Unity - One Stitch at a Time
How can enclothed cognition be used to evoke emotion, alter self-perception, and
promote cultural awareness and unity?
The psychology behind what one wears, or fashion psychology, can be employed to
shape identity, influence how one feels, and ultimately improve one's life. From colors, prints, textures, and the fit of a garment, such elements are used to help convey the innermost feelings
and stories one carries with them on their outermost canvas. One can tell the rest of the world
how to perceive them and style is the medium used to shape the messages one wishes to convey.
Most people would want others to see them as successful, confident, poised, enchanting,
magnetic, resourceful, intelligent, and many more coveted characteristics. For example, when
doing something important, such as interviewing for a desired position or walking into a bank for
a loan, one wears suitable attire to appear a certain way to others in order to attain what is desired. When one looks in the mirror and sees an attractive, fashionable version of themselves
looking back at them, they experience a more positive self-image and further fulfill their esteem
needs. The phrase "look good, feel good" is more true than one might believe.
Michael Gebicki's article, "Head for Fashion," suggests fashion psychology can be used
to shape how individuals feel about themselves and improve their way of life. The author starts
by describing the work of fashion psychologist and instructor at FIT's Center of Continuing and Professional Studies, Dawnn Karen. She uses her degree and published a book to help people
connect their clothing and mood. Ms. Karen's work brought to the forefront the causal effect that
fashion has on feelings, thereby explaining some consumer behavior. Gebicki then transitions to
unfold the work of Anabel Maldonado, the founder of the Psychology of Fashion website and the psychology-based shopping platform, Psykhe. He demonstrates the relationship between clothing and emotion in order to shed light on the growing science of fashion psychology. Maldonado
employs a five-minute personality quiz as a self-evaluation tool to measure each prospective
shopper on five key fashion aspects: openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness,
and neuroticism. She not only uses a tailored approach to recommend clothing with a high
probability of aesthetic preference but also recommends articles that may "remedy" perceived
inadequacies rather than buying for buying's sake. On her fashion shopping website, Maldonado
poses a simple yet clever solution, "Self-knowledge is the antidote to mindless overconsumption" (Maldonado). It overturns previous wisdom that emotional buying was not
constructive and financially irresponsible.
Columnist Jennifer Miller, would agree with Moldonado as she writes in her 2018 New York Times article "The Dress Doctor Is In," highlighting Ms. Karen's focus on how clothes make the wearer feel, contending a strong case for the link between attire and attitude as a higher-order objective than either function or aesthetics. "You need to extract the personality of
the customer to know if high-contrast stitching on lapels will make him feel uncomfortable. Ms.
Karen, calls this work 'styling from the inside out (Miller). As with any burgeoning area of
study, rules and norms evolve as well as original terminology is created to have a common
understanding in our discourse.
In his educational article, Gebicki enlightens the readers and highlights multiple terms to help them grasp this novel and abstract concept. He states, "..a breakdown of fashion
psychology terminology, including 'fashion identification assimilation' (the wearing of a certain style to fit into a social group), 'focal accessory' (an item that holds psychological value) and
'mood enhancement dressing (the act of choosing certain outfits to boost one's mood)"
(Gebicki) which are descriptions and theories not found in psychology textbooks. Fashion is a careful and Feliberate art form in which each piece within an outfit or design in a garment is
chosen in a methodical manner to compliment or convey a message about its wearer instead of
simply visual appeal. It is also emphasized to find one's personal style to fit their true identity
instead of attempting to replicate what is worn on the runways of the world. "In understanding
the why behind our personal style, we can dress optimally for ourselves and drown out the noise
we've created with marketing-driven trends, the seeking out of validation, and the culture of
copying celebrity looks" (Gebicki). One of the most important themes in the world of style is
self-expression, or taking something mainstream and putting one's own spin on it. This is
absolutely crucial in shaping an individual's unique and unmatched persona in order to represent themselves instead of appearing like a variation of someone else. Especially in today's society
with heavy social media influence, teens naturally find inspiration from famous celebrities and what is trending for their age group. Instead, "we can dress in a way that's aligned with our core personality, that improves our mood and that captures our values, identity, and beliefs" (Gebicki). In this way, one can capture what is meaningful to them in the way they dress their canvas and carry themselves to present their best, unvarnished selves to the rest of the world.
