Eyes on the camera, senior Kailie Howe poses for the picture in front of Franklin Hall July 12. Howe worked at Delaney’s Boutique for two years. “I think dressing up makes me different because it makes me feel confident,” Howe said. “I struggle with self-esteem issues and it helps me feel better about myself.”

   Teenagers all over the world pride themselves on social media regarding their own unique sense of style. Although most teenagers dress casually most days, with comfort as their highest priority, some find motivation to dress themselves up every single day in fashionable, trendy outfits. Following the rising trend of dressing up, senior Kailie Howe from Zionsville High School in Zionsville, IN, sees dressing up as a way to boost her self-esteem.

  “I started having self-esteem issues freshman year after I quit swimming,” Howe said. “I gained some weight and became a little too obsessed with watching my daily intake and the amount I exercised. It became unhealthy.”

   Not only did her self-esteem issues affect Howe’s personal life, they also affected her friendships and relationships with family members.

  “[My self-esteem] impacted my daily life because I couldn’t hang out with friends because I was embarrassed or just didn’t want to be seen in public. I lost a couple of my friends because of that,” Howe said. “My parents started to notice that it was getting bad and they wanted to help.”

  Howe now finds solace in dressing up every single day to boost her confidence.

  “Dressing up definitely puts me in a good mood and I just feel good about myself,” Howe said. “I think it makes me feel different because it makes me feel confident. I always have a smile on my face when I dress up, so it just makes the people around me smile too.”

  As many other teenagers find ways to overcome confidence issues, Howe found that dressing up helped her overcome some of her self-esteem issues.

  “I guess you could say that [my low self-esteem] became a huge problem in my life that I have had to overcome,” Howe said. “Fashion has really helped me with that.”