by Social media platform BeReal, where users take a photo for a random two-minute period every day, isn’t an obvious place to look for style inspiration. Unlike Instagram, which is full of selfies taken specifically to show off a new coat, a good hairdo, or a flattering lift mirror, BeReal shows everyone at their most drab. If Instagram is a glossy compilation of holiday and holiday coffee table books, Be Real is a roll of bloopers from the tea bath days of life.
If you’re in the app, you’re notified to take a picture of what you’re doing at a random time of day, and the reverse camera takes a selfie while you’re doing it. It means you’re much more likely to be at the park in your coat walking the dog or sitting in front of your laptop in an old hoodie than dolled up.
The thing is, despite the absence of impeccably curated outfits, there are useful style lessons to be learned in BeReal. Actually, delete that: it turns out that specifically due to In the absence of carefully selected outfits, there are useful style lessons to learn in the app.
It turns out that when I wear grey, my complexion takes on a hue best described as “week two flu.”
BeReal has shown me, for example, that I wear gray more than any other color and that gray really doesn’t suit me at all. At the end of the year, you’ll see, BeReal offers you a montage of your photos of the year. Sort of like Spotify Wrapped, but instead of ranking your favorite songs and artists, it gives the ultimate answer on what your favorite sweater is and whether you should perhaps wash your hair more often.
Now, I already knew I had a soft spot for charcoal and pencil gray knits, but it wasn’t until I saw my cut that I realized just how much these make up my default uniform. What’s more, since BeReal has a habit of sending its notification on my way home from work, when the only makeup left on my face is mascara under my eyes, selfies are a brutally honest guide to what to do. colors work naturally on me and which ones. don’t do me any favours. It turns out that when I wear gray, my complexion takes on a hue that is best described as “week two flu,” whereas in photos I look much brighter in the eyes when I wear a bright color.
Have you ever noticed that the days you get compliments often don’t coincide with the days you thought you looked good? I’ll come out with some random old thing and people will be really nice about it, and on other days, when I think I’ve absolutely nailed my look, it’s a tumbleweed in the comment department. I’m not sure if this matters or not. I definitely don’t think we have to dress according to what is or is not flattering. What wearing orange does for your mood is more important than what it does for your bags under your eyes. But if one shade of T-shirt makes your eye color pop and your smile brighter, and another makes you look dull and tired, that can have a ripple effect on your day, so maybe you shouldn’t snub it.
You don’t have to be on BeReal to get real feedback on whether the clothes you like to wear look the way you think they do. Just click through your selfie album on your phone, and get ready to not scroll through all the photos you took by accident, the ones taken under your chin, where your snarling face is resting on a hangover. Take a look at what she wears on common days or out in the garden, as well as on dressy days, and whether it suits her. It turns out that seeing yourself in an unflattering light can be enlightening.
However, I still love gray jumpers. Even if they don’t love me.
Model: Hanna in Milk. Hair and makeup: Sophie Higginson wearing GHD and Suzanne Kaufmann. Gray polo shirt: M&S. Dress: puzzle. Earrings: same
