Fashion And Psychology: What Your Clothes Say About You

You don’t have to be a fashion lover to realize that there is a relationship between our outward appearance and the way others perceive us. Clothing is always part of the aspects we analyze when we first meet someone. Clothing allows us to form an image of ourselves in others. Fashion and psychology can therefore have a lot to do with each other.

Even if we don’t mean to, the way we dress says a lot about who we are. However, what we want to express with our clothing style is not always what others interpret. In this article, we’ll take a look at the relationship between fashion and psychology and what it’s all about.

Several scientific studies, as well as psychological studies, have looked at the true impact our clothing style has on the way we perceive and judge each other. These various studies yielded surprising results.

Fashion isn’t just for women

Many people think that women are more fashion-oriented than men. However, studies show that men are more dependent on fashion than we think. Contrary to popular belief, Solomon and Schopler (1982) have shown that men are often more influenced than women by their fashion sense and the way others see them.

In addition, whether you are a man or a woman, the choices you make can have a big impact on your image, the impression you make and the way others treat you. Clothing can affect everything from the outcome of a sports game to how you come across during a job interview.

For example, there is a study that shows that using the color red in sportswear increases the chance of winning. In addition, there is also a study that examined the extent to which an applicant’s clothing influences the way in which their managerial skills are assessed or the choice of whether or not to hire a woman for a management position.

In this case, it seemed to help to dress more masculinely. Applicants who were dressed male, came across as more energetic and aggressive. Female applicants who wore more masculine clothing also received more positive comments.

Fashion and psychology: what your clothes say about you

Our technological progress has made fashion very important. In the beginning, clothes mainly served to keep us warm and dry and to protect us from the sun or dust. It was a matter of survival.

Little by little, people started using clothes to make everyday tasks easier. For example, they began to sew pockets into trousers. As more and more technological means came onto the market, clothing began to become less important in terms of survival and usability.

Clothing no longer just helps us survive and make our tasks easier. While it is true that clothing still serves as a practical tool, it has taken on significance in other aspects as well. For example, we see how certain items of clothing or brands can represent a certain status.

In many societies, a fashion sense embodies wealth and personal taste. George Taylor demonstrated this with the Hemline Index in 1926. Taylor noted that when a country is in recession and adopts frugal buying habits, women often prefer longer dresses. In times of prosperity, however, the opposite is the trend.

What we want our clothes to say about us

Another thing that affects our fashion sense is the result of millions of years of evolution as a species. As with many animals, the idea of ​​mate choosing in evolutionary psychology suggests that our behavior is determined by our effort to find a mate and reproduce.

Being able to choose an outfit also offers other possibilities. It allows us to distinguish ourselves from others. It helps us to express our individuality.

This makes us more attractive to the person we would like to have as a partner. Think of a peacock displaying its colorful feathers to try to attract a female mate.

On the other hand, we can also use clothing to blend in with a crowd and go unnoticed. For example, by wearing a uniform every day. Or by adopting a somewhat homogeneous style in a certain environment to temporarily hide our individuality.

Cultural influences on fashion and psychology

Much of the research on fashion and psychology and clothing choices is subject to the cultural values ​​of the society in which each individual lives. Cultural differences are important. For example, not all cultures have the same idea about a certain color.

It is essential to point out that the superficiality of clothing choices is rarely the only factor (in terms of clothing) that determines how others perceive us. So it’s not just the clothes we wear that are important. We also look at how we wear these clothes and how we put together our outfits.