You are What You Wear
People are always judged according to their mode of dressing or depending on the outfit they wear on various occasions. This culture has it that people are a true reflection of what they put on because it shows their preference and interest in that appearance. The first look at a stranger gives you a perception of that person. I remember my first time interacting with other students in my first year on Campus. I always saw guys with dreads as spoilt individuals linked with gangs. I always thought that anybody wearing rugged pants and dreads was a criminal, and I had to avoid them. When I became friends with John in my Sophomore year, I later found out that most of my assumptions were wrong. Only some things we think of a person according to what they wear is right.
Whereas dress code and character are less connected, it is, however, expected to read the mindset and personality of a person based on what they put on. For example, a person with a suit will appear neat, punctual, and often in a hurry to a meeting, conference, or concert. People are attracted to a person depending on their physical appearance, including their dress code and general appearance. A person wearing a suit may look severe and,entable, and rustworthy. Similarly, a person with dreads and rugged pants may be dangerous and untrustworthy. A person wearing classy designer clothes with expensive watches and jewelry reveals a wealthy background.
The dress code of a person portrays the interests and what enlightens a person (Edubirdie (2006, Para 4)). For example, people who put on jerseys or sports kits with branded logos of specific teams shows they are fans of those teams.
Clothes reveal personality. This essay argues the importance of understanding a person by assessing her dress code and its meaning. Clothes have always portrayed people’s mindsets (Ffion, 2011). Besides offering cover and comfort, clothes pass a message to others about a person. How a person dresses reveals confidence, authority, and a sense of expression.
For this reason, people always adhere to appropriate outfits that match an occasion they are attending. It is obvious to find a person in a formal outfit, such as a suit, more confident and elegant than a person in casual wear. For example, some wear official wear for interviews and sports on the field or hiking days.
Clothes unravel the cultural identity and beliefs that certain people follow and pay tribute to. A person decides to show their true cultural alignment and seems to stand for the identity of his cultural background. According to Ffion (2011), people use clothes to honor personalities or support famous legendary minds. People wear clothes that express personal solid beliefs and character. For example, women wear floral and tight clothes to celebrate their identities and cultural backgrounds (Ffion (2011)).
Clothes also represent a sense of independent decision-making and freedom to choose what to believe and what to detest (Essay.org, 2011). Some people wear specific attires to represent their minds on certain agendas in society. Others dress in ways that oppose the norms that dictate how people should wear or appear. Clothes can imply that people have been exposed to various cultures, world fashions, and dressing conducts. They choose to adopt other clothing types and ways of dressing that go against their cultural norms to show exposure and civilization.
The dressing code of a person can relay an impression or differential meaning to other attires or uniforms in society. Research shows that employees are more authoritative and productive when they dress casually. Brand attire and uniforms can positively impact an organization’s perception of society, while rugged clothes and casual wear have a negative effect (Karl et al., 2013).
Clothes can be a way to enhance regulation and governance in society through the regulation of laws that govern dressing conduct. For example, Turkey has laws that govern dressing and appearance of an individual in the public sphere. While these regulations stand for specific values and beliefs, they do not represent those of the people but the regime (O’Neil, 2010).
In conclusion, clothes are a basis for judging an individual’s mentality, personality, and mindset. The dress code says a lot about a person, as everybody always has a reason and interest that makes them put on a certain dress. Outfits display a person’s taste for fashion, cultural norms and practices, diversity, and economic situations of a person. Although judging a person by how they are dressed appears unfair and trivial, it is natural to read a person through his attire. The impressions that clothes uncover the identity of a person as it shows what inspires them and what they believe in.
References
Impact of Clothes on Our Personality. (2023, March 01). Edubirdie. Retrieved January 24, 2024, from https://edubirdie.com/examples/impact-of-clothes-on-our-personality/.
O’Neil, M. L. (2010). You are what you wear: Clothing/appearance laws and the construction of the public citizen in Turkey. Fashion Theory, 14(1), 65-81.
Easy.org, (2011). Fashion and identity. Web.
Ffion, G., (2011). AWARE: Art fashion identity. Web.
Karl, K. A., Hall, L. M., & Peluchette, J. V. (2013). City employee perceptions of the impact of dress and appearance: You are what you wear. Public Personnel Management, 42(3), 452-470.
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