The Clothes We Wear
              By Jesse Smith


   "Clothes make the man." So, do they or don't they? The clothes people wear
cause others around them to act differently. Should it? I have found that the
response to this question depends entirely on the case in which it is presented.

   For example, when asked if a rapist should get a lighter sentence because
the defendant "dressed provocatively", most people will say: "That's no
excuse, give him the chair!"

   However, were I to put forth this case...Your car has broken down. There
are three people standing within yelling distance. A man in a suit, another
man in overalls and a third wearing leather with a skull on the back of his jacket.
Which are you going to ask for help? Most people will say, "The man in overalls,
then the man in the suit, then the man in leather. We know nothing of their skills
or personalities, but we form opinions based on the clothes people wear.

   This has lead me to two conclusions. The first is that we are all hypocrites.
The second is that we should be careful of what we wear.

   So, should we care what we wear, or what others wear? My first reaction to this
thought was "Of course not!" you're wearing something, you're comfortable, what's
not to like? But...But...If we all wore the clothes we wanted, things would be a lot
different. Imagine trying to pick a police officer out of a crowd of people all
wearing jeans and T-shirts. But, you say, that's a uniform. They have to wear
those so we can recognize them. Exactly. Okay. Taking that one step further, it would
be hard to see a cop car coming if it wasn't marked. 

   Imagine walking into the doctor's office and a man there wearing overalls
asks you to take off your clothes. Chances are, you won't do it. If the man
were wearing a white lab coat, then you'd be more willing. A white lab coat might
be nice, handy and safe, but I'm betting you aren't required, as a doctor, to
wear one all the time. 

   Like it or not, we are not likely to want to walk into a financial adviser's office
and see him wearing sweat pants and an under shirt. We have certain expectations
of what people should wear in certain places and times. I, for example, don't like
to wear formal clothes. You can bet, though, that I will wear them from time
to time. Dances, weddings and job interviews. Oh, yes, and at gun point. Those
are times when if I don't wear those clothes, I will be judged...negatively.

   I think that all of these points make it clear that we not only judge others
by what they wear, it is also necessary to do so. In our society, not forming
an opinion of what others are wearing could be dangerous. To carry this a bit
further, we should also judge what we ourselves are wearing before we ventre out.

   I expect others to judge me, as I said before, based on the clothes I wear.
It shouldn't form their only opinion of me, but it'll form the first. I should
keep this in mind whenever I go someplace. In the back of my mind I should remember
that others will view me based on my appearance. I have friends that have either
been approached for drugs (because he wore a trench coat), or that have been
sexually harassed (because she wore a revealing outfit). These are things
that come with the territory. I've been laughed at for wearing boots inside
(during winter).

   Clothes should not be what people judge you by. It should however, serve as a
guide. So, maybe it is just as well if you go to the man in overalls for car
repair. That's not to say the other two might not be great mechanics, but they
aren't dressed the part. To go back to my first example, no one deserves to be raped.
You should, however, be ready to listen to whistles and come-on's when you dress
to kill. Clothes serve a purpose, they identify you from a distance. Be careful
of the label you wear. It may cause others to avoid you or to draw unwanted
attention.