~Pick one concept from the assigned reading that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.
I especially like the concept that Desmond Morris addressed about dress as it pertains to nonverbal communication and how dress serves three major functions. I am most interested in the function of cultural display and how we as individuals will go to great lengths to dress a certain way to show belonging to a specific group or class.
What comes to my mind when I consider dress as a way to identify with a certain group or class is how sad it is for teenagers in school who try very hard to adjust to being a teenager (which in itself is tough) and then they want to fit in and be liked by their peers at school. One of the ways in which they achieve acceptance is by the clothes they wear. Unfortunately, we all know how expensive name brand clothes are and how many families cannot afford to buy their children name brand clothes. I have seen and heard the cruelty of teenagers towards one another when other teenagers does not wear name brand clothes and how they are given labels and most importantly, they are not accepted. It is so hurtful and damaging to these kids who feel rejected and made fun of:(
My hope is that we as a whole will learn to accept people for who they are and not because of the way we dress.
Happy Blogging:)
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3 comments:
The instance you bring up really speaks to the modeling which is present in our society. If we were in a different culture/location, would there be such a high value placed on "brand" clothing. My estimate is no. If you go to a remote tribe, they would have no concept of such thing, thus it is a man-made construct. Our society perpetuates the construct, with the capatalistic society. Those with money are rewarded, and those with no money are punished. For example, in a business interview, if I showed up in jeans and a t-shirt, and another person showed up in a three piece suit, if we both offered the same interview answers and abilities, the chances of me getting the job would be slim and none. Thus we must realize it is not the kids who make fun of the poorly dressed kids, yet the society who placed so much emphasis on money and symbols of money.
Hello Cherry,
I enjoyed reading your blog about the concept you found interesting. I agree that clothing and accessories we chose to wear is sending a nonverbal message to all who see us. For example, I love people watching at the mall. The reason I like it is I look at how people are dressed and what bags that are carrying around to see if it fits their appearance. Teenagers have always been in that stage that clothing tells others if they are in the popular group or the outsider group. When I watch teenagers in the mall most of them are carrying bags from certain labels and most of the teenagers understand how important clothing labels can be in high school. I believe that nonverbal messages of clothing are a major factor in how other individuals we react to our verbal communication.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Thanks,
Vanessa
I also found this part of the chapter interesting because our clothing is way for us to express ourselves. I hear so many parents say they wish all schools had to wear uniforms so there was no competition on who is wearing what and costing a lot of money. I also hear that schools that do not have uniforms allow the kids to express themselves and have their own style rather than having it decided for them. It is interesting that you pointed out how clothing is a way to be accepted and a lot of the “in” clothing is fairly expensive. I work in retail and I had a mother who had purchased a Juicy Couture backpack for her daughter who went to a private school. A couple of weeks later the mother and daughter came back to the store to exchange the back pack because her classmates were teasing her that her back pack was a knock off. She exchanged it for a different one and in the end returned it again. I didn’t realize how cruel kids could be because of a back pack and how hard it is to fit in.
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