Why Do Couples Like Dressing Alike?

We all know that couple who shows up to every event in matching outfits, and you may have even done it yourself once or twice. When even celebrities like Machine Gun Kelly and Meagan Fox simply can’t resist “couple’s shirts” you have to wonder; why? We got to the bottom of it in this blog and are ready to share with you the psychology behind couples who can’t stop or won’t stop dressing alike. 

Why Does It Happen

Power Couple

Everyone loves a power couple, a la P Diddy (formerly Puff Daddy) and J Lo in all white at the VMAs, or Beyonce and Jay Z in just about every music video they’ve ever put out. Many people believe there’s nothing more exciting than being one half of a strong successful couple, who showcases their style in matching outfits. In other countries, such as Japan, dressing like your partner isn’t event-based, but rather an everyday occurrence. In these cases, couples don’t start to dress like their partner, both partners simply share a similar sense of style, which can be a beautiful thing.

Environmental Conformity

Ever notice how when you walk into a restaurant the hostesses all look like they match the space and one another? It's because human beings naturally adjust and conform to fit the environment they’re in. Most of the time, this act is totally subconscious, and an attempt to blend in with the pack and find social acceptance within a group.

Announcing To The World You’re Together

Many couples dress in matching shirts or outfits to show the world they’re together, and it can either be fun and cute or odd and uncomfortable. If you want to dress like your partner to avoid having to tell all your friends and family the same bit of information, again and again, opt for a matching shirt without all the cutesy sayings and phrases. Instead, try to add a bit of humor into it, with a heavy dose of self-awareness. This will avoid the cringe factor that we so often see in celebrity couples like Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker.

Celebrating

If you’re celebrating a big life event like a new job, a move, a pregnancy, or an engagement, couples dressing alike is adorable. Especially when couples incorporate some inside joke that they have together, matching outfits can be a sweet way to express your love and celebrate life events or the other half of your relationship.

Traveling

We’ve all seen those couples and families at Disney world who are all dressed identically, and there’s more to it than just the gram-worthy photo op. Metaphorically “finding each other” in the world is hard enough, but when you add to that having to find each other physically in a crowded space like Disney world, it’s easy to understand this trend. If you’re taking a trip, you can easily match with your partner either in color scheme or in matching shirts to make it easy to spot one another and show the world a visual representation of your emotional connection.

When Do Couples Start To Dress Alike?

Generally, couples start to dress alike around the six-month mark of a new relationship. Although environmental conformity plays a role in this, the reasoning is more often emotional. You like your partner, you like how they do things, which means you enjoy how they dress. It’s normal to start to emulate them in a few ways, and it doesn’t necessarily mean someone doesn’t like their own sense of style. Matchy-matchy dressing or harmonious dressing is generally a subconscious act, with the exception of celebrities like Britney Spear and Justin Timberlake at the VMAs, when it's a full-on choice. And a choice we can all be grateful for.

When Matchy-Matchy Means More

Of course, matchy-matchy dressing can be because you enjoy the way your partner is. However, when it gets to the point when you’re changing everything about your personal style to fit with them you have to ask yourself: Is this because I like their look? Or is it because I don’t feel secure about being myself with them? If it’s the latter, you may need to reconsider the relationship.

Matching outfits can be a way to infuse your life with fun, and it doesn’t have to only be relegated to the beginning stages of a relationship. No matter how long you’ve been together, you can dress like your partner to show the world that you're connected. Just be sure that you’re doing it for the right reason as your partner shouldn’t make you want to change yourself. Instead, think of dressing alike as an amusing style experiment that you may want to continue for years to come.