How Wearing a Short Dress Changed My Life

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Reading the headline, you may be wondering how in the world wearing a short dress could save someone’s life. It sounds dramatic—I get it. But once you hear the whole story, you’ll understand that it was about much more than the fabric or the fashion. For me, wearing a short dress was the beginning of something bigger: freedom, healing, and the first real step toward learning to love myself.

For years, I struggled with insecurity and low self-esteem. I hated everything about myself, especially my physical appearance. I was the kind of woman who carefully curated every outfit to avoid attention. My wardrobe was full of dress pants and plain blouses, jeans and oversized t-shirts—never anything that could be perceived as “too much.” And absolutely never a dress—especially not a short one.

I had convinced myself that I didn’t “deserve” to wear a short dress until I had lost weight. In fact, I printed out pictures of women wearing short dresses and taped them to my refrigerator and cabinets, thinking that seeing them daily would motivate me to eat less or work out more. Spoiler alert: it didn’t work. The images didn’t inspire me. Instead, they reminded me of the impossible standard I thought I had to reach and the lies I believed about myself. Eventually, I took them down in frustration, feeling more defeated than ever.

Everything changed the day I wore a short dress to church.

But let me back up. It all started with a shopping trip to Kansas City with some of the women from my church. We rode out together on a charter bus, ready to spend the day browsing stores and bonding. By the time we arrived at the last store, I hadn’t bought anything. Part of the reason was my limited budget, but the deeper reason was that I didn’t believe anything I saw would look good on me.

Then I saw it. A colorful, vibrant, short dress hanging on the rack.

It caught my eye immediately, but so did the familiar thoughts: You could never pull that off. You’re not built for dresses like that. Don’t even try. Still, I held it in my hand and admired it. A few of the women around me commented on how cute it was. Then my pastor’s wife walked by, looked at the dress, and said, “That’s a really cute dress. You should get it.”

Now, if you knew this woman, you knew she had an eye for fashion. She always looked effortlessly put together, and she could instantly see what would look good on someone else. Her words carried weight. After more internal debating, and realizing the trip was almost over, I finally bought the dress.

The next day was Sunday. And although my nerves nearly got the best of me, I decided to wear the short dress to church.

I kept thinking about what my pastor’s wife would say if I didn’t. So, I slipped on the dress, took a deep breath, and walked out of the house—feeling both exposed and terrified.

But something unexpected happened the moment I walked through the church doors. I was immediately met with smiles and compliments. “You look amazing!” “That dress looks great on you.” “Wow, I love that dress—it suits you perfectly.” Compliment after compliment began to chip away at the harsh inner voice I had listened to for far too long.

By the end of service, I felt something shift inside me. For the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel like hiding.

Then I did something that shocked even me: I asked a friend to take a picture of me in the dress.

When I looked at the photo, I saw something I had never seen before—a woman who looked good, confident, and free. I actually said out loud, “Wow, I do look good in this dress.” And the crazy part? I believed it.

Wearing a short dress became the moment God used to show me how deeply wrong my inner critic had been. It wasn’t just about the dress—it was about what the dress represented. It was about freedom from shame. It was about stepping out of hiding. It was about breaking agreement with the lies I had believed for so long.

That one decision—to wear a short dress—was the beginning of real transformation. Slowly, I started seeing myself differently. I began shifting my wardrobe, trying things I used to think I wasn’t “good enough” to wear. My confidence grew, not just in how I looked, but in how I carried myself. Other people noticed too, but more importantly, I noticed.

That was the day I started to live.

I share this because I want to encourage you. Whether your struggle is with body image, self-worth, or confidence, I want you to know there is a way out. Sometimes the breakthrough starts with something as simple—and as bold—as wearing a short dress.

It will take courage. It will take stepping out of your comfort zone. But God meets us in the risk, in the faith steps, in the small moments of obedience that shift everything.

So, what’s that one thing you’ve been afraid to do because of a lie you’ve believed?

Write it down. Name the lie. Then crumple it up and throw it away—literally. Once you’ve done that, do the thing you’ve been avoiding. For me, it was wearing a short dress. For you, it might be applying for that job, joining that group, speaking up, or showing up as your full self.

Let this be your invitation to stop hiding and start living.

What’s the “short dress” moment you’ve been putting off?
Drop it in the comments. And when you take that bold step, come back and let us know what happened.