Social aspects of clothing

Clothing, like other aspects of human physical appearance, has various social aspects. Wearing specific types of clothing or the manner of wearing clothing can have the deliberate purpose, or the desirable or undesirable side-effect, to correctly or incorrectly be interpreted in terms of class, income, belief and attitude.

Related Topics:
Clothing - Human physical appearance - Social - Side-effect - Class - Income - Belief - Attitude

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For example, wearing expensive clothes can be due to (a combination of)

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• being rich
• liking to spend much money (as much as one can afford or even more)
• spending one's money for a large part on clothing
• managing to obtain clothing cheaper than usual

An observer can see the resultant, expensive clothes, but may be wrong about the extent to which the four factors apply. See also conspicuous consumption. All factors apply reversedly for wearing cheap clothes, and similarly for other goods such as a house, a car, etc.

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Other messages clothing can give:

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• stating or claiming identity
• establishing, maintaining and defying social group norms
 
Social aspects of clothing: Dress codes ►