A young female with loud red hair walks sheepishly past you. Eyes to the ground; seemingly lost in thoughts. Black fitted jeans and a black top ornately sprinkled with studs everywhere. One could (and will) assume many things: she’s anti-government, she’s tough, and she resists authority and challenges most rules. She probably likes metal and pretends to know about literature. Across the way is a female with long blonde hair, in a Juicy jumpsuit, oversized sunglasses and tanned skin in February. Assumptions: she likes male attention, bugs gross her out and reading, she claims the ability to run in spike heels, and likes vodka. These assumptions, or stereotypes, aren’t accidental. These attributes are probably very accurate traits or traits they admire. One could argue our personal freewill advocates that people dress a certain way because they want to; or could it be that our will isn’t as free as we thought and we’re actually adhering our identity to existing traits we find otherwise?
I’m starting to realize that as much as we’d like to criticize stereotyping, it’s really us that are actively endorsing and inviting stereotyping upon ourselves. We’re all very aware of the stereotypes out there; we joke about them, shake our heads at them, and totally embrace them! Whether it’s subconscious or completely intentional, we know the image we’re giving when we wear and do certain things. I happened to stumble upon this site that fully explains what we’re saying with the most tedious detail: Men with short hair are more credible, women with long hair are rebellious and less intelligent, clothing says everything about your education and personality, and the colors you choose will expose your true inner feelings.
While it’s unlikely all these judgments enter our minds (or are even accurate) based off appearance alone, there is definitely evidence that people get different treatment with different outfits. People are attracted to others that remind them of themselves. Clothes that you relate to transcend other ideals that are mutually shared. It’s only unhealthy when we have to make judgments of those we’re not familiar with. Different cultures and minority groups have standards that boring, white people wouldn’t understand. The trick is to fight the fear of the unknown, embrace it rather than dismiss it. People just think they’re sooo smart when they declare “baggy pants started in prison, so that guy must be a thug or inviting sex.” If you repeat that, you’ll notice it starts to sound dumber each time.
So do we dress and act for us or them? I think both. I know there’s a possibility I won’t have enough time to reveal my quirky, scandalous, fun self to everyone I encounter, so I rely on my clothes, music, and walk to do the talking when time is less available. [This act actually has a name, called self-fulfilling stereotypes] I even find that catchphrases and pieces of conversation can fall into predictable stereotype categories. One's college major also speaks measures about them and people love to fulfill the role that goes with their choice of study (one time this guy said he wouldn't be talking to me if I was a business major- because they're boring, duh). It probably wouldn’t take long for me to tell you your preferences in music, movies, bars, or tell you how you would react in a certain scenario. Obviously this sounds arrogant, but I’m sure I’d be more hot than cold because of my genuine passion for people watching. And surprisingly, people will find themselves proclaiming interests that belong more to the stereotype they identify with than themselves. So does our self-image come from within, independent of other influences or bias? Or do we form our identity to characteristics that already exist in others?