“[Clothing] is so close to us it becomes part of our identity,” says behavioral psychologist Dr. Carolyn Mair, author of The Psychology of Fashion and founder of psychology.fashion. Mair pioneered the world’s first master’s degrees in psychology for fashion and is part of a relatively small group of people who have carved out careers at the intersection of fashion, design, economics, and psychology. “What we wear is a reflection of how we want to be seen,” she says, although, “that isn’t the same as how we are seen, because that depends on the viewer.”
Why First Impressions Matter
Picture yourself on a first date at a relatively fancy restaurant, the kind with candle light and wine service. You’re sitting at a table waiting for your date to arrive and when they walk in the door, they’re wearing plain white, tie-up Balenciaga sneakers. What does that tell you about this person? If you’re a follower of high-end streetwear, you’re likely familiar with the fact that these shoes cost over $1,000 USD and that the word “Balenciaga” printed in clear black lettering on the sides of the shoes means that they’re designer. Overall, you’ll likely assume that this person is from a higher economic status, or at least that they try to communicate wealth. But If you’re not immersed in the world of designer streetwear, perhaps you would personally opt for dress shoes on this occasion and you might be surprised if someone showed up in plain white sneakers. You may even be unimpressed. When we meet someone new, we construct our first impression of them in under one second based on how they look, Mair explains in a 2020 blog post. If we like the way someone looks, we imbue them with characteristics like “successful,” “pleasant” and “intelligent,” without knowing anything about them other than what they look like. From there, we tend to seek traits that back up our initial judgment. In psychology, this is called the Halo Effect, “and once generated, it is hard to change,” Mair says. It gets even more complicated when you consider that our behavior is influenced by the way someone else acts in response to us, and vice versa. Our interactions are cyclical, so our first impression and how we act based on that impression can really make a difference in our ability to connect with someone. “It can make communication difficult, particularly if the person who is wearing the clothes has this sense of them making an obvious statement. But, in fact, clothing isn’t really obvious unless it has a slogan on it,” says Mair. “It can be like speaking a different language.”
Clothing and Cognitive Function
We develop these associations between clothing and certain human traits, professions, or ideas over the course of our lives as certain associations are reinforced by our interactions, what we’re taught and what we observe. In 2012, psychologists at Northwestern University ran a study where they predetermined that lab coats are associated with attention and care. They had some participants wear lab coats while others didn’t and when they all did attention tests, those wearing the lab coats out-performed those who were not. In another experiment, the psychologists gave every participant an identical lab coat but told some that their coats were doctors’ coats and told others that they were wearing painters’ coats. This time, the people who wore the supposed doctors’ coats performed better on attention tests than the others. The researchers concluded that both the experience of wearing certain clothes and the symbolic meaning that we assign to clothes affects our psychological processes. This concept is called enclothed cognition. Another example of enclothed cognition is when we repeatedly receive compliments on a certain item of clothing. Our association with this piece of clothing is that other people like how we look and “that item of clothing becomes something that gives us some power,” says Mair Although, she’s quick to clarify that clothing does not have inherent power to change the way we feel. After all, clothes are simply pieces of cloth of various shapes, colors, and textures. It’s the associations that make the difference and while this can be helpful when we get dressed for a job interview, it’s important not to put too much stock in the power of the clothing.
Clothing and Self-Esteem
We can be particularly mindful of this when it comes to social media, Mair says. If you’re currently in a good place with your mental health, there’s likely not much harm in associating a certain item with a feeling like happiness and posting on social media about your “happy dress,” for example. But messaging that equates objects like clothes with mental health can be harmful when people are dealing with deeper mental health issues. Clothing can help us feel empowered, authentic, and send a message, but it can’t inherently provide mental wellness. “Your self-esteem is a measure against the norms of society,” Mair says, which means that the messaging we receive about the norms is important. In the fashion industry, the messaging has been skewed to cater to a mainly young, white, eurocentric, and thin audience in its imagery and products. People who don’t fit that image are marginalized with less opportunity to communicate identity and feel empowered with the help of clothing. This can make people who aren’t represented feel like the product and high-end fashion culture of luxury, money, and parties aren’t for them, adding barriers for those who already face marginalization on a systemic level outside of the fashion industry. The industry is making strides in the right direction, but there’s still work to be done in offering diverse and realistic representation.
Try a Mindful Mirror-Gazing Practice
“Our desire to be seen and reflected is basic and innate,” says motivational psychologist Tara Well. “As children, we learn to understand ourselves through the reflections of those around us.” The mirror can be a valuable tool for maintaining that connection with yourself regardless of the clothes you wear. Tuning into your image can help you stay present to your emotions. In our reflection, we can see and hear our self-criticism with exquisite accuracy and then mirror meditation provides a choice, and a practice, to treat ourselves with kindness.
A 5-Step Mirror Meditation from Tara Well
READ MORE
Stephanie Domet April 20, 2021
Sharon Salzberg July 10, 2019
Lisa Feldman Barrett April 29, 2021
