Psychology of Dressing: How Clothes Affect Confidence

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By Olajumoke Kareem

It is important to note that dressing is not only associated with our physical appearance or outer beauty. It also involves both our mental, emotional, and psychological aspects of human life. Dressing can command respect, show confidence, indicate maturity, describe humility, and tell a person's way of life in so many ways without even speaking a word.

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According to psychology, the clothes we wear can influence us positively and negatively. The type of clothes a person puts on will either increase the person's self-esteem or reduce it. For instance, The gown and wig of a lawyer gives them confidence in themselves. Someone who dresses less formally, like a stripper or bar attendant might not feel confident in some formal settings. For instance, offices and religious places like the church and mosque.

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Through fashion, a lot of things are revealed, even without words. What we wear shows our emotions; for instance, a person wearing colorful clothes like pink or yellow, their feelings are seen as being overly happy, hopeful about the day, and optimistic about life. As for the other part, wearing black is used to indicate a state of mourning or great despair, while red indicates danger in some cultures, just as pure white indicates purity and unity. Psychologically, every color has its significance and tells different information, creating awareness in various ways.

Through fashion, one’s identity is also realized by just making a clear observation of their dress code. A traditional Yoruba man’s attire would make him easily recognizable in Igbo land, just like an Igbo or Hausa man in their native attire. Fashion is used as a representation of one’s culture in another man’s land; the outfit of an Indian will immediately reveal that he or she is from India upon arriving in another country, and so on.

Dressing well also plays a paramount role in our lives. There is so much comfort in wearing the right type of clothes. When someone who wears very tight-fitted clothes will automatically have an effect on their way of movement and how comfortable they can carry themselves around. Normal-sized fitted clothes will keep one in their comfort zone, however, and allow them to move freely and confidently.

Wearing the right outfit can also reflect changes in a person’s life. It often shows that the individual is in a sound state of mind and mentally stable. When someone experiences a mental breakdown, their sense of fashion is usually affected. For instance, when you walk past a mentally unstable person, it’s immediately evident from their appearance and clothing, even without anyone pointing it out, just like a person in their right mind can be recognized by how neatly and appropriately they dress.

Another significant part of fashion is that it will always indicate the special occasion. When you are dressed in corporate wear, it shows that the outfit is for a formal occasion, such as a job interview or business meeting. When in native attire, it indicates it’s for church, mosque, or a cultural party. It would be out of place for a person in school uniform to turn up at a birthday party because it’s not the outfit for that occasion, which would make the person feel awkwardly left out from the rest of the party guests.

Clothes are not just mere attire or materials; they represent more than just beauty and are beyond physical appearance. Clothes announce our human power, personal development, mental stability, self-awareness, internal satisfaction, life achievement, and promote confidence. So next time you open that wardrobe to choose the outfit of the day, ask yourself if what you’ve chosen resonates with your mood for the day. Decide if the outfit correlates with your energy or not, and also ask yourself if it will command the kind of action you want it to, because it will surely bring something out of you, other than your beautiful body structures.