Importance of appearance in society.doc

Importance of appearance in societyDoes your appearance mean more than your personality? This is a debate that has raged throughout time without a definitive answer. Its one of the most important questions in a teens life, and among many adults as well.While it is important that you be a caring, responsible, likable person, not many people are going to notice that about you when meeting you. Unfortunately, humans are very visually oriented and what we see of people leaves a lasting impression. When we go into a restaurant we dont care if our chef donates to Toys for Tots, we care that he is clean, dressed well and professional looking. When shopping for a new dress we are more likely to ask for help from the well dressed, attractive employee than the girl who showed up to work looking as if she slept in her clothes and has never brushed her hair.In our personal lives the importance of appearance is much the same. Its a cruel fact of life, but people who are sloppy, dirty and poorly groomed dont get dates. Most of us are instinctively attracted to good looking, well dressed people. When marriages were arranged by family this wasnt such an issue, but today it most certainly is. No one wants to date the guy who doesnt shower or the girl who wears clothing three sizes too small.Even in the workplace appearance is seen as an indicator of ability. A job applicant with a masters degree isnt likely to be hired if s/he is missing teeth, no matter how qualified they are. Very few people would choose a surgeon who has dirt under their fingernails. A stylist with a lousy hair style isnt likely to have very many clients.Unfortunately, appearance is even important to children. Many small children, especially, can take an instant dislike to someone based solely on what they look like. As children get older appearance becomes an integral part in who is popular and who isnt. The child who doesnt have designer clothing is more likely to be left out of things than the child who wears all of the right brands. With teenagers attractiveness seems to denote popularity more than anywhere else. Teens dont care if the overweight girl is a math genius who has a way with animals, they dont care if the geeky boy writes the most beautiful poetry ever read, they just care what s/he looks like.Right or wrong, in our society appearance is just too important to be ignored. While personality is a better indicator of a persons value in the long run, when it comes to first impressions what we look like will always win out over whom we are.It is true that when we judge others by their appearance we are being prejudicial. Prejudice simply means to prejudge based on generalized knowledge or to form an opinion before mitigating facts are introduced. By definition it is prejudicial to cross the street simply because you see an unrestrainedpit bull standing close to your current path. Prejudicial, but prudent.One of the first factors triggering prejudicial reactions in those we meet is the uniform we choose to wear. Make no mistake, we all are in uniform each time we venture out into the public. The title of the book about the IBM corporation, The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit, refers to the uniform worn by IBM reps.If you walk into a supermarket and see a fellow shopper dressed in scrubs, you immediately assume they are in the medical profession. This may or may not be the case as manychild careworkers also wear scrubs while on duty.If you find yourself having a late evening burger at the local fast food establishment and two young men, dressed in hip-hop fashion, come in and one loiters near the door while the other one approaches the counter you will have a different visceral reaction than if the same two men came in dressed preppy casual. While their mode of dress obviously does not speak to their intent, it will cause the viewer to have a prejudicial reaction.We all judge and are judged by appearance. This is true without regard to whether we consider it a positive or a negative facet of human nature. If, in mid December, you see someone dressed as Santa Claus going into a convenience store you dont immediately assume that he is intent on robbing the place. Subsequent events might prove you wrong but such a suspicion would not be your first reaction.The upside to all of this and the true importance of appearance in society comes when we begin to realize that we can control the initial reactions to our appearance simply by controlling the way we look. It all comes down to the uniforms.The word itself simply means one form. Uniforms are adopted by groups of people who, for one reason or another, feel the need to adopt a group identity. Police officers, members of the military, sports team are but a few examples of regulated uniforms. These are required when the group identity must be closely regulated. There are also unregulated uniforms. To cite just a few, bikers, hip-hop aficionados, street gangs, Wall Street brokers, construction workers. These all employ modes of dress, uniforms if you will, that allow them to blend in with their particular subset of the population. The wearing of regulated uniforms (and some unregulated) is a closely guarded privilege. Wear a police uniform while not being a peace officer and you are subject to arrest, wear the Hells Angels colors while not being a member of that particular motorcycle club and you are subject to being seriously injured.For the most part, and aside from the examples cited,