Do Your Clothes Reflect Your Identity?

Our clothing is referred to as our second skin. Whether we wear the newest trends or adhere to classic looks, clothes reflect our identity.

I have a confession to make. I have a secret admiration for everything related to fashion. I keep up with all the newest fashion trends and spend a considerable amount of time browsing through online stores, putting ensembles together with no intention of purchasing anything. On one such occasion, I began to wonder whether the clothing I wear and the clothes I choose online reflect my identity. I started to research because I had to find an answer to that query.

I came across fashion psychology, a field that covers this and other topics ( more on fashion psychology later). After doing a little more research, I discovered the book, Psychology of Fashion, in which psychologist Carolyn Mair makes the case that our clothing serves as a second skin for us, and as a result of their direct contact with our bodies, they take on our identities. Although clothing is essential for both functionality and protection, in modern culture, its use extends much beyond that. It serves as a tool for self-advertising and visually communicating with others.

Isn’t it fascinating how each item of clothing you own somehow reflects your identity? It is crucial to understand how this works because you are communicating a lot of information about yourself discreetly. Through this article, we will give a brief overview of fashion psychology, clothes as a form of self-expression and as a signifier of group identity. Shall we get started?

Shortcuts For The Busy Reader

What Is Fashion Psychology?

Do We Use Our Clothes for Self-Expression?

a. To Display Our Social Status

b. To Celebrate Our Culture and Traditions

c. To Express Our Individuality

Can We Display Group Identity through Clothes?

What Is Fashion Psychology?

Fashion psychology is the application of psychological concepts and theories to the fashion industry. It investigates the effect of your clothes on your identity, behaviour, well-being and consumption as well as the perception of others. It also acknowledges subjects such as brand loyalty, sustainability and retail therapy. Although a lot of fashion psychology sounds like it belongs in a fashion magazine, it is a developing field that is grounded in psychological research.

Fashion psychology investigates how clothing influences thought processes.

When the roots of fashion psychology are investigated, our trail first leads to William James. James is regarded as the founding father of psychology and was said to have had an immense fascination with clothing. According to him, the clothing we choose for the day is crucial because they determine the impression we want to make on others. The clothing we wear also influences our posture, attitude and behaviour, he continued.

Not just that, clothes can also have a profound impact on our actions. Curious to learn more about it, check out: Can Clothes Influence Your Behaviour and Thoughts?

The founding father of psychology is indisputable, right? Now that you have some insight into the subject, let's examine how we may use our clothing to express and represent our identity.

Do We Use Our Clothes for Self-Expression?

Carolyn Mair believes that fashion is an avenue of non-verbal self-expression. She asserts that we use our clothing to express our individuality, identify with a group, symbolise our culture and traditions and even communicate our gender preference and social standing. To get a better understanding let's break it down.

a. To Display Our Social Status

One of the first individuals to make the connection between attire and social status was economist George Taylor. Based on his observations of the economy, he developed the Hemline Index. He discovered that the economic situation of a country can be predicted by the length of women's dresses.

No, you are not misreading; it does say women’s dresses.

According to this theory, the hemline of women’s apparel rose when the economy was booming before dropping off when things were bad. To be fair, this theory considers the economy at large, at a macro level. However, the length of women's dresses cannot be used as a valid metric to determine a stable economy in 2022.

Clothes from high-end brands are now markers of social status

However, the hypothesis does make us consider how clothing may serve as a measure of social standing. In current times our use of luxury brands like Gucci, Dior, Chanel, Hermès, etc. communicates our socioeconomic status. As customers, we value the craftsmanship and authenticity of these brands’ clothing, handbags, shoes and even accessories. Therefore, when we as consumers buy and display items from high-end brands, we fervently convey messages of exclusivity, prosperity, prestige and excellence.

b. To Celebrate Our Culture and Traditions

There are more than 7 billion people on this planet. As we travel a few hundred kilometres, we may encounter different cultures, subcultures, languages and dialects. As a result, each region has its unique set of customs and traditions that are distinct from one another. These norms and traditions along with environmental factors are often reflected in the attire worn by individuals of these cultures.

Clothes are a window into our culture

Due to globalisation and migration, many of us no longer live in the same regions as our ancestors. Nevertheless, we showcase the splendour of our culture and traditions through our clothing. Your traditional garb gives you an avenue to express yourself, whether you are wearing an abaya in London, a saree in LA, or a kilt in South Korea.

c. To Express Our Individuality

At times we want to showcase our individuality with our sense of style in addition to showing our culture via our clothing. We want our clothing to express who we are. As a result, we use our clothing as a tool to empower us and promote a sense of security as we present ourselves to the outside world. This sense of empowerment consequently tends to make us come across as more self-confident, assertive and risk-takers.

With clothing, we can express our individuality without being constrained by conventions.

An example of expressing individuality would be with regard to clothing and gender norms. Experts claim that the fashion industry is undergoing change as clothing is no longer judged based on gender. This is due to the growing acceptability in society for personal style to be unconstrained by boundaries. They have observed an upsurge in the production of gender-neutral clothes as a result. These factors allow us, the new generation of customers to truly express who we are without being constrained by gender conventions, social boundaries or the worry of being vilified.

Another illustration of this effect would be in the context of environmentally conscious shoppers. Their style may incorporate recycled, ethically manufactured or eco-friendly apparel. With their sense of style, these individuals are effectively able to communicate their idealogy and identity.

Now that we have thoroughly examined how we utilise our clothes to portray ourselves, let us now examine them as a tool for associating with groups.

Can We Display Group Identity through Clothes?

One of the most fundamental needs for us humans is to belong. As a result, there are instances when we derive our social identity by wearing certain clothes, to invoke a sense of belonging. Belonging is the idea of feeling connected with a community or group. In addition to that belonging is also the idea of holding similar beliefs or ideals and feeling united with the other members of the group.

We frequently see this in the case of uninformed persons. These might be members of the police, military or medical staff. These personnel’s uniforms are easily recognisable which contributes to the development of their social identity. Furthermore, when we the public see them, their uniforms invoke feelings of professionalism and trustworthiness among us.

Sports fans express their group membership with their jerseys

Moving away from professionals, there is another space where clothes define our group identity. This is the case for sports fans. A sports fan who dons the jersey of a team derives their identity as a fan of that team. For fans wearing the jersey symbolises their allegiance to the team in addition to their membership in the fan club. So even if you came across an individual wearing an original Barcelona jersey, you are likely to associate him with a loyal fan of the team.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to fashion. It is a reflection of you and what you want to convey to others about yourself. This article wasn’t intended to stress you about your clothes. Wear what makes you feel good about yourself; embrace your uniqueness. Nevertheless, be mindful of the image you want to project and dress accordingly because whether you like it or not, your clothing does talk more than you might believe.

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