Effect of clothing on communication

Clothing has a huge effect on how people perceive us. We can often tell when someone is from another culture or has a different religion from us. Also, it can show who has a lot of money to spend and who doesn't.

I remember when I was in school it was considered "cool" to wear clothes from expensive stores such as Abercrombie and Finch and American Eagle, etc. I of course wasn't able to afford to show at any of those stores so I didn't feel like I fit in. But now as I am older I see that brand names don't matter to me. Who cares if you can afford to buy a t-shirt for $50, when you could really buy a t-shirt almost the same style/color for $10. The only difference is that it doesn't have the stores name on it... whoop-di-doo.

I remember my first encounter with someone of another culture. It was a good friend of mine who was Muslim. In her culture she was required to cover her entire body up except for her eyes when she was out in public. When I would hang out with her, her mother would let her take off her head scarf. I thought it was so interesting. But when I found out that if she would have done that back in her country, she would have been stoned.

I've also noticed that you can tell when someone is from an Amish community. They often wear black and blue. Also, they have a specific type of hair style.

You can also tell when someone is Jewish. If they are true to their religion and follow it to the 'T' then their traditional clothing may include a prayer shawl, a Jewish hat, a kittel, etc.

When we see someone who dresses differently than us, we tend to treat them differently. Clothing has positive and negative effects on communication.

Not only does clothing have an effect on communication but so does piercings and tattoos. In our book on page 164, it shows a picture of this guy who has many facial piercings and a tattoo on his lower jaw. In some societies that would be frowned upon, but in others it holds a different meaning.

There are many different things that affect communication, whether it be how we dress, how we look, or our behaviors. We have to be aware and accommodate all of these things when we go and travel around the world, so we do not offend others.