Most of us can remember playing dress-up, pretending to be fairy princesses, cowboys or maybe space creatures. My Mother’s tablecloth, some aluminum foil and maybe a stick had transformative powers, changing us from timid children to intrepid heroes. As adults, I suspect that some of us still look for dignity or daring in our clothing. We hint at who we are through our clothes, and we scan others for clues to their identities as well.
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| Anything is possible when you're a fairy princess Photo: Creative-edu.com |
In the field of communication studies, this is called the social construction of self and others. To illustrate the concept I used to give my students pictures of people in a variety of outfits and ask them to tell me their stories. Never once, in 8 years of teaching, did a student say to me: “How would I know anything about them?” The pictures seemed to have all of the information necessary for my students to construct detailed stories of the character’s lives, including political and sexual preferences, the type of work they did and even how their apartment was furnished! My daughter and I play this game in rush hour and at the mall sometimes, to pass the time. Where are they going? What will they buy today? It can be fun, but it also acts as a constant reminder that on some level, people are also making constant judgements about us.
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| What's the story? Photo:Good-times.webshot.com |
Unfortunately, understanding how to shape opinion through clothing is not simple. Take bow ties. Leeds-Hurwitz discusses gender, context and age as just some of the determining factors in whether a bow tie means a person is independent-minded or untrustworthy. Every individual piece of clothing you wear sends a message, either in harmony or discord with the other items in your ensemble. Leather jacket? Rugged. Paired with cashmere? Not so much. These observations seem to be common sense, but when it comes to clothing common sense seems to elude even the most determined of fashionistas.
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| Clothing and accessories can send mixed messages Photo: FreeRepublic.com |
Our lack of common sense has encouraged some companies to codify pretty basic rules for their employees. For example, cab drivers in New York may not wear underwear as outerwear. (Clearly a hardship for cab drivers; dnainfo.com reports a generally negative reaction to the rule change.) Underwear, or the lack of it is featured in any number of dress codes. The "observable lack of undergarments" is forbidden for city workers in Brooksville, FL according to Tampa Bay Online. Brooksville adds that their employees should wear deodorant (really,who would come close?)
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| Is this what Brooksville was facing? Photo: Gossiponthis.com |
Yes, these are extremes, but changes in clothing through the use of dress code have had pronounced effects for many organizations. Long Beach Unified School District has reduced gang identification with school dress codes and uniforms, dropping violence by over 76%. Callcentrehelper.com reports that British Gas’ uniform policy strengthened ties with the community and improved work attitudes. It is probably these types of results that encouraged the 43-page dress code from UBS Bank this week. And why I read it before my job interview this morning. I didn’t think it could hurt to try it out. So I shaved my legs, wore underwear (under my clothes) and applied deodorant. I buttoned my blazer and left my showy accessories at home. Alas, I did not get the job. Which leads me to the conclusion that you are not, after all, what you wear. Maybe I should have stuck to fairy princess?
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| My next interview outfit |
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