Language of Clothing
Marquisha King
Professor Meghan McGuire
English 101-31
14 October 2011
Clothing as a Language
The generic definition of clothing is something that covers. Most people think of clothing as no more than a necessity. In reality clothing is a lot more. Clothing can tell a person’s age, class, ethnicity, values and more all in one glance. Your appearance dictates to other people how you expect to be treated. Clothing is used as a learned language to communicate without words. This makes it crucial that you never leave the house without looking like the kind of successful person you intend on becoming.
Clothing is an important part on any first impression. If someone was well dressed and well groomed your appearance says here is an important person. Here is a person who respects himself. So in turn, other people will be more likely to treat him with respect. On the other hand a shabby appearance says just the opposite. It says here is a person who isn’t doing very well. He’s careless, inefficient, and therefore, unimportant. He deserves no special attention or consideration. With current fashion trends as they are, it seems that modesty and dressing appropriately has gone right out the window, replaced by the shortest, tightest, most revealing clothes women and tween-teen girls can find. Astonishingly plunging necklines, crop tops, mini or micro mini-skirts, short-shorts, and other provocative clothing styles that leave little to the imagination. The clothes you choose to wear on a daily basis provides important information about you as a person, your approximate education level, your income or social status, and even your level of self-esteem. When women dress in a skimpy, they shouldn’t be too surprised when men treat them with less respect and dignity than a woman dressed more modestly. You teach people how to treat you. “Is what you wear who you are?” While it may be true that what you wear doesn’t define you as a person, what you wear is a reflection of who
Professor Meghan McGuire
English 101-31
14 October 2011
Clothing as a Language
The generic definition of clothing is something that covers. Most people think of clothing as no more than a necessity. In reality clothing is a lot more. Clothing can tell a person’s age, class, ethnicity, values and more all in one glance. Your appearance dictates to other people how you expect to be treated. Clothing is used as a learned language to communicate without words. This makes it crucial that you never leave the house without looking like the kind of successful person you intend on becoming.
Clothing is an important part on any first impression. If someone was well dressed and well groomed your appearance says here is an important person. Here is a person who respects himself. So in turn, other people will be more likely to treat him with respect. On the other hand a shabby appearance says just the opposite. It says here is a person who isn’t doing very well. He’s careless, inefficient, and therefore, unimportant. He deserves no special attention or consideration. With current fashion trends as they are, it seems that modesty and dressing appropriately has gone right out the window, replaced by the shortest, tightest, most revealing clothes women and tween-teen girls can find. Astonishingly plunging necklines, crop tops, mini or micro mini-skirts, short-shorts, and other provocative clothing styles that leave little to the imagination. The clothes you choose to wear on a daily basis provides important information about you as a person, your approximate education level, your income or social status, and even your level of self-esteem. When women dress in a skimpy, they shouldn’t be too surprised when men treat them with less respect and dignity than a woman dressed more modestly. You teach people how to treat you. “Is what you wear who you are?” While it may be true that what you wear doesn’t define you as a person, what you wear is a reflection of who