By Muskan Goel

The internet picks its new favourite word every few months. Right now, that word is authenticity.

You’ve seen it, I’ve seen it; every LinkedIn expert, every personal brand coach, every Instagram guru, with a ring light and a linen shirt will tell you with complete sincerity to just be authentic. Show up as yourself. Let people see the real you. Authenticity is your superpower. Authenticity builds trust. BLAH BLAH BLAH.

Honestly? Great advice. Kudos. Love that for us.

But here’s the question nobody seems to be asking in between all these authenticity posts: does being authentic also extend to how you dress? Does it extend to the choices you make before you walk into a room, step on a stage, or sit in front of a camera? Because if we’re really doing this authenticity game fully, then maybe we should start right from the top.

I’ll go first.

I was planning my portfolio shoot last month. Photographer finalised. Location scouted. Outfit? that’s where I paused. Not because I was indecisive, but because I was too decisive.

The first thing that came to my mind was a blazer.

Not because I love blazers, But because… it felt more like a default setting, a reflex. And then I realized, the thing that felt so safe and obvious was never actually mine to wear in the first place.

And in that moment, I stopped and asked myself: why?

So I did what any of us would do. I went on Pinterest and typed “female founder.” You already know what I found. Blazer. Blazer. Blazer. Blazer in beige. Blazer in black. Blazer with a white shirt underneath. Blazer pushed up at the sleeves. The skin of the person wearing it changed in every photo, but the garment remained the same. 

Then I took it one step further (how can I stop now?) and opened my YouTube podcast channel; I’ve hosted over 40 guests on Just Because. Founders, marketers, creators, creatives. And I sat with this number in silence; Eight out of ten female founders who came on camera wore a blazer. Eight out of ten. Meanwhile, the men? Puffer jackets. Casual tees. Questionable shirts. One guy showed up like he’d just come back from a walk. Some of them didn’t even make an effort to iron it. And not a single one of them looked less credible.

That’s when it really hit me. This isn’t a style preference. This is a pattern. And patterns THIS consistent always point to something deeper than fashion.

Here’s what I think is actually happening.

The blazer is a borrowed language. Not only from men, but from the entire society who once thought women were too soft for board rooms. It was designed for men, for the rooms where women were never allowed to be.

 When women started entering those rooms (sadly very late) they didn’t have a template of their own. There was no generation of women before us who built companies and got taken seriously for it in their own skin. So we borrowed the costume that felt familiar to the surroundings. We tried to fit in, which is a great start; but forgot to make our own somewhere along the way. 

Think about who comes to your mind when you picture a powerful Indian woman who didn’t dress like a man to be taken seriously. Indira Gandhi, Falguni Nayar (founder of Nykaa) Women who are brilliant, iconic and also from a generation that is not ours.

What about the women who are building today? The blazer is more of a reflex than a well thought out conscious decision. There is no widely visible woman of our generation who has built without fancying a blazer. What a lovely site it would be to see a women do that in a kurta, a co-ord, a saree, or simply whatever she actually likes to wear in her daily lifestyle.

We don’t have a blueprint. So we keep using what’s familiar.

And then there’s the first impression problem. Research says you have roughly seven seconds. Women know this more viscerally than men ever will. In those seven seconds, the blazer cuts the tension. It pre-approves you before you’ve said a word. It signals: I know my sh*t. It removes one obstacle from a room that already has too many. And women are rational species. When you’re already fighting to be heard, you use what works.

But here’s what we don’t talk about enough: working and right are not the same thing (at least for me.)

The blazer works because the system rewards it. That doesn’t mean the system is correct. It means we’ve gotten so used to paying the invisible tax that most of us don’t even notice we’re paying it.

So what’s the alternative? Is there any alternative? This is a real question worth sitting with.

I sat with this question for days (more than I should have) and the best conclusion I had for this is quite boring, but realistic. Hear me out.

Think about the last time you had an opportunity to show up publically. A shoot, a meeting, a stage, a camera. Think about what you wore. And then think about why you wore it. Yes, I’m talking about mindfulness. And if you’re still reading this, it means you either are, or working towards it. 

Start asking why more than what, starting from instagram. You can be mindful with your protein intake but the minute a sophisticated fashion ad pops up, you’re sold. Before you press on shop now, think “why am I liking it in the first place?” Was my favourite influencer wearing it? Was my wardrobe missing this style? Am I on a spending spree? (which is completely okay btw) Or was I conditioned to believe that is a “staple.” Blue jeans and a white shirt is a staple, but a white blazer with a pants suit is not, it’s conditioning.

I’m not here to tell you to throw your blazers out, that’s bullsh*t (and blazers are expensive.) We cannot undo a lifetime of conditioning by reading an online article. I know that. You know that.

But here’s what I think is possible, and what I think is ACTUALLY needed right now: awareness.

Not change. Not a wardrobe overhaul. Just silent observation. Noticing when a choice is a choice and when it’s a reflex. Noticing when you’re dressing for yourself versus dressing to preemptively manage someone else’s perception of you. Noticing when the blazer is I love this and when it’s It’ll make me look like the part.

That two minute pause? That tiny gap between the reflex and the decision? That is where your actual power lies.

In a world where everyone is loudly performing authenticity on the internet, the real thing is naked observation. 

So the next time you open your wardrobe before a big day, start by thinking backwards. 

Just because being self-aware, especially in times like these, is a luxury worth having.