Maintaining a good posture is important for warding off aches and pains later in life. Lots of things can affect our posture including our height, our weight, our sleeping position and our job. A factor that is often overlooked is the clothing we wear. Certain outfits can have a negative impact on our posture, while others can have a positive impact. Below are a few examples of how different clothing can affect our posture.
Tight-fitting clothing
Wearing tight-fitting clothing regularly might have a negative impact on your posture. While this clothing is great for accentuating the shape of our body, it can often restrict movement, and may prevent us from being able to sit or stand comfortably. Tight tops, for instance, can limit shoulder mobility, and regularly wearing them can cause some people to develop a hunch. Meanwhile, wearing skin-tight pants such as skinny jeans regularly can also lead to the development of an abnormal gait as a result of restricted knee and hip movement.
This is why it’s important to wear looser clothing occasionally. Such clothing allows free movement, which can prevent aches from joints seizing up.
Baggy clothing
On the opposite end of the spectrum, baggy clothing can also unfortunately have a negative impact on posture. If clothing is too loose and lacks support, it can encourage us to slouch or may cause us to restrict our movement to prevent baggy sleeves or pant legs getting in the way.
So if tight-fitting clothing and baggy clothing can both cause posture issues, how should you dress? The simple solution is to find balance. Clothing should be so tight that it restricts movement, but also shouldn’t be so loose that it becomes cumbersome to move in.
Athleisure wear
Athleisure wear is designed for flexible movement and therefore wearing this clothing can often have a positive impact on one’s posture. Such clothing has become very popular in recent years and includes tracksuits, leggings, hoodies, pullovers, sweatpants and yoga pants. Although originally designed for working out, many people also wear this clothing as everyday wear.
Certain items of athleisure clothing can also help protect our posture by supporting the body in the right way including sneakers and sports bras. When doing physically active tasks, it is important to wear these types of clothing.
Jackets and blazers
Structured clothes like jackets and blazers can also be excellent for promoting good posture too. These types of clothes offer support around the shoulders and back, encouraging the wearer to stand tall and allowing good shoulder movement (provided it is fitted properly).
These types of clothes are most commonly worn in formal occasions. That said, blazers and jackets can also be worn in smart casual settings too – more men and women are pairing them with sneakers and even sweatpants. This typically works better with more casual-looking blazers.
High heels
While high heels can add inches to your height and give an outfit a sense of elegance, they are not the types of shoes you want to be wearing on a regular basis. On top of hurting our feet, these types of shoes can push our hips forward and cause exaggerated curvature of the spine, which can lead to lower back pain and posture issues.
Platform shoes are a better choice than stiletto heels as they offer more support. But the healthiest type of footwear to wear is flats – particularly shoes like sneakers that have a lot of cushioning and support. Feel free to wear high heels for special occasions, but try to stick to flats for everyday wear.
Hats and hoods
Headwear can have a negative impact on our posture, but it depends on the type of headwear. Large brim hats and baseball caps may protect our face from the sun, but can force some people to look down which can promote a hunch. Hoods can have a similar impact, but can also restrict our ability to look from side to side – regularly wearing a hood may therefore cause you to get a stiff neck.
While this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wear hats or hoods, it does mean that you should try to limit wearing them all the time. Alternatively, switch to headwear like beanies, which does not restrict head movement and is less likely to impact your posture.
Corsets
Wearing a corset has long been a way of promoting posture. If you’re prone to slouching, you could find that wearing a corset forces you to stand more upright. Corsets also have slimming properties, however you need to be careful of doing them up too tightly so that they don’t cause digestive problems or breathing issues.
Corsets have become more popular in recent years and come in various styles. They can also be paired with all types of clothing from jeans to sweatpants.
Posture-correcting clothing
Many other types of posture-correcting clothing now exist on the market. A few examples include:
- Posture braces: These are worn over the top half of the body and help promote a healthy shoulder position.
- Posture corrector shirts: These are similar to braces, but come in the style of shirts.
- Posture bras: These are also similar to posture braces, but also double up as bras.
- Lumbar support belts: These help to protect the lower back and keep the hips in shape.
Trying these different types of clothing could help you to adopt a better posture by encouraging your body to position itself in a certain way. Consider trying some of these garments if you’ve experiencing aches or are conscious about your posture.
Conclusion
Your outfit can definitely affect your posture. By limiting clothes that restrict movement or cause slouching, and instead wearing more items that help promote movement and support the body, you can help to keep your posture healthy. Make sure to consider other lifestyle changes that could help with your posture such as losing weight, limiting smartphone use while walking and sitting at the right height when using a desk. This guide offers more tips for improving your posture.
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