They say that the first impression is often the most important. The first impression that others make is partly (if not mostly) based on wardrobe. Because of the present nature of first impressions, people who have a “trendy” wardrobe are able to cheat their way to a favorable first impression. That’s not fair to those few souls who don’t indulge themselves in the latest fashions and styles. Anyway, who would want to be characterized or judged by their appearance? I’ll answer my own question: those who are superficial and insecure.
The sword is a double-edged one, however. Is it equally superficial to base a first impression on someone’s wardrobe? Of course it is.
One of the worst side effects about characterizing people by what they wear is that it expresses a class system. For example, we might think that Suzy is “cool” or “hip” because she looks “good,” in part because of her wardrobe. Conversely, we might think that Jane is not, because she dresses “poorly.”
Whether anyone admits it or not, we do this in the depths of our social subconscience, to one degree or another. It can’t be healthy for a society to put people into classes of any type because it falsely deflates some people’s perceived values and inflates others.
Some say that how we dress ourselves is a form of self- expression. That may be true, but only in the slightest and most obsolete way. Besides, aren’t there many more valuable ways to express oneself that don’t have the side effects of reinforcing a caste/class system?
In this regard, our minds are often blinded by our eyes. Benjamin Franklin once said: “The eyes of other people are the eyes that ruin us. If all but myself were blind, I should want neither fine clothes, fine houses, nor fine furniture.” I believe everyone knows that relationships of quality and meaning shouldn’t consider outward appearances.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could learn how to overlook outward appearances and look deeper into the individual? If we did this, we would appreciate the intricacies of humanity much more. True self- expression and value are found in levels deep in the individual, not on the surface.
One way to help all of us overcome the tendency to be superficial is to implement a worldwide uniform-wearing program. This may sound “geeky,” but bear with me. We could design the most comfortable and functional uniforms. We could make them waterproof, breathable and windproof-suitable for all occasions. The uniforms would have the latest in fabric technology to ensure easy wear and cleaning. Having several functional pockets would be the final requirement to guarantee optimum use.
This idea is very appealing to me. Dressing ourselves every morning in accordance with today’s standards or in a way to give ourselves a perceived edge has almost become automatic. This automatic process is a reaction to the pressure we feel to compete and be better than the next person that exists in society. We need to rid ourselves of that pressure and the process.
Sometimes an external change can increase the chance for an internal change. The external change would be the implementation of the uniform- wearing program. The internal change would reduce the influence of the class system, increasing the appreciation of humanity and ridding ourselves of an insecurity. Anyway, I can’t express sufficiently how much I dislike spending time and money shopping for clothes.
The uniform-wearing program is especially useful for women. It seems that some women sacrifice function for fashion because of the enormous pressure to look socially attractive. For example, many women do not have pockets in their pants. To someone who depends on pockets rather than a purse, that seems like a handicap. With pockets, the hands are free, fewer things are lost and items are easily retrieved. Pockets are a great convenience.
Also, under the uniform wearing program there would less pressure for women to wear shoes that make their feet hurt. Think of all the blisters, sores and cuts that could have been avoided if these women would have been wearing comfortable shoes that would come with the uniforms. All the pressure to wear attractive clothing could vanish. That would be a welcome relief, considering all the other pressures women face.
Obviously, in speaking of a worldwide uniform-wearing program, we are pointing to an altogether more alarming problem in society. The issue really isn’t that women’s shoes are painful or that continually redefining one’s self through one’s clothing grows monotonous. The issue is what all of this says about us as human beings.
It is time that we recognize the assumptions we make about ourselves and others based on clothing. It is time that we recognize that these assumptions are illusory and damaging.
I think that after reading this, some of you are still unconvinced. Perhaps those who are unconvinced mistakenly think they’re too “cool” for such a program. That’s OK. Those who choose not to adopt the uniform- wearing program will eventually see the convenience in ridding themselves of the pressures of dressing in unique ways. After all, human beings deserve the best and the best is found within.
Eventually, when superficiality is wiped off the face of the earth, we could start wearing unique fashions again. But then that would cause the disease of superficiality to resurface, and we would have to start all over with the uniform-wearing program. We just better get really, really comfortable uniforms.