Using wide-angle lenses to distort legs, deliberately pointing toes forward, and secretly elongating proportions in post-processing software... these photos, hailed as "templates," are at least three beauty apps and one photo editor apart from the real reflection you see in your own dressing mirror.

So, what exactly are we learning? Are we learning how to dress, or are we learning a magic trick called "visual deception"? Frankly, when all the tutorials focus on "how to make you look thinner, taller, and closer to a certain standard," the subtext is crystal clear: your current body shape is a "problem" that needs to be corrected and hidden. A plus-size model's statement on December 20, 2025, hit the nail on the head: "This isn't freedom of dress; it's a more sophisticated form of body shaming."

Those bloggers and celebrities (like Wang Ziwen, who has been cited countless times) certainly know how to dress well. They have teams, lighting, and outfits that can be endlessly tried and modified. A seemingly casual long coat paired with floor-length trousers like Wang Ziwen's might require a tailor to alter the trouser length three times, a pair of invisible height-increasing insoles, and a photographer lying on the ground to find the perfect angle to achieve even a tenth of the effect. For ordinary people, this kind of "template" is more like a trap that creates anxiety.

The real question is: when we follow the guides and buy a wardrobe full of "dark colors" and "basic" items, squeezing ourselves into that "slimming" mold, do we really become more confident and happier? Or are we just continuing to pay the price for an anxiety of "I'm not good enough"?

The essence of dressing should be self-expression and comfort, not an endless "revisionist" movement targeting one's own body. Stop asking, "Does this make me look thinner?" Ask yourself, "Am I comfortable dressed like this? Do I like it?"

So, how many more black A-line skirts do you think we need to alleviate this manufactured body image anxiety? Leave your thoughts in the comments section.