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Article Critical Analysis-Clothes and Self-Esteem
Introduction
Published in 2021 by brain fodder, Gauri Sarda-Joshi’s article titled 7 Ways Your Clothes Change the Way You Think centers on the psychological changes that take place when people wear certain clothes. The text states that people tend to put extra effort into looking good when attending special occasions. Most people are often conflicted between dressing up and taking a lot of time to prepare and come up with good attire. The article opines that how a person dresses is important because it gives a person an extra edge in both personal and professional lives. People always say that one should dress according to the job they want to have and not the one they have (Sarda-Joshi, 2). Other people say that if you look good, you feel good. Research into the impacts of attire on behavior suggests that these sayings hold some form of truth. The text asserts that the clothes people wear influence their confidence, behavior, personality, attitudes, mood, and interactions with other people. The article mentions how various attires that people wear influence their behavior, including suits, inner wears, gym clothes, casual Fridays, and colored clothes. The purpose of this article is to refute the claims that people’s choice of clothes tend to change the way they think.
Suits Are Not Always an Indication of Power
I can’t entirely agree with Sarda-Joshi’s opinion that wearing suits automatically translates into a symbol of power. The article notes that wearing tailored jackets is a symbol for dressing for success. I do not concur with the notion that when a person dresses in official wear or structured attire, they are in the correct state of mind to pursue business. There is no guarantee that wearing a suit pushes them to a good state of mind to pursue business. I feel that having confidence has nothing to do with the attire that a person is wearing, but rather, confidence is an innate trait that people possess on their own. As such, I do not concur with the author’s perspective that suits are power clothing and boost hormones required for showing dominance. For all we know, some of the best abstract thinkers and negotiators rarely tend to dress up in suits. These people have a way of showing dominance even if they show up for a business meeting dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans.
Hidden Secrets (Inner-wears) Do Not Influence the Way People Feel about Themselves
Additionally, I do not agree with the article’s stance that the kind of inner wears people wear boosts their feelings and behavior. Hidden secrets, in this case include attire like panties, bras, boxers, and socks. I feel that because the attires are usually hidden and nobody besides the person wearing them sees them, they have nothing to do with the way they feel. Whether a person wears designer inner wears or inner wears from the dollar store, their self-perception remains the same (Syarief, 54). I strongly believe that self-confidence greatly depends on the person’s personality and that it has nothing to do with kind of inner-wear they have. Worth noting, I am not against the idea of wearing sexy inner wears that make a person feel comfortable. I fail to grasp how wearing sexy inner wears that outsiders rarely see make a person feel more powerful, confident, and self-assured.
The Psychology of Gym Attire Does not Hold
Worth noting, I also disagree with the article about the psychology of gym clothes. The author opines that if a person lacks the motivation to work out and keep healthy, they should try wearing their gym clothes from time to time or even carry them wherever they go. From the author’s standpoint, wearing gym attire increases their chances of working out as it is a constant reminder that they should make healthy choices. I disagree with this assertion because I do not see a connection between wearing gym clothes and living healthily. There is no guarantee that carrying gym clothes or wearing them from time to time, prevents a person from making poor decisions, such as eating junk food that is high in calories (Oh, Eldar, and Alexander, 290). Also, simply because a person wears their gym attire is not an assurance that they will carry out exercises that are beneficial to their health once they get to the gym. As such, this assertion that gym clothes often push people into working out does not hold with me.
One Can Wear Any Attire they See Fit If They Want to Socialize
Moreover, the text asserts that the kind of attire that people wear influences their socializing capacity. I do not agree with this notion one bit. I feel that people have a right to decide whether to dress casually or formally when going to a social event. In my opinion, whether a person wears a suit or a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, it does not influence their social interactions one bit. Most employers allow employees to dress casually, especially on Friday because people tend to go out after work and they assume that showing up to a bar in a suit may hinder socialization. The text notes that people that wear formally to a causal meeting tend to be stuck up, are less open and find it hard to relax. Additionally, there is the assertion that people that dress casually are more creative and friendly. I strongly feel that this is a mere perception that is baseless. At the end of the day, I believe people’s interactions have a lot to do with other innate traits than their dress code.
Colored Clothes Do Not Necessarily Boost Mood
Another claim made in the text that does not sit well with me is that dressing in brightly colored clothes tends to boost a person’s mental state. This is because I see no link between the choice of attire and mood. There is no guarantee that wearing brightly colored attires helps a person deal with a bad day when anxious, depressed, or stressed. I feel that this is just a theory that does not have grounds. There is no scientific research that proves this assertion to be true. In essence, the assertion that bright colors boost mood and energy is an illusion. I also do not think dull colors ignite people’s low energy and somber moods, but rather, bad experiences are responsible for stress and anxiety.
Conclusion
In closing, the kinds of clothes people wear have no association with self-perception and self-esteem. Wearing suits is not always an indicator of power. Even people who dress casually tend to display higher self-confidence than those who wear suits. Additionally, inner wears like panties and socks have no effect on a person’s perception because outsiders do not easily see them and self-confidence is not determined by whether they wear sexy inner-wear or not. The perception that wearing gym clothes from time to time and carrying them is misplaced. There is no guarantee that once a person wears gym attire, they will make wise decisions concerning their health. Additionally, one does not have to wear casually on Fridays simply because they do not want to look too formal if they go out after work. People tend to assume that people that wear suits are stuck up and that those who dress casually are friendly. These claims are not necessarily true. Moreover, no guarantee wearing brightly colored attires helps a person deal with a bad day when anxious, depressed or stressed.
Works Cited
Oh, DongWon, Eldar Shafir, and Alexander Todorov. “Economic status cues from clothes affect perceived competence from faces.” Nature human behaviour 4.3 (2020): 287-293.
Sarda-Joshi, Gauri. “7 ways your clothes change the way you think – Brain Fodder”. Brain Fodder, 2021.
Syarief, Achmad. “The semantics of “new” batik clothes: identifying users’ perception on the colors and patterns of newly developed clothes.”
