Does What You Wear Really Matter?

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As much as some people may wish that it didn’t matter, it’s hard to deny that it doesn’t matter what you wear. The general consensus is that there are some venues where it matters a great deal what you wear, and that there are other venues where it doesn’t matter at all. It’s impossible to say that what you wear never ever matters, as there will always be situations in our lives where the clothes that we are wearing define whether or not we get a job, whether or not someone else responds positively to us, etc. Whether or not you, as a person, can afford to care about judgements made in those arenas is definitely part of this discussion. So, when does it matter and not matter what you wear?

(Photo: wisegeek)

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When What You Wear Matters

If you believe that other people do and should judge you based on your outward appearance, what you wear will always matter. When I use the word “judge” here, I don’t necessarily use it along with all of its negative connotations; I simply mean that what you put on your body projects to the world what you think about that body, what kind of style you like, who you are, etc.

People use those cues in order to learn about you. Sometimes they might be judging you (all the negative connotations here), but often they are just gathering context clues about who you are, based on how you dress yourself. So, in situations like job interviews, first dates, meeting your significant others’ parents, and other similarly weight instances, wearing something that is situation-appropriate is important.

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(Photo: pcworld)

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When What You Wear Doesn’t Matter

That said, what you wear doesn’t always matter. When you are sitting at home, on the couch, watching TV, what you wear doesn’t matter. The people that love you the most probably will never really care what you are wearing (though what you wear could attract them to you). Today, the public space had become more and more casual, and it is appropriate to wear more and more casual clothes, without anyone labeling you a slob.

There are usually situation-appropriate ways to wear just about any style. Just because you work in an office doesn’t mean you can’t be a punk, for example.

What do you think? Does what you wear matter? Let us know in the comments below.