As 30 looms ahead, I find myself looking at my closet, then looking around in stores, and I find myself going through something of a crises. What should I wear!?

I feel creepy looking around in the Juniors section at 30… but I can’t find anything I like in Misses or Ladies or whatever they call it in the given store. I’m definitely not Petite. That I can mark off the list. With gusto.

I’m too young to dress old; too old to dress young. This is almost worse than puberty.

Okay, I take that back. Puberty was worse.

I mean, I’m not dealing with acne and… oh wait. Still dealing with that, too.  OKay, at least I’m not dealing with hormone driven boys… wait, I work in a bar part time. Still dealing with that, too. Okay, I don’t have to deal with Algebra. There. That makes it not a bad as puberty.

(Instead I deal with taxes, insurance, bills… huh. I should probably drop this argument at this point.)

I am absolutely hooked on TLC’s What Not to Wear, and this last weekend they had something of a marathon going. They did several 29 year olds, and boy was I taking notes! Ultimately, its about taking pride in myself and finding items that work with my body and my goals in life. The section label is just that, just a label. And its all about finding what works for me and projecting to others who I am in a positive light.

This last weekend, Easter weekend, I had quite a rant going about how people dressed for Easter mass. One person even wore old jeans and a concert t-shirt! I was livid at the lack of respect for the church and the Holiday! It hit me later, after I mulled over my irritation, that it came down to the fact that we all seem to forget that how we dress says a lot about us to others — like in my eyes, the t-shirt showed lack of respect and reverence — as well as about how we feel about ourselves.

Any time I wear even just a new shirt, I have an extra spring in my step. When I splurge and get my hair highlighted, I have an extra boost of self confidence. I find myself presenting myself more professionally and positively to those around me. That alone affects how people respond back.

So as I approach clothes shopping as 30 approaches, I have to look in the mirror and ask if what I am buying to wear fits who I am and what I want to project to others. 30 is just a number, and those sections are just labels. There’s no reason to have a pubescent meltdown of self.