easy to see through. No one likes a show off.

However, it’s also important not to fall into the ‘humble at any cost’ trap. This can often lead to you minimizing your achievements, and feeling less confident than others despite maybe even working harder. There is a balance to be found here, and you can find it provided you’re in the presence of the right attitudes to foster. Thankfully, ‘flexing,’ can be done with gratitude and grace, in a way that helps you show the best of yourself without forcing that others pay attention to you. This way you feel confident, respectful of yourself, and calmly poised. But you aren’t intolerable, and in this manner you retain your friendship groups.

Thankfully, the tips in this article should help you do so with perfection:

Accessorizing

We see people who often struggle to accessorize correctly, and we think they might be showing off a little too much. While there’s no gold standard as to how you should do things, and you should only dress for the approval of yourself, sometimes it can be that your outfit has more impact if you are understated with your accessories. No good suit includes high-end cufflinks, a ruffled split tie with a tie pin, a cummerbund, a tie clip, a pocket square, a rose, and maybe even lapel decorations all in one. That would look ridiculous, and too busy.

For this reason, considering the ‘accessory budget’ you have when choosing an outfit can help you balance how you look. For example, it might be that you consider how symmetrical the weight of your jewellery pieces looks. It’s unlikely you’d wear five rings, a bracelet, a watch all one one side of your body and nothing on the other. However, let’s say you’ve purchased one out of a curated list of beautiful gold watches, and it truly stands out. It might be that you decide to wear that piece all by itself, to direct all eyes there and nowhere else. Accessorizing can be done tastefully, and really compliment an outfit, but it’s perhaps one of the easiest things to see through and be labelled as someone trying to show off.

You might be thinking that many rappers do wear plenty of jewellery, and the culture of heavy chains and beautifully crafted pieces is important. That’s true. While this style can look fantastic, the purposeful object here IS to display how much wealth you have, or how great your taste is, as well as serving as a fashion piece. Not all people want to be viewed like this, so be sure you know your intent before making a decision.

Fitting Clothing

Fitting clothing can often help you look the best in your outfit no matter who you are, and no matter what you wear. A well-fitted and comfortable shirt from a relatively cheap store can look better than even designer clothing that doesn’t hug your body as well as it might. This emphasizes that sometimes it isn’t what you wear, but how well you wear it, and where to invest the most money in your outfit.

No one will take you seriously in your outfit if you’re wearing an obviously expensive jumper with shoes that are falling apart. You needn’t spend deeply to look good at all, just be sure you’re well-kept, clean, and your clothing works for you. From there, you’re likely to look great no matter the styles you try, and you’re unlikely to seem gaudy or silly to anyone.

Walk It, But Don’t Talk It

The final tip on this list is to try and consider the ease in which you can slip into personal neuroticism when it comes to the apparel you wear, and the person you are. We all want to look good and be appreciated, but if that doesn’t happen organically there’s no point. Dress for yourself. Walk the walk of looking good, but don’t force people to appreciate you. Don’t make a habit of showing them how nice your shoes are if the conversation hasn’t gone there, no matter what you’ve spent. Someone who tries not to draw attention to themselves will be much more tolerable and people will want to know you, even if you’re wearing a gaudy outfit worth thousands of dollars. Walk the walk, and you feel confident.

With these simple tips, you’re sure to flex in the healthiest way possible.

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This is a contributed article written for Whim Magazine