The Impact of What We Wear

I  received an article from a friend and client a few weeks ago (waddup DG!), and have been thinking about it ever since. I  played around with the idea of breaking it down and speaking into it but thought it may be best to deliver the content straight no chaser, just like the writer intended. 

So this is just a simple share and also proof that I'm not the only one who thinks about this stuff.

Fascinating Research on the Impact of Your Clothes (and Your Shoes)
by Dan Solin, 10/23/19

As Shakespeare said, "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more."

Over the years, I’ve written hundreds of articles on many different subjects. None generate as much attention – mostly negative – as when I write about clothes. To avoid misunderstandings, here are some caveats:

I’m not trying to tell men or women how to dress.
I’m well aware that attire choices are influenced by budget, geography and demographics.
I’m not a fashion expert. Nothing I’m relating reflects my personal opinion.

My goal is to report on the findings of peer-reviewed research so you can make whatever decision is appropriate for you.

Summary of findings

This sentence from a study done in 2016 caught my attention: "In a flicker of an eye, people take an insignificant sample of an individual and believe it represents 100% of their personality."

The study cites ample research supporting the fact that we judge competence, intelligence, likability, self-esteem, self-confidence, success, authority, and beliefs, immediately upon meeting someone, and before they utter a single word.

The primary metric we use to make first impressions is clothes. Extensive research supporting this statement can be found in The Meanings of Dress, by Kimberly A. Miller-Spillman, Andrew Reilly and Patricia Hunt-Hurst, and Mind What You Wear: The Psychology of Fashion, by Professor Karen J. Pine.

Formal clothing favorably impacts how both men and women are perceived.

There is evidence women who dress provocatively are perceived to be less intelligent than those who dress conservatively.

One study measured perceptions of men dressed in daring, conservative, formal and casual clothes. Those dressed formally measured significantly higher in assessments of charm, intelligence and reputation.

Another study investigated the impact of dress on ratings of classroom presentations. Three female students at a Midwestern university gave a presentation designed for a health psychology class wearing different outfits: casual, party, business casual or business formal.

Student participants rated presentations higher when the presenter was formally dressed. The authors of the study concluded: "This evidence for the power of dressing well is consistent with a wealth of research assessing the role of clothing in business settings."

Another study had a similar finding. It looked at how the clothing worn by a teaching assistant in a university classroom impacted judgments from students. The study found a positive relationship between more formal clothing and favorable assessments from students. Formal attire also impacted the attitude of the students towards the course and the content. Finally, professionally dressed teaching assistants were less likely to encounter student misbehavior.

Shoes
A fascinating study attempted to assess the impact of shoes on first impressions. Participants provided photographs of the shoes they wore most often and reported information about personal traits. Other participants were asked to make judgments, based solely on the images of the shoes, about income, age, gender and some personal traits.

The ratings correlated positively with the actual characteristics of the owners of the shoes, especially when determining age, income and even attachment anxiety (apparently anxious people crave attention and are more adventurous with their shoe choices).

Wendy Patrick, Ph.D, had this "walkaway" from this study, which is relevant for advisors, "depending on what type of impression you are seeking to make, well-maintained attractive shoes can convey a meticulous image, regardless of accuracy."

Other factors.

It would be a mistake to conclude from these studies that one style of clothes is universally applicable. We don’t make judgments in a vacuum. They are strongly influenced by our own status. One study concluded, "when the target clothing is a suit, forming an accurate opinion may be different for higher-income respondents whose occupation affords them greater familiarity with this style of clothing."

Nevertheless, the impact of what we wear on first impressions is indisputable.

So much to unpack here...I'd love to hear your thoughts about this.