Forums > Social Chat > Fashion defining our perceptions?

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Aussimember
12 posts
Location: Sydney, Australia


Posted:
Gday,

im bored, tired and just ramblinging senlessly... so bear with me heh.

this is just something ive always wondered about that goes back to when i was in high school... especially back then, the way people dressed automatically seemed to place them into a specific category of person.

you had your homies, your alternates, your squares etc all of which you could instantly categorise simply by what they wore. never had to speak a word to them, but judgement was passed purely on thier style of dress. but not only were they instantly placed into a category, you could assign a personality aswell. again a factless jugdement based purely on common perception.

looking back now as im older (and hopefully a bit wiser) i wonder how far wrong those those judgements were.

say for example you see a 19 bloke walking down the street in doc martin boots, army pants torn off at the knee, a slipknot t-shirt, dreads dyed black down to his waste... what would you instantly assume? do you accept that judgement as fact before talking to them?

do you see a guy in an armani suit and instantly assume "snob", or a guy driving a ferarri and assume "tosser", or a skin head covered in tatoos and assume "racist"? etc etc and are those assumption dead wrong?

and conversely, do you dress a certain way to define what you are and what you are not? most people would say no, i know i would. but is that nesecarily true?

is our choice in clothing actually just another way of defining ourselves as individuals? another way of saying, im this, but im not that... without even actually thinking about it?

blah, anyway... i think ill go now...

peace outside

If you loose your teeth, learn to like mush.


Dj Tactmember
53 posts
Location: St.Louis


Posted:
I just took Human Communication and Perceptions, in my courses last semester and this was a main topic thru-out the course, that being one of labeling people as follows.

People regardless of what some may think, do judge people by how they dress, how they walk how they talk, if they use eye contact, if they smile if they frown, if they bite there lip when they listen, how much makeup they wear/dont wear. Different groups notice other aspects more acutely, for instance a grungy granola chick who is very pretty and never wears makeup might immiedtly notice a very pretty cheerleader she meets at a school pep ralley who wears a heavy foundation of makeup and enough eyeliner for all the teenagers in Rhode Island. And they form first impressions off that.

Humans do judge a book by its cover unfortently, not saying people do it with ill intentions but its a sub-concious thing. You will form an opinion on someone by the prior discussed... whether you care to or not, whether you think about it as a focus or it pass's thru your brian you do pass your personal judgement.

Of course this doesnt mean you will insantly be rude to a guy in a Abercrombie and Fitch sweater if your doning dreads and a camo fatigue. Its just a fact on pre knowledge judgment.

Knowing this, next time you see someone dressed differently then you just think of how you may look to them! Besides what are cloths/hair/makeup? Just stuff covering your skin which i the same in everyone... unless you have a funky STD which changes the cell contruction of your skin makeup or you were born with some insane tropical disease, or you were burned very badly, or your one of those people who cuts himself for no reason and severes his fingers for excitement, or..... whatever

Peace inside!

[ 24 June 2002, 22:29: Message edited by: Dj Tact ]

Im flying away, running like the wind as i chase the sun up and spinning around, circles in my mind sailing over ground feeling the flow that Dj Tact brings down.My image is reflecting in the enemys eyes, flesh of my flesh mind of my mind. To over come want more to survive, my image is reflecting in the enemys eyes, and the enemy is reflect in the same time. I cant stop, flesh of my flesh mind of my mind, right here is where the angle start at, conflict contact, and combat, fighters say where there land is marked at, settle the dispute about whose the loudest, strongest, endless, only one of us will ride forever, so you and I cant ride togther, cant live... cant die together, all we can do is collide together, so i skillfully apply the pressure, wont stop till im forever. My doorstep where death never comes, walk tall why ever run?


Aussimember
12 posts
Location: Sydney, Australia


Posted:
very true bro, very true.

i know the when i dress, the clothes i buy, i do it purely for my benifit. i wear what im comfortable in. i dont dress to other peoples standards, i dress to be me.

but that said... heres two pictures, one of me 5 years ago, and one today. just looking at those pictures, would you categorise the person in them as being the same or similair. i dont think i would.


