The world we live in today is filled with so many diverse ideologies and theories on different subjects, ranging from religion, politics, education, etc. Quite interesting is the fact that dressing is not left out of the discourse.
The world today comprises different generations, holding differing views on how life should be lived. These different generations, stemming from the same roots have proved Darwin’s theory of evolution. They’ve shown how perfectly humans evolve, and ideologies and philosophical perspectives experience change with respect to time.
What could be termed as fashion and in vogue 100 years ago would be seen as totally off and old-fashioned in today’s society. The assertions and philosophies also die with time as technological advancements tend to affect each generation differently. Also, with an increase in reach and ease of accessibility to the internet, knowing what is trending in any society of the world has been made a matter of clicks under very minute seconds.
There was a time when fashion was passed down from generation to generation and built one’s identity and formed the basis of acceptance and recognition, but those times are long gone, as the current trend in the world has taken the toll of Professionalism and Job titles.
“The way you dress is the way you will be addressed” is a true but relative statement. It doesn’t apply in all aspects, as a person’s personality and status in society are also determining factors in how a person is addressed. The kind of job, the occasion, and the location of an event would also determine how one should dress, but not how they should be addressed.
Different People and how they are Addressed
- A young university graduate who requires a job would definitely need to stand out in his speech, demeanor, and also ‘Dressing’ if he must secure a job with any firm while going for his interview. This is one case scenario where one would be addressed the way they are dressed. His dress would portray his readiness to work and blend with the corporate world. His dress would be scored and be a fundamental aspect in deciding if he would for any reason get the job or not.
As much as this would seem like a poor judgment on the part of the employer, it’s forward-thinking for any firm to seek persons, who would represent their brand and display smartness in their outward looks.
Different sectors require specific kinds of dress code and this forms the basis of their identity and recognition. Engineers would adorn jean pants, polo shirts, and heavy-duty boots while at work. Doctors on the other hand have their dress codes. Every profession comes with its kind of dressing, but that doesn’t determine how it should affect our disposition.
From another point of view, people in the entertainment industry have no spelt-out code for dressing, as anything and everything they adorn is perfectly accepted, Yet, they are given so much attention and highly respectable in society.
It’s quite ironic yet it disproves the earlier mentioned quote. You can’t hold onto such a mantra when you deal with people of influence and power. Rather you’d have to base your dealings with them on who they are and not on how they are dressed.
That would be biased in a way, but it is what it is.
In Nigeria, royalty is identified by how they are dressed but what is quite interesting is that when these monarchs travel overseas, they tend to dress like everyday individuals. Does this change how they are viewed? Does it change who they are and what they represent? Most certainly not. Their person is distanced from how they tend to dress in different locations.
This takes me back to my opening note on generational trends of evolution. In this 21st century, the young generations, Generation Z tend not to care about how people view them, as they hold on to the singular ideology that being casual is the peak of fashion. As much as this generation has taken to being very casual, one cannot hold on to their dress sense as a reason to judge their personalities.
Every person should have the liberty to dress as they want to and get equal treatment – outward beauty should not define a person. As much as dressing seems to say a lot about a person, it is biased and myopic to conclude about a person because of how he is dressed.
Everybody deserves a chance and should be given that chance to express themselves and unveil the virtues and potentials they possess freely.
Conclusively, the society we live in today based on acceptance and recognition on the level of affluence and influence, so the matter of being addressed the way we are dressed cannot be done away with.
Your achievements, who and whose you are, what you represent, and what class of society would always be the first consideration before any other variables are considered.
So, should you be addressed you are dressed? Well, the answer remains relative. It all depends on who, whose, and what you are in society.
If you are a commoner, then how you are dressed can determine how far you can go, but a person of influence needs to worry less about how they are dressed. Nevertheless, it’s a matter of Generational trends, nothing more.
Aaron Livingstone is a final year Industrial Chemistry student of the Federal University of Technology, Minna. He has a great passion for gaining knowledge and loves to read. He wrote in via livingstoneaaron41@gmail.com
