If I were to take a peek into your wardrobe, what would it
tell me about you? You can learn a lot
by a person’s clothing. Things like your
age, social economic situation,
personality, and more.
If a woman walked
into a room wearing a fuchsia dress, for example, you can be pretty sure
that person is not a wallflower. We’d deduce that she liked attention, and was
confident just because of the colour of her dress.
What you wear can inform passers-by of your type of
employment (well not so much in SL), as well as your ambitions, emotions and
spending habits.
And now it's even launched a whole new type of psychology.
Clinical psychologist Dr. Jennifer Baumgartner literally
wrote the book on this phenomenon, which she calls the "psychology of
dress." In "
You Are What You Wear: What Your
Clothes Reveal About You," she explains not only how
psychology determines our clothing choices, but how to overcome key
psychological issues your wardrobe might be bringing to light in your everyday
life, or even at work.
"Shopping and spending behaviors often come from
internal motivations such as emotions, experiences and culture," says Dr.
Baumgartner. "You look at shopping or storing behaviors, even putting
together outfits, and people think of it as fluff. But any behavior is rooted
in something deeper. I look at the deeper meaning of choices, just like I would
in therapy."
How We Use Clothing as an Aid ... and a Weapon
Clothing is used as an economic and social indicator because
generally speaking in this day and age there aren't official marks of rank such
as a caste system or aristocracy.
Dr Baumgartner explained "When you don’t have a specific
system, people come up with their own." It's what "helps you figure
out where you fit in. Especially now, with the economy, with people losing
status, maintaining a sense of who we are becomes even more important. Our
clothes help place us where we think we want to be. "
She cited the Real Housewives TV series as an example:
"Look at the way they focus on money. When they fight, they use logos and
designers as a way to put each other down. They're using clothes and
accessories both as a tool to know where they fit in and as a weapon against
others."
Clothing That Projects a Good or Bad Image
There's no one piece or style that makes a person look
successful. Dr. Baumgartner recommends the basics when trying to project a
positive image: the little black dress, the blazer, the pumps. "With
classics, history has done the work for you. It has lasted throughout time, so
you already know it works," she says. And what is it that makes a classic
a classic? "It has multiple functions, and it's appropriate for different
age ranges and body types. It became a classic because it works no matter who
you are."
On the other hand, there's no one piece or style that makes a
person look unsuccessful. "Anything where it looks like you didn’t take
the time or make the effort comes across badly," says Dr. Baumgartner.
"The worst clothing is the kind that tries to undo, ignore or hide where
or who you are, or the kind that shows you didn't pay
attention to your body/age/situation ... Any clothes that prohibit you from doing
your job well send the wrong message."
What Your Clothes Say to You,
Not About You
A study by the Northwestern University examined a concept
called "enclothed cognition." Researchers define it in their report
as "the systematic influence that clothes have on the wearer's psychological
processes," meaning what your clothes are saying to you,
not about you. And how they make you feel.
The researchers distributed standard white lab coats to
participants, telling some that it was a doctor's coat and some that it was a
painter's smock. All participants performed the same task, but those wearing
the "doctor's coat" were more careful and attentive. Their actions
were influenced by their clothing.
The same may be
true of you. When your friend dragged you out of the house and told you,
"Get dressed up! You'll feel better!" after your last breakup/failed
interview/lousy day, she was onto something. "When you dress in a certain
way, it helps shift your internal self," explains Dr. Baumgartner.
"We see that when we do makeovers, and even actors say that putting on a
costume facilitates expression of character. That's just as true for everyday
life."
Enclothed cognition
gives scientific proof to the idea that you should dress not how you feel, but
how you want to feel. Which clothes make you feel
powerful? Sexy? In control? Wealthy? The clothes you choose are sending a
message to those around you, but also to you, yourself.
In "You Are
What You Wear," Dr. Baumgartner features some of the most common wardrobe
and perception problems. Do you recognize yourself in any of the below?
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If you …
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You might …
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Consider:
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Keep every piece of clothing you've ever owned
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Be clinging to the past through the sentimental value of your pieces
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Adopting the Golden Wardrobe Ratio: Get rid of 2 out of 3 items you
own, including anything too big/small, ripped/torn or outdated.
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Wear only neutrals, largely devoid of accessories
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Be stuck in a psychological rut, too comfortable to shake it up, or
too afraid to draw attention to yourself.
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Dress in clothing too large for your body
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See your body differently than others see it, or as a reflection of
the way it once was.
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Bringing an honest friend shopping to find out what looks great on
you, ignoring sizes and getting used to wearing clothes that really fit.
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Have been told you're dressed inappropriately or too sexily
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Consider the same outfit appropriate for every occasion (i.e. clubbing
and family barbecue), or be looking for the wrong kind of attention.
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Consider the image you want to project in given situations (at work,
on the town) and choose outfits based on cues from those around you
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Dress too young (or too old) for your age
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Be trying to express the age you feel you are, but
getting caught between your actual and internal age
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Gearing your outfits toward your goals (like getting a promotion,
meeting a significant other, traveling the world), rather than a specific
age.
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Are always in work clothes
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Value yourself primarily through your work and work-related
accomplishments
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Recognizing your talents outside of work (great artist, compassionate,
fun to bring to parties, etc.)
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Covered in designer logos
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Think you need to broadcast wealth in order to be treated well by
others
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Practice wearing "blank canvas" pieces and only accenting
with logos to emphasize that people value you for more than your labels
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Live in your "mom outfit" of jeans and a hoodie
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Put the needs of your family before your own
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Take more "me time." Remember: When mom isn't happy, nobody
is.
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What messages are
you sending out into the metaverse and how do you think you can use your
wardrobe to change how others perceive you—and even how you think about
yourself?
You Are What You Wear: What Your Clothes Reveal About You
- Jennifer Baumgartner
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