Non-Https Image Link



Non-Https Image Link


would you?

If you loose your teeth, learn to like mush.


Dj Tactmember
53 posts
Location: St.Louis


Posted:
Dont have one of me five years ago but if i did i would be naked, just like i am here, i dont believe in cloths, there to trendy.


Non-Https Image Link


For some reason your nose seems larger in the picture where it appears your hands are tied together and your being taken hostage.

PS: No thats not a tampon and or joint in my mouth its a toothbrush, and i know i look like im trying to be cool, but i dont have to try i am oooooooooooooh yeah

Peace within yourself

[ 24 June 2002, 22:57: Message edited by: Dj Tact ]

Im flying away, running like the wind as i chase the sun up and spinning around, circles in my mind sailing over ground feeling the flow that Dj Tact brings down.My image is reflecting in the enemys eyes, flesh of my flesh mind of my mind. To over come want more to survive, my image is reflecting in the enemys eyes, and the enemy is reflect in the same time. I cant stop, flesh of my flesh mind of my mind, right here is where the angle start at, conflict contact, and combat, fighters say where there land is marked at, settle the dispute about whose the loudest, strongest, endless, only one of us will ride forever, so you and I cant ride togther, cant live... cant die together, all we can do is collide together, so i skillfully apply the pressure, wont stop till im forever. My doorstep where death never comes, walk tall why ever run?


Aussimember
12 posts
Location: Sydney, Australia


Posted:
is too a tampon you mohoesual *ducks* (sorry dibs)

If you loose your teeth, learn to like mush.


Dj Tactmember
53 posts
Location: St.Louis


Posted:
Mohoesual!

Im flying away, running like the wind as i chase the sun up and spinning around, circles in my mind sailing over ground feeling the flow that Dj Tact brings down.My image is reflecting in the enemys eyes, flesh of my flesh mind of my mind. To over come want more to survive, my image is reflecting in the enemys eyes, and the enemy is reflect in the same time. I cant stop, flesh of my flesh mind of my mind, right here is where the angle start at, conflict contact, and combat, fighters say where there land is marked at, settle the dispute about whose the loudest, strongest, endless, only one of us will ride forever, so you and I cant ride togther, cant live... cant die together, all we can do is collide together, so i skillfully apply the pressure, wont stop till im forever. My doorstep where death never comes, walk tall why ever run?


TheBovrilMonkeySILVER Member
Liquid Cow
2,629 posts
Location: High Wycombe, England


Posted:
Knowing how much I hate to be judged on what I wear, I try to make a note of how they act, even if I just see them for a split second in the street - I'll notice if they're walking with a deliberate swagger or if they're scurrying along with their head down for example.

I catch myself staring a fair bit at tattoos and piercings, because I tend to catch a glimpse of someone walking past and think 'that's really cool, I've not seen that done like that before' - I'm sure quite a few people have thought I'm really odd by the way they've started walking further away

Unfortunately, I admit that clothes do reinforce what I pick up from the body language, I'm more likely to be wary of people who swagger and wear clothes emblazoned with brand names like kappa for instance, because I've had experience in the past of people who act and dress the same way trying to start fights, hurl abuse, throw bottles etc.

But there's no sense crying over every mistake. You just keep on trying till you run out of cake.


sarah...member
339 posts
Location: Central coast / Sydney, Australia


Posted:
The cothes you wear are often used as an expression of yourself, and a straightforward way for people to read you. We all make judgements, whether they are educated or not. And we all are being judged. People are aware that they are being stereotyped by the clothes they wear, and this has a strong influence on what clothes they dress themselves in everyday.

If you wanted people to see you as a "homie" then i guess you would wear fubu or whatever, or if you wanted people to see you as a "goth" then i guess youd wear black clothes and spikes. You wouldnt dress yourself in one of the above outfits, if you wanted to be categorised into the other, would you?

being a fashion design student, i am aware of what goes on around us in the fashion world, and i take note of what others are wearing. I see clothing as an expression. A form of art. It whether youre a "good artist" that makes the diference.

