Physical Appearance

clothing choicesOur physical appearance is the first thing people use in order to understand what we are all about. We all share this trait, as a person’s appearance tells us necessary information about them. For example, if a man dawning gang symbols on his clothes told you to get out of his way, you would probably be more inclined to get out of his way quickly than you would be if he was a man wearing a Hawaiian T-shirt. The way a person presents themselves is important to how people approach them. We recognize the difference between the qualities of a person’s appearance that they can control and the ones they cannot control, also.

In every culture across the globe, there is value placed on a person’s appearance. People form romantic attachments to other people in part because of their physical appearance, and the value on appearance extends to other relationships and interactions within that culture from there. In cultures that are stricken with poverty, the value placed on physical appearance is lower, as most people within the culture do not have access to any beauty services. But in every society that dawns wealth across the globe, maintenance of personal physical appearance is expected from everyone, and reprimanded when neglected.

As physical appearance relates to clothing, society values a person who has awareness and wealth invested into their wardrobe. In North American culture, we certainly have expectations of people to dress for whatever occasion they are entering, whether it is a social occasion, a job interview, a bar mitzvah or a wedding. We expect the individual to be savvy enough to understand what dress code is called for to suit each occasion. We expect that the individual will coordinate their outfit, see that it is clean and pressed, and we expect them to have tried it on previously.