LaBeLs - WhO dO yOu ThiNk i aM?

What we wear has a massive bearing on our identity. What I wear gives people an opinion of me without even knowing anything about me. Everyone likes to feel good about themselves and a major part of that is about feeling comfortable with how we look. It doesn't matter sometimes what other people think, it is more about ourselves. This is because someone might say 'you look good in a suit' but if you feel more comfortable wearing jeans and a t-shirt then ultimately that is what you will choose to wear most of the time. While one person feels comfortable in a shirt and tie another would feel stifled and undo the tie at the first opportunity.Some people like to be clean shaven, some like to grow a beard. These are just two examples how people might judge us without knowing anything about us.

eg. suit and clean shaven = ?

jeans and t-shirt unshaven = ?

suit and unshaven = ?

jeans and t-shirt clean shaven = ?

Each option might make people think of someone in a different way. I mean, why wear and suit and tie and not be clean shaven? Is that person saying I have to wear a suit but really I would rather just be wearing jeans and a t-shirt? Either purposely or not we think about what we wear everyday. To some people this is far more important than others but everyone does it.

Also, clothes or the way we look can be a way we identify with others e.g. Mods, SKA, Punks, Goths, Emo, New Wave. If people are into a certain type of music they will dress in a certain way that lets others know. They can then identify with others who have the same interests without even knowing them. Other examples of this are Rival gangs who use different clours to identify each other and football hooligans 'casuals' who have a certain way of dressing and wearing certain labels synonymous with football such as Stone Island. Just like being a supporter of a football club identifies people as wanting to belong to a certain group, choosing to wear certain clothes is someone telling the rest of the world this is who I want you to think I am!!It was good to get some feedback in the pub tonight!!! We can also alienate ourselves from people if we dress in a certain way!! good point H!!