Clothing helps us to define ourselves in society

This essay was chosen as one of the best essays in its category in the English Essay Competition organised by LEAF Academy, an international boarding high school in Bratislava. The competition was open to all Slovak students from primary and secondary schools who are passionate about writing in the English language. The Slovak Spectator has not edited the essays as participants were awarded partly on their English-language skills.

When clothes were first invented they were merely a tool. They protected us from the blazing sun rays and kept us warm in the sheer cold. However, with the technological advancements of our society, the function of what we wore changed. They were no longer a means of survival, instead, they became a social factor and, what this essay aims to demonstrate, a form of self-expression and personal identity.

But what defines a person‘s character? I believe it is the perception of others. In a fast-paced world where within a mere twenty-seven seconds of meeting another person a first impression is made, it is safe to assume that to others we are defined by what they see on the outside. Humans are, by nature, social creatures with the innate need to belong. We only show the world what we want, and that forms our social identity. Clothing is undeniably a big part of our outer appearance so we can deduct that it forms the identity of a being too.

Historically, fashion was sometimes a show of status, wealth, and profession. During the Tang dynasty, certain colors of garments indicated rank, going as far as prohibiting the use of certain dyes on the uniforms of lower-ranking officials. The aristocrats among the Hausa people of Africa wore layers of large gowns and turbans to display their wealth and set them apart from others. Kings in medieval times wore crowns and exquisite robes indicating power. This phenomenon is also visible in modern society. Expensive brand logos are seen on clothes everywhere, with the intent of showing that the people wearing them, are truly wealthy enough to afford them. Fake brand merchandise with logos is made rampantly, and society is pushing with the latest fashion trends. Wearing uncharacteristic clothes can even shun people from certain groups. A suit is a requirement in offices, where we want to show our employer that we are professional and that we care enough to dress well every day. We dress up for dates and job interviews, to make our partners or interviewers think that we are put-together or approachable.

Furthermore, they may indicate something about our character or interests. Returning to the workplace example, a suit and a tie do not chemically alter a man‘s brain, he is the same person in sweatpants as he is in formal wear. However, it changes how we view his character. He would be described as professional, put together, or reliable. Contrasting that to a beggar on the street, he would be looked down on and deemed to be untrustworthy due to his worn-out clothes. Our garments show others who we are, and how we present ourselves. Widows wear black to show society that they are grieving. But our interests are often reflected in our fashion too. Athletes may have more sporty or casual attire, and some cliques such as goths or lolitas dress in a way that is instantly recognizable by other members of said group. Moreover, merchandise of movies, bands, or video games is worn by the fans with the intent of showing other devotees of the said franchise that they belong to that fandom as well.

Clothing is also an expression of our gender identity and sexuality. In an experiment conducted by Zoi Arvanitidou in 2008, participants were asked to identify the gender of models in 19 photographs, dressed in various clothes with masculine or feminine undertones, which none got all correct. Everybody, in at least some images, failed to identify the model‘s biological sex. This shows that clothing is directly linked to social and gender identity and the perception of others. We can observe this in the queer community which uses style and fashion to celebrate their sexuality, sometimes dressing flamboyantly in a means of protest against the strict gender norms associated with fashion but also to identify themselves with other members of the LGBTQ+ community.

When discussing this topic some people argue that they do not care what they wear, and they do not use fashion to express themselves. Yet even this can be used to make a statement about a person‘s identity. These people are often perceived as ones that do not care or sometimes even as ones who are not in touch with modern society due to them not sporting the latest fashion trends, forming a sort of paradox.

In short, many use fashion as an identifier linking a person to a certain social group or expressing their character and identity- both today and throughout most of history. Looking at some examples given in this essay it is logical to assume that clothing plays a big part of someone's social identity, which as stated in the beginning, shows others what we want to be perceived as or in other words- helps us to define ourselves in society.

Author: Barbora Madarasová