Tea and Sausages

I’ve been working in a dog grooming salon for almost five years now. I have had aggressive dogs, dogs that poo all over the place, dogs that cry until my ears ring, dogs that lick my face until I feel like I’m suffocating: I’ve met lots of interesting characters. Nothing, however, makes me wince more than Miniature Dachshunds.

Stereotypically, they are barky, stubborn and, most scarily, can slip a disc in their back with one slight movement. I distinctly remember the moment I said ‘I would never have one of those dogs. They’re just not my cup of tea.’ Do you see where this is going yet? Of course, despite my rejection of them, I sleep with one of them by my feet every night. Well, he’s meant to be by my feet, but he’s more often inside my pyjamas with me. In December 2021, I had just gone through my first break up, and what does every girl in that situation do? Blow her savings. To be fair, I wasn’t looking to buy a dog, I was merely, innocently looking at pictures of them. But then I came across a litter of Miniature Dachshunds, with an advertising picture that I initially thought was a baby seal.

He had velvety grey fur, deep black whiskers, and big green eyes that were accentuated by little brown eyebrows. When I clicked on the ad, I saw that he was the last one left, ‘awww, no one wants him.’ My heart strings had been tugged.

So that was it. A few short hours later, I was a mum. Clearly, I’m a decisive person, so after thinking about it for approximately 24 seconds it was decided; this was Slinky. ‘What on God’s green earth? Why have you got that?’ my friends asked, though I don’t think they were surprised. Plus, how can you not fall in love with a dog that has eyebrows? The months that followed broke every prejudiced idea I held about sausage dogs: he never barks, he can run for miles like any other dog –although, he is very stubborn.

The vet knows to ask me if he’s on hunger strike again every time they see me marching him towards the door. You know what’s good about having such a ‘basic’ dog? We have Slinky mugs, Slinky tea towels, Slinky flower pots, Slinky toothbrush holder, Slinky tote bags, Slinky crockery, and every Birthday,

Valentine’s Day and Christmas, my boyfriend and I exchange a myriad of Sausage-dog themed gifts. But no, they’re not my cup of tea. Last summer he went on his first expedition to Edinburgh to meet up with 50 other sausages, though Slinky was the only one that made a bid for freedom, with a staff member carrying him back holding him with outstretched arms and demanding ‘is this your mum?’. My boyfriend often remarks that Slinky ‘wouldn’t last two minutes in the wild’, and I hate to admit that this is probably quite true, given that you can usually find Slinky clinging to my leg like a child on their first day of school.

Having a miniature dog has its perks too: he can be snuck into restaurants and shops in my bag and can be easily flung over my shoulder when he ‘forgets’ how to walk just as we start crossing the road. I take him into work with me, and I’m yet to meet a client who doesn’t gush over him as he hops towards them. His popularity is something that never ceases to surprise me – there aren’t many grey sausage dogs kicking about so I can often hear ‘Oh. My. Gawd. That’s Slinky!’ as I walk through town.

The best one though, was when I was approached in a pub and someone leaned over my shoulder and asked if I was Slinky’s mum. Of course with a face like that, you begin to amass a large following, meaning that he is also a social media influencer (@Slinky_sausage21, you know what to do), which doesn’t help when I’m in a hurry and men with their cameras on chase me telling me their girlfriend is a massive fan. At least he is someone’s cup of tea. He often gets me free coffees because baristas fall in love with him, so he gets the celebrity treatment: frequent Starbucks visits for puppaccinos, day trips to exciting new places, a different jumper for every day of the week. I think he deserves to be spoiled, because it can’t be easy being stuck in a perpetual plank.

You know, I always thought that I would use my English degree to write on more sophisticated matters, and while I could have used a hundred metaphors, I find myself continuously drawn back to writing in basic terms what I am passionate about - and when you meet him, you will understand why that is Slinky. He is very much my cup of tea.

When seeing a brightly coloured item of clothing you’ve wanted for so long, your eyes can’t help but light up. From seeing something on the rail or even on your Instagram feed to imagining wearing it; being dressed in something you love that makes you feel so happy and confident in who you are. This feeling has a name, the idea of getting joy from what we wear is called ‘Dopamine Dressing’.

The concept is built upon simple psychology at its base level. Dopamine, a type of neurotransmitter, when released in large amounts causes feelings of pleasure. It’s key in reward, motivation, and memory functions as due to the pleasure we feel at its release, the brain craves the pattern to be repeated. Now taking this and applying it to how we view clothes is simple; when we see a piece of brightly coloured clothing we love, we achieve the rush of dopamine. Our brain uses dopamine to let us know we would feel happy in this certain piece of clothing. This means when we wear an outfit consisting of all pieces which we feel happier while wearing, our brain tells us to be confident and motivates us to recreate that feeling again and again. In 2012, studies were carried out that proved this, showing how participants’ perceived confidence increased when wearing clothes that were symbolically meaningful to them. Wearing clothing that makes us feel good can trigger a ‘positive feedback loop’ where when you feel confident and receive compliments, you will feel even better next time allowing the process to be repeated. It benefits your mindset by training your brain to seek out the positive reward, introducing this healthy cycle of looking after your own emotional well-being.

One of the best elements of dopamine dressing is that it won’t look the same on any two people. As long it makes you feel happy, anything fits. Whether it’s the oldest t-shirt in your wardrobe paired with a pair of slippers or it’s a luxurious dress saved for a special occasion; as long as it makes you feel good, you are successfully dopamine dressing. We can use it to connect mindfulness to how we view clothes, elevating our mood through consideration of our own emotions.

However, it is most commonly considered alongside ideas of colour psychology due to colours’ ability to impact mood. Instinctively, we often link certain colours to certain emotions due to various reasons. Some of these links arise in a grander, more societal sense, such as we tend to universally link blues and greens with calmness or reds with passion. Cultural associations also play a role in this, with colours representing different meanings depending on where you are in the world.

In terms of dopamine dressing, however, it’s recommended to focus on your own personal interpretation of colours. The more often we wear a piece and associate it with feeling good, means as soon as we put it on, we begin to feel good. It’s why dopamine dressing is so great as a starting point for mindfulness. It allows us to understand what makes us happy and then how to take simple steps in ensuring we can prioritise our own joy. So whether that’s putting on a black jumper rather than a yellow one and still feeling that rush of happiness, you are still successfully dopamine dressing.

All in all, the fashion world has seen an influx of colour in a post-pandemic world, suggesting more people are finding joy in bright and bold wardrobes. After spending so long dressing for nobody but yourself, the fashion industry now celebrates personal joy and freedom in the clothes we choose. It’s a phenomenon seen often after mass events, such as how the roaring 20s championed flamboyant style after the end of WWI. We look to inject joy into our lives in accessible ways and dressing to make ourselves feel good is an easy first step.

It does come down to the easier concept of you will know yourself what clothes will make you feel good. Whether full of colour or devoid of any, it’s your own personal interpretation. Dopamine dressing represents what all fashion should be - something that makes you feel good regardless of anyone else’s style. It’s individual, it’s interesting, it’s exciting . So put on your favourite colour and dress in your favourite outfit and spark the joy you deserve.