Theres a large difference between wearing clothes because you want OTHERS to think a certain way about you, and dressing because of the way YOU see yourself. If you look at clothing stereotypes as all individual works of art, they dont seem as much like categorised stereotypes if you like.
Its similar to having types of art, like gory and disturbing works of art, bright trippy works of art, political works of art. the are seen as the same thing.. an expression of what youre thinking or feeling,

the clothing on a peson is the first thing someone else sees, and well, first impressions do last.

The clothing does not make the person, but the person DOES make the clothing...

[ 25 June 2002, 01:42: Message edited by: sarah... ]

Fire... A bushmans telly


Raymund Phule (Fireproof)Enter a "Title" here:
2,905 posts
Location: San Diego California


Posted:
Frankley I wear whatever I happen to grab first in the mornin. If somebody dont like me because of what I wear thats on them.

Some Jarhead last night: "this dumb a$$ thinks hes fireproof"


dibs_starmember
603 posts
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland, Uk


Posted:
*Dibs runs into the thread beaming that someone is talking about fashion and what it reflects abouts.....then she notices a 'tampon in mouth' reference* urgh!! ....nah, I don't look cool in tampoons Aussi...

erm, yeah. I have so so so sooooo many clothes. I buy things purely because I like the look of them, it doesn't matter what they are or who they are made by, I just buy them. However, I wear very strange combinations of clothes. People often say things to me such as, "How can you manage to get away with that? If i wore it I'd look stupid". Believe me, i wear some strange stuff, but its the way a person carries themself in clothes that determines how we react to them.

For example, on my course (training to be an actor) one of the main sources of finding a character is through dress. If you have been lying around the house all day in sweat pants and a baggy tshirt, and then you get dressed up to go out, you immediatley adopt a new persona/attitude. What you wear influences the way you feel. Even something as simple as changing your shoes alters your frame of mind, and I'm sure Dj Tact learnt about this too. Clothes carry attitude. They speak for us before we even need to. They mould us. So ofcourse we judge people before we speak to them. If we didn't, we would all be ignorant.

Clothes/fashion is a massive part of cultural divides today. Divides based on our preconceptions of people. I don't agree with this, but, the majority of the time (and I'm not saying ALL here so please don't anyone get offended) when I've met what we in scotland call NED'S or townies or scallies, they think I'm a freak and adopt this attitude towards me. With that kind of negative reaction, people are bound to jump to comclusions about their ignorance. I now just expect them to be arseholes. They ahve a different way of life, and some would never listen to my opinion. Not saying I want them to agree. but it's about acceptance. And I think fashion limits acceptance. It classes us, categorises, says if you are rich or poor, sporty or lazy......

...if I had my way, I'd walk round naked all the time too Dj Tact. But I do love buying clothes and wearing them. They make me feel good. What I wear does reflect who I am. But I hate the way it also stereotypes me....

Good thread btw. hehehehehe.
Mwa!
Dibs xxx

Can miles truly separate us from friends? If we want to be with someone we love aren't we already there? If there is someone willing to show, and there is someone willing to see; magic happens. This is whem humans are alive. This is when the wingless fly.


Raymund Phule (Fireproof)Enter a "Title" here:
2,905 posts
Location: San Diego California


Posted:
Hmm I never really thought about how you carry yourself. I dont walk with my head down or nothing but I guess I just have a dont give a damn attitude about how I walk and how I dress. Interesting, I think I am going to have to take a look at how I carry myself. Hmm *shrugs*

Some Jarhead last night: "this dumb a$$ thinks hes fireproof"


dibs_starmember
603 posts
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland, Uk


Posted:
Think about how you feel when you wear....erm.....say when youre ill, and you put on that big warm snuggly grandad jumper. The jumper carries a feeling. If you put it on again, when you're not ill, it automatically makes you feel happier as you recal how it felt when you put it on that time you were ill, and it made you comfortable.

