Let’s Talk Whimsy-Maxxing
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My friend put words to an old concept last week, and I have been enamored with it ever since.
Whimsy maxxing is the intentional, unapologetic practice of leaning all the way into delight. It’s borrowed from “looksmaxxing” — the idea of optimizing something to its fullest expression — except instead of protein and creatine stacks, you’re stacking joy. You’re maximizing wonder. You’re choosing the thing that makes you feel a little sparkly, on purpose, even when the world keeps handing you bills and cortisol.
It’s not immaturity. It’s not escaping your responsibilities. It’s a full-spectrum decision to stop saving your joy for later. We’ve been so good at being capable and efficient and responsible that somewhere along the way, a lot of us forgot to be enchanted by our own lives. While I, too, get stuck in the mundane, I have always been a stop and smell the roses kind of woman. I know life is short, and bees and butterflies and baby goats still make me giddy.
Here’s the truth: whimsy is actually a nervous system regulation tool in a really cute outfit. It pulls you into presence. It interrupts the loop. It reminds your body that you are not, in fact, a to-do list.
So how do you actually do this?
-Buy the ridiculous thing.
The shark-shaped blowup kickboard. The mini microphone* with the fuzzy cover. The earrings* that are clearly a little too much for a Tuesday. If it makes you smile every single time you look at it, that’s not frivolous — that’s an investment in your daily dopamine. Whimsy maxxing is permission to stop being practical about beauty.
-Say yes to the random thing.
The pottery class. The astrology workshop. The spontaneous detour on the way home because you passed a farmers’ market. Whimsy lives in the unscheduled moment. You don’t have to become a different person — you just have to occasionally take the scenic route.
-Dress for your inner world, not the occasion.
Midlife is the era of dressing for yourself — finally. Warrior queen energy on a Wednesday? Giant Derby hat to the grocery store? Why not? Your aesthetic is a language. Speak it loudly. Nobody is coming to give you permission to be magnificent. It was one of my favorite aspects of living in NY for 16 years. The fashion whismy maxxing is EPIC.
-Cultivate a sense of wonder like it’s a wellness practice.
Because it is. Notice the weird cloud formation. Look something up just because you’re curious. Watch a documentary about octopi. Let things amaze you. Wonder is free, it’s anti-inflammatory, and it pairs beautifully with a magnesium butter on your feet before bed.
Whimsy maxxing isn’t a regression. It’s a reclamation. It’s the grown woman version of knowing exactly who you are — and deciding that person deserves to be a little bit enchanted.
You’ve been serious long enough. Go be delightful.
