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Fashion`s Unheard Voice

We take on the perceived characteristics of the clothing that we wear, so much so, that it influences the way we think and behave…

Date : 25/10/2016

Author Information

Sunna

Uploaded by : Sunna
Uploaded on : 25/10/2016
Subject : Journalism

What we choose to wear can reveal more about us than you would ever expect. In fact, you could describe clothing as a language we use to express ourselves to others. Each piece of clothing is a word and we put these words together to form a sentence that gives information about who we are. The more words we have, the more sentences we can make and therefore the more precise the information we portray.

According to studies in the 70 s, 75% of students as young as seven believe that clothing communicates something about the wearer. By the age of fourteen, we believe others form an impression of us on the basis of our dress. Even teachers have been found to judge a child s intelligence on how attractive they look. There are many stereotypes and judgments that we are prone to making within seconds of meeting someone. For example, many of us instantly perceive those that wear glasses to have a higher IQ than those without. It is often assumed that a person dressed conservatively is sensible, self-controlled and reliable a person dressed more daringly is perceived to be more of an extrovert. In the same sense, dressing older than your age portrays you as a more mature person than dressing too young.

The trend for dressing older or younger than you are comes into fashion with the changes in the social roles and self-concepts of that society. Often, this fashion is copied from what the latest generation of adults wore as children. They are announcing that they refuse to step into their parents roles and prefer to remain children. This attitude is clearly seen in the fashion of the 60 s where young adults dressed in short skirts and bright colours, totally against the norm of previous years where children dressed in mini versions of adults clothing. The fashion of the era reflects the social changes and views that the new generation had, where young people were individuals with their own tastes and opinions. In contrast, the fashion for classic clothes that are minimalistic, plain and neutral in colour can often reflect periods of economic and social anxiety within a society.

A good example of how we use clothing in order to portray an image of ourselves is the way we dress for job interviews. A business-like appearance is often thought to represent success and employers often believe that a professionally dressed person indicates motivation, skill and a hard-working attitude. An interesting study in 1970 found that people perceived nurses as less caring when dressed casually. This goes to show that how we dress gives off important information about our personality, education, background and credibility.

As well as having an impression on others, our clothing can have an affect on ourselves too. Because of its multi-sensory aspects, social factors and symbolic associations, clothing can affect our individual emotions. Psychologist Kwon found that women are more sensitive to mood, which has an affect on their clothing choices. Negative moods have a greater influence than positive moods. A recent study found that depressed women are more likely to wear jeans and baggy tops in order to try and hide themselves. On the other hand, those with a high self-esteem are more likely to wear attention-grabbing clothes that reflect how they feel about themselves. This suggests that depressed women put less effort into their appearance than women who feel happy and dress to match their mood. Most individuals have happy clothes that tend to be well cut, made of bright, beautiful fabrics and are more likely to be paired with accessories.

The colour of our clothing also has a significant impact on our mood. Every colour has a different effect and we can use this to our advantage. A study conducted in 1993 found that colours such as black and red have a positive impact on our hirablity. Moreover, women interviewing for jobs that require warm characteristics, such as that of a teacher, were more successful when wearing red, pink and pastel colours that suggested the person wearing the colour was also warm. In 2004, researchers followed contestants in combat sports in the Olympics. Contestants were randomly assigned to either red or blue uniforms. Results show that red wearers were significantly more likely to win over blue. This could be down to the fact that we sometimes associate red with high levels of testosterone and dominance, which can make the wearer feel more powerful and at the same time, make the opposition feel inferior. These studies clearly indicate how colour can affect our perceptions of others and ourselves.

Tracey DiNunzio, founder of fashion re-sale site Tradesy, explains how people s wardrobes can reveal what they are like as a person. If you have a lot of logos you may be trying to hide your real self, covering yourself in symbols of other people s concepts. If you have a lot of old, unworn clothes you are likely to be the type of person that finds it hard to let go of the past. On the other hand, new unworn clothing can symbolise a person who has an ideal image of what they want their future to look like rather than wearing the clothes now, she is buying clothes for the lifestyle she desires but hasn t done anything about it. A wardrobe lacking in colour could indicate an introvert who is most comfortable in a close circle of friends and a wardrobe full of identical clothing of similar items in different colours is likely to be scared of change. With these observations, DiNunzio explained that simply by changing the way you dress, you could help yourself become the person you want to be, as you will give off the impression implied by the clothing.

The idea that what you wear affects your mentality is called, enclothed cognition. A study of participants wearing white lab coats found that the participants performed better in tests when they believed that they were wearing a doctor s coat than when they were told they were wearing an artist s coat. These results suggest that we take on the perceived characteristics of the clothing that we wear, so much so, that it influences the way we think and behave. In fashion, this is seen when designers create a persona for their collections and women aspire to wear the brand to take on the characteristics of the muse. If you associate Prada s collection with an intelligent, powerful woman, you are more likely to act that way when you wear the clothing yourself.

This resource was uploaded by: Sunna