Our wardrobes can reveal much about our personalities, sense of style, and even our societal or cultural connections. What we wear might say something about our attitudes, values, and even our state of mind.
Culture
Clothing can be used to convey cultural identity. Wearing traditional clothing, like kimonos in Japan, kilts in Scotland Dashiki in Africa, or sarees in India, is a way for a group to honor and protect its cultural legacy. Individuals can show their pride in their cultural heritage and promote communal cohesion by dressing in these traditional ways.
However, as the new generation evolves some cultures are changing to adapt to the surroundings for example in Trinidad and Tobago the birthplace of the annual festival Carnival began as a rebellion by the enslaved during the 1800’s. What started with people celebrating cultural characters that told a story such as Dame Lorraine, Midnight Robber, and Fancy Sailors to name a few has now seen a decline as the years have gone by.
Persons are now invested in costumes associated with feathers and less clothing on the body. The elders have disagreed with the traditional celebration dying and being replaced but young people see it as adapting to the new trends in fashion. As we evolve and grow as a society it can be so easy to lose your culture and adapt to what’s popular or intertwine your culture with others. People who subvert social standards and support varied narratives are those who, through their attire, question cultural expectations. This is something that is currently happening on the Caribbean island.
Personality and Mental Health
People’s ideals and personalities can also be inferred from their wardrobe choices. People who wear bright, colorful, and distinctive apparel, for example, could be viewed as imaginative, carefree, and open-minded. People who dress more traditionally and conservatively may come across as conventional, serious, and responsible. Clothes can, thus, influence how other people perceive a person’s personality and worldview. I believe that most people dress based on their personal style and others dress based on the current trends that are popular in this influencer social media era. Expressing yourself through clothes can differ for every person, especially at different ages. As a child your choice of clothes is mostly chosen by your parents, as a teenager, creative expression starts in clothing choices as it’s the highly influenced stage, as an adult there is still discovery and changes in your style and for some elderly people comfortable clothing becomes the norm.
Our mental states are also influenced by what we wear in our society. It’s been demonstrated that patterns, colors, and cuts improve our mood. Clothes are associated with specific roles, which is one of the causes. From my understanding, an obsession with appearance and adherence to fashion standards can result from mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphia, which people use as a coping mechanism or a sense of control. This may result in a detrimental loop of self-criticism, comparison, and spending money on goods and services that might not genuinely enhance mental health or well-being.
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