The first thing that comes to my mind is gender. But clothes are not always safe gender signals in every context. I am a college student, and as often as not, the young men and women here generally wear the same thing. Jeans, t-shirt and sneakers are fairly casual and common.
As a woman dressing like that, I can be stating many things. For example, I am not in a romantic space, nor trying to socialize, and I am focusing on classes and academics. On campus there are identifiable groups of students. Some groups wear black and have shocking hair colors, some groups wear spandex and have the legs to prove it, another can look as if they stepped out of a J.Crew catalog, and another appears as if they have left or are going to hit the gym.
Looks and styles can vary from businesslike appearance to quite grungy; some attire is ethnic, some plain and ordinary or some just strange. But in each case, personal attire establishes who a person is and who they wants to be.
- Does the dresser establish group connections?
- Does the dresser tell the world how to react and what to expect from them?
Bottom line is: the diversity of dress, especially on some place like a campus without a dress code, allows you to establish your identity and membership very easily.
3 comments:
I can understand why one would believe that... "the diversity of dress, especially on some place like a campus without a dress code, allows you to establish your identity and membership very easily", however, could a true identity be expressed with other factors contributing such as social norms and the fears that are associated with being a social outcast?
People tend to under estimate the significance of fashion. Fashion is an indirect way to express your personality, heritage, likings, background, political beliefs and so much more. Fashion can also lead to controversy, because recently in London, England a man was shot three times for wearing a shirt that had the name "Obama" written across of it. Just to imagine how your choice in fashion can lead to your death is ludicrous. Should fashion be banned because of the negative effects it can have?
Clothing isn't just to keep you warm. It is just as integrated into culture as music. It represents who you are, what you are, and where you are. Many cultures used the color purple for royalty and only those with royal blood could where the color.
Post a Comment