Put a loved ones item of clothing on when they are away, think about how that makes you feel. How you feel alters the positoning and alignment of your body.

eg. That 'ill' jumper makes you insular and your spine becomes curled, as you were when in the womb. Safe, comfortable position.

You carry yourself differently in certain clothes.
It also why children play 'dressing up', as it allows them to experience different emotions and personalities. They don't do it consciously, but subconciously they remember how the clothes feel.

How do I now so much about clothes man???? how sad am I???

Spot the clothes geek!!

Can miles truly separate us from friends? If we want to be with someone we love aren't we already there? If there is someone willing to show, and there is someone willing to see; magic happens. This is whem humans are alive. This is when the wingless fly.


Raymund Phule (Fireproof)Enter a "Title" here:
2,905 posts
Location: San Diego California


Posted:
Quit making me think oi the pain!!

I never thought of that hmmm interesting. *dresses up like Froide(sp)*

You had a problem with your mother and thats why you know so much about clothes!!

Some Jarhead last night: "this dumb a$$ thinks hes fireproof"


MikeGinnyGOLD Member
HOP Mad Doctor
13,925 posts
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA


Posted:
One thing I was taught is that the way that a person chooses to dress does say something important, but you have to be careful about the assumptions that you make based on that form of dress.

When you choose how you are going to dress, not just on any given day, but also what sorts of clothes you are going to own, you are deciding how you want to present yourself. For example, where I live in Michigan, we have a lot of Muslims around. When I see a woman wearing a head scarf of a certain fashion, I can assume that she wants the world to know that she is Muslim.

If I see a guy walking down the street with rasta hair and all sorts of stuff in it (beads, hemp weaves, etc.) I can assume that he wants to tell the world that he is off-mainstream. I can NOT safely assign him a counter-culture (hippie, raver, etc.). I won't even assume that he, say, smokes pot from time to time.

If I see a well-groomed woman in a business suit, I can assume that at that time she is trying to tell the world that she is a professional and that she wants to be taken seriously. I cannot make assumptions about what she does in her off-time.

We change our dress to send different signals. If I'm wearing a tie and a white coat, I am telling the world that I'm a medical student. If I'm wearing red cargo pants and a tight white shirt with rave candy, I'm sending a completely different message, now, aren't I?

Making assumptions about people based on their dress is dangerous, but looking at dress as a form of communication is not so dangerous.

-Mike

Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella



A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura


TwirlyVicnorthern monkey
235 posts

Posted:
i like things like this, what makes me giggle is that i dont have a particular category, i wear anything at all (mainly what isnt on the floor)

what is furthermore interesting is the fashion squad that is my university, at the beginning of every semester everyone makes such a massive effort to look like someone they are not.

modertaly posh girls, get out the paschmina and sudfdenly are IT girls, mildy irritated 1st years whack on the eyeliner, get out their long skirts and wear hemp bags and the worst, first year repeaters suddenly grow dreads over summer, find big pants and walk around as if they've discovered an epihiany

However, none of these groups are as annoying as the year-offers. ARGH!!

Anways, off subject, i have beena victim of this in the past. My high school was uniform only and we had sponsered no uniform days once a year and everyone had their photo taken. I can seriously tell you that

year 7 - smock dress, all innocent
year 8 - global heat tye dye tee and dungarees (i thought i was a raver, at 12!!)
year 9 - big change here, DMs, flowy skirt and german army shirt... ahhh...
year 10 - comabst and vest top with lots of eyeliner
year 11 - the same strangely

that didnt prove the point i wanted to make but nevermind, it was bizarre.

oh and final point, regarding the ex-addidas fans who now ALL wear skatewear, eight years olds wearing nirvana sweaters who when you say " hey whats ur favourite album?" they say (obviously) Nevermind, ask them what is fave track... they have no idea and cant even name one!!

i'm actually concerned about the effect skatemusic has on british children, i really dont like seeing ten year olds with "fuck you" marylin manson tshirts.

anyways thats my tupennce

vic xx

ex-hop-aholic, now inconsistent lurker...



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