One of the worst mistakes you can make when writing is to open your piece with a cliché. Though I was incredibly tempted to begin this column by telling you that most people agree that you can't judge a book by its cover, I think I'll forego the former and just tell you what this article is really about: clothing.
Yes, I am going to write about clothing. If you know me, I'm sure you're rolling your eyes at the absurdity. If you don't know me, suffice it to say that my wardrobe consists almost exclusively of pajamas and Princeton t-shirts. I'm not an expert on fashion, but for my purposes I don't need to be, so I shall continue.
I submit that it's completely fair to judge people by their appearances. We are always talking about how important it is to get to know people, give them a chance, not bring old prejudices to new relationships, and I agree with this. Yet, I also think that you can tell a good deal about someone by the way he dresses, at least in most cases.
Before you get very, very angry, remember that there is a distinction between clothing and appearances. I don't think you should start guessing personality type and world outlooks by whether someone has curly or straight hair, or is tall or short. Clothing, however, is fundamentally different from other aspects of physical appearance because it is detachable. Though it can form just as important a component of our appearances, it is completely adjustable. No one has to wear a certain type of clothing (though of course there are certain types of clothing some people can't wear due to various factors), and almost everyone finds some sort of style (or lack thereof) they feel comfortable with. Their style does tell us stuff about their personality and priorities, and this information shouldn't be disregarded just because it's obtained from their appearances.
Let me give you an example. If you see someone walking around in shorts in the middle of February (and I don't mean one of these absurdly warm days we've been having so many of lately), he (I rarely see any she's doing this) probably wants you to notice. He had to make a conscious decision about his clothing not to do what would be most comfortable. No one is comfortable walking around in shorts when it's 20 degrees (and then factor in wind chill!) Fahrenheit, but there's always an element of the population willing to walk around in shorts not because it's comfortable but because it makes a statement. I don't even think they would necessarily be trying to attract attention. They're simply saying to whom-ever does look at them that they are adventurous, un-conventional and macho.
Or take the example of a girl who dresses up daily. She cares about her appearance. I don't think this is an unfair (or mean) statement to make about someone. If she chooses to spend a large amount of time choosing what to wear, ironing her clothing or fixing hair and makeup everyday, doesn't it make sense that she's doing this because she gives her appearance a high priority? Am I really saying anything we don't already know and don't want to admit?
So the next time you make a judgment about someone based on the way he dresses, don't feel bad (assuming you're not the type who sees someone wearing sneakers and says, "Oh I hate people who wear sneakers. They're so non-humanitarian," because those are not the sorts of judgments I mean at all). There's nothing wrong with making deductions based on what people choose to present about themselves. Aileen Ann Nielsen is from Upper Black Eddy, Penn. She can be reached at anielsen@princeton.edu.
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