Have you ever encountered walking along the street one day and seeing someone dressed a particular way, so you give them a side-eye as if to say “uuuuh”? I know I have- there have been so many occasions where I have seen females dressed in skimpy attire and thought to myself “what a hussy”.
This may be judgemental on my part, but I personally believe that when you dress a certain way, people are going to judge your character accordingly, but, it does not necessarily mean I agree with such judgements.
Let’s think about this for a moment; ok so when you get dressed and get ready to go out, the average person on the street who does not know you will form an opinion about you based on what they see on the outside.
This is not about being judgemental or prejudice- it’s just human nature- you draw conclusions about people you don’t know based solely on what you see on the outside.
But maybe being so judgemental can sometimes be a little too harsh?
Although I do it, I know I don’t have any right to construct negative opinions about a woman- or even man- just because of their attire, and I know it is unfair because I have experienced such prejudicial judgements myself.
Ultimately, I feel that if you dress in a certain way, or are particularly prone to dressing in a manner where you personally know is going to draw attention onto yourself, then you should expect to be judged unfairly.
Part of me thinks well who cares what a stranger thinks about you? They don’t know you from Adam. Yet, the other side of me thinks well you never know who is looking at you or what the status of that person may be.
You might want to be the world’s next top model and a modelling scout may spot you in the shopping centre and be drawn by your physique. However, they may have second thoughts about approaching you due to the way you’re dressed.
I think one of the most obvious scenarios where it is fair to judge a person based on their attire is when attending interviews; though that is not the sole deciding factor it also plays a major part. I’m sure most people are aware of clothes that are suitable to wear for an interview though, and what not to wear.
This leads me to think well I guess there are certain situations where dressing a certain way is acceptable. For example, no one in their right mind would hit a club or a rave wearing a cloak, so with a scenario like that judgement is without basis.
I guess hanging around with your friends is another example where any form of prejudicial judgement is without basis- especially so for guys.
When I see a group of young men, the majority of them are dressed in the same kind of attire, (this is definitely the case with most of my guy friends)- baggy jeans, hoodies, caps, bandanas, high-top trainers, earrings, etc. However, I feel like just because a group are dressed a certain way, it should not be an instant justification to judge them unfairly or label them in a certain manner.
My mum always says that people can judge you by the friends you keep; I know this is true because it is something I have personally experienced, but I think it is seriously unfair.
Just because a girl fraternises with girls who have numerous piercings, tattoos and generally wear baggy clothing most of the time, that does not mean;
a) that she is a bad girl or
b) that her friends are bad girls just because of the way they are dressed. Just like if a boy is dressed in baggy clothing, hoodies, earrings and a cap, it does not mean that he is a bad boy, or thug.
I hold the media mainly responsible for perpetuating certain stereotypes; not only from what we see within the media but also from the kinds of stories we read.
In London where I am writing from, most times when I read a story about a teen or a young person committing a crime, their attire is described as being almost identical to the kind of clothing I have previously mentioned.
That is why I think the media are primarily responsible for being able to generate such typecasting and negative stereotypes- negative stereotypes which are not always fair.
Most of my male friends are Black, and as previously mentioned, they all dress in a similar manner (i.e. hoodies, baggy jeans, caps, etc). However, they are some of the most respectable, decent and hard-working men I know.
I am not being biased just because they’re my friends- my mum didn’t raise a fool and therefore I would not be stupid to hang around with people I believe to be thugs.
I ensure that the company I keep is made up of good people who do not want any trouble.
However, a lot of the times when we go out, I see the looks that they get (as if they’re going to just pounce on someone and attack them or steal their belongings). They’ve been refused entry at clubs several times, even though they were in the required dress code.
All these kinds of situations make me wonder; is it fair to judge a person based on their dress code? What do you guys think? Do any of you do that on a regular basis or have you done that before? If, so what are your reasons and do you think they are justified?
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