Fashion just fascinates me. I love few things more than buying a new clothing item or accessory. It’s an entire language, a means of symbolic communication which everyone interprets differently.
For example, I personally very much enjoy wearing black lace-up boots which are partially laced up and into which my jeans are tucked. Why? I’m not entirely sure. What does this little bit of style (I use the word “style” generously here) say about me? More specifically, what do I want it to say about me, and how is it interpreted by the rest of the world?
Here is a list of messages that I believe I subconsciously want to convey by wearing my boots in such a manner:
-I can kick your ass
-I’m laid-back and easygoing
-I’m messy and lazy, but I’ve still got it together enough to manage, on a basic functional level
-I’m a physical laborer, or similar in some way to a physical laborer
-I like metal music
-I like hiking
Wow! What a wide range of thoughts I assign to such a simple fashion preference. The truth is, nine out of ten people who pass me on the street probably don’t even notice my footwear. Hell, for all I know, 99 out of 100 people I pass on the street don’t even notice my footwear. And of those who do, maybe five percent of them actually receive one of the messages that I intend to convey.
What do the rest of them think? Let’s take a few guesses:
-That guy is compensating for something
-That guy pays too much attention to his footwear
-That guy doesn’t pay enough attention to his footwear
-That guy likes punk rock
-That guy wants to hurt me
-That guy is a construction worker
-That guy is violent
-That guy rides motorcycles
-That guy wants people to think [insert any of the things that I do, in fact, want people to think about me, and many things which I never even thought of]
What an imprecise science! Maybe one in a thousand people who pass me on the street actually gets the intended symbolism of my boots. Yet I keep on doing it, and I keep on attaching significance to it.
This same thought process can be applied to many other pieces of clothing and accessories which I own and display. Just for fun, I’m going to list several of my fashion choices, along with one symbolic meaning that I intend to send out, and one meaning which I believe people actually receive:
-Wife-beaters (tank-top undershirts, just in case anyone does not know what a wife-beater is):
I want to say: I’m big and strong and tough
People might think: That guy sure is arrogant
-My netbook:
I want to say: Look at me, I’m so trendy and high-tech.
People might think: … I’m drawing a blank on this one. I guess that I want to look trendy and high-tech, but actually I’m not?
-My leather jacket:
I want to say: I probably hang around in bars and ride a motorcycle and am cool like that.
People might think: That guy hates animals
-A black bandanna wrapped around my wrist:
I want to say: I’m artistic and unique, yet strong
People might think: That guy either is in a gang, or wants to look like someone who is in a gang.
You get the idea. I’m not so arrogant as to think that any majority (or even significant minority) of people with whom I interact actually hold any conscious thoughts or opinions of my apparel, but between unconscious assumptions and the occasional thought from a particularly fashion-conscious individual, I’m sure I convey some sort of message with my clothing and accessories.
Try the exercise that I just went through; list a few of your favorite symbolic pieces of fashion, what you intend to say with them, and how someone might actually interpret them. It really opens your eyes to the complexity of the communication that we have every day without thinking about it.
For example, I personally very much enjoy wearing black lace-up boots which are partially laced up and into which my jeans are tucked. Why? I’m not entirely sure. What does this little bit of style (I use the word “style” generously here) say about me? More specifically, what do I want it to say about me, and how is it interpreted by the rest of the world?
Here is a list of messages that I believe I subconsciously want to convey by wearing my boots in such a manner:
-I can kick your ass
-I’m laid-back and easygoing
-I’m messy and lazy, but I’ve still got it together enough to manage, on a basic functional level
-I’m a physical laborer, or similar in some way to a physical laborer
-I like metal music
-I like hiking
Wow! What a wide range of thoughts I assign to such a simple fashion preference. The truth is, nine out of ten people who pass me on the street probably don’t even notice my footwear. Hell, for all I know, 99 out of 100 people I pass on the street don’t even notice my footwear. And of those who do, maybe five percent of them actually receive one of the messages that I intend to convey.
What do the rest of them think? Let’s take a few guesses:
-That guy is compensating for something
-That guy pays too much attention to his footwear
-That guy doesn’t pay enough attention to his footwear
-That guy likes punk rock
-That guy wants to hurt me
-That guy is a construction worker
-That guy is violent
-That guy rides motorcycles
-That guy wants people to think [insert any of the things that I do, in fact, want people to think about me, and many things which I never even thought of]
What an imprecise science! Maybe one in a thousand people who pass me on the street actually gets the intended symbolism of my boots. Yet I keep on doing it, and I keep on attaching significance to it.
This same thought process can be applied to many other pieces of clothing and accessories which I own and display. Just for fun, I’m going to list several of my fashion choices, along with one symbolic meaning that I intend to send out, and one meaning which I believe people actually receive:
-Wife-beaters (tank-top undershirts, just in case anyone does not know what a wife-beater is):
I want to say: I’m big and strong and tough
People might think: That guy sure is arrogant
-My netbook:
I want to say: Look at me, I’m so trendy and high-tech.
People might think: … I’m drawing a blank on this one. I guess that I want to look trendy and high-tech, but actually I’m not?
-My leather jacket:
I want to say: I probably hang around in bars and ride a motorcycle and am cool like that.
People might think: That guy hates animals
-A black bandanna wrapped around my wrist:
I want to say: I’m artistic and unique, yet strong
People might think: That guy either is in a gang, or wants to look like someone who is in a gang.
You get the idea. I’m not so arrogant as to think that any majority (or even significant minority) of people with whom I interact actually hold any conscious thoughts or opinions of my apparel, but between unconscious assumptions and the occasional thought from a particularly fashion-conscious individual, I’m sure I convey some sort of message with my clothing and accessories.
Try the exercise that I just went through; list a few of your favorite symbolic pieces of fashion, what you intend to say with them, and how someone might actually interpret them. It really opens your eyes to the complexity of the communication that we have every day without thinking about it.
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