It ‘s easy to see how Clothing affects your confidence: I have always been fascinated by the Psychology of clothing. When people say that fashion and clothing are superficial, they are really saying that they have never experienced the benefits of being well dressed; A Better job, a promotion, higher salary…
I love people watching, after all being French, it’s in my DNA. You sit at a cafe and watch people stroll by. You can tell a lot about people, by the way they dress and present themselves. Today, we often mistake comfort for sloppiness. The German philosopher Hermann Lotze was the first to link behavior to dress in his book “Microcosmus” an essay concerning man and his relation to the world in 1856. In this book, Hermann Lotze stipulates that a person’s attitude is a direct reflection of the sensation he gets from his clothing. Men feel more powerful wearing suits and women feel more feminine wearing chiffon dresses for example.
William Janes who wrote “The Principles of Psychology” in 1890 concluded that what you wear next to your skin determines how you act. How you act then creates your habits and your habits shape your life.
I remember attending a Fashion Show for men some time ago. I saw the models in the waiting room, initially dressed with basketball shorts, oversized hoodies, baseball caps and sneakers. The attire of young kids between 18 and 25 years of age. I say kids because they were acting goofy and all excited to walk the runway. It was rather cute! When the young men came out, they were dressed in khakis, polo shirts, suits, actual leather shoes, strolling down the runway with their blazer over one shoulder.
Their demeanor had totally changed. These young boys had matured in an instant and how they commanded the runway! The audience was made up of mostly women who probably walked by these young men without a glance when entering. These men exuded confidence, were handsome and felt so powerful in their new attire. This was a clear example of how Clothing affects your confidence. That is the power of clothing!
Whether you are a man or a woman, in your professional or personal life, your clothing and your appearance matters.
Studies have revealed that wearing formal clothing is associated with perceptions of professionalism, trustworthiness and authority. Casual clothing on the other hand, is related to intimacy and familiarity. These perceptions are not only for others, the person wearing the clothing also experiences these feelings. Your attitude and behavior is directly linked to how you are dressed.
Dressing to impress others is fine. However, dressing to create a habit of excellence in yourself is more impressive and more profitable.
As Aristotle said “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit”. Just a little effort in your attire goes a long way and has a major impact. Are you today where you want to be?
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