Fashion's role in social responsibility is gaining traction and now being introduced in
professional schools. Joan Willgues teaches History of Costume and 20th Century Designers at
the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising with a BFA in Costume Design for Theatre and
has been a professional costume designer for 40 years. In explaining how fashion could spark
social change and convey values one finds important, Willgues responded, "People use clothing
to rebel, to support, for self-expression, to show inclusion and exclusion. For instance, some
women choose to wear black gowns to an awards show to express support for the Me Too
movement. Graphic t-shirts allow people to express their favorite bands, political candidates,
sayings, beliefs, and much more." Not only can one use garments to express one's views on
political, social, and environmental issues, but also to change one's attitude and possibly heal themselves, a sentiment previously echoed by Anabel Maldonado. Professor Willgues elaborated
upon how she used to teach stand-up comedy and used this principle to help a student. "I had a
student one time who always wore drab clothing and had a depressed kind of heavy energy, but
she had chosen to learn comedy, so something was trying to break free. I suggested that she start
wearing colorful clothing, just to trick her mind into a more joyful feeling state. She did that and
it shifted something in her. She started to feel happier." The powerful tool of apparel can be used
to alter one's internal state as well as one's psychological processes, a phenomenon known as
enclothed cognition.
Clothing invades the body and brain, putting the wearer in a different state of mind. Sandra Blakeslee's article, "Mind games: sometimes a white coat isn't just a white coat," contends this claim. The author introduces the topic by citing experts and detailing the famous
Galinsky and Hajo Adam experiments in which students wearing doctor's coats made fewer
mistakes and acquired heightened attention than those wearing painter's coats. Blakeslee writes
about the enclothed cognition studies in order to inform and educate the readers about this theory
and explore "whether the clothing you wear affects your psychological processes."
The concept of enclothed cognition is a subset within the field of embodied cognition, or
the influence of bodily sensations on one's psychological state. Not only are the mind and body
one, but the body influences the mind: "The experience of washing your hands is associated with
moral purity and ethical judgments. People rate others personally warmer if they hold a hot drink
in their hand, and colder if they hold an iced drink. If you carry a heavy clipboard, you will feel
more important" (Blakeslee). As much as a coincidence as it sounds, the same applies to fashion
and what one chooses to wear. It has been known that clothing changes the way people perceive
each other in addition to how they feel about themselves: "Other experiments have shown that
women who dress in a masculine fashion during a job interview are more likely to be hired, and
a teaching assistant who wears formal clothes is perceived as more intelligent than one who
dresses more casually" (Blakeslee). As demonstrated through these studies, fashion psychology
serves as a secret to success by appealing to the unconscious perceptions and biases of another or
illuding one's own mind into a change in character to enhance their natural abilities, such as intelligence, concentration, and accuracy.
Professor Adam D. Galinsky and his colleague Hajo Adam, conducted three experiments
using college students wearing either lab coats or painter's coats to find if the students' detail-
oriented performances were altered by what they were wearing. In the first experiment, 58
undergraduates were chosen to wear either lab coats or their regular attire and were given a test for selective attention in which they had to detect incongruencies. In the second experiment, 74
students either wore a lab coat, wore a painter's coat, or simply saw a doctor's coat while being
tested for selective attention, noticing minor differences between two side-by-side pictures. In
the last experiment, students had options like the second experiment and were told to write
essays about their thoughts on the coats and were also tested for sustained attention. In
experiment one, wearing a lab coat increased selective attention compared to not wearing a lab
coat. For the second experiment, Galinsky wrote, "Those who wore the doctor's coat, which was
identical to the painter's coat, found more differences. They had acquired heightened attention
solely based on the uniform assigned to them. Those who wore the painter's coat or were primed
with merely seeing the doctor's coat found fewer differences between the images" (Blakeslee).
For the third, the doctor's coat showed the same improvements in attention. To harness this
power, more is needed than mentally assuming the clinical role or identity. It is essential to see
the coat on oneself and feel the material against their skin to influence psychological processes.
My interviewee, Ms. Willgues gave examples affirming the conclusions of these studies
that clothing subconsciously affects one's behavior, aptitude, as well as how one feels about
themself. Her understanding of enclothed cognition is that, "clothing and the perception of its
meaning can influence behavior and performance. A popular case study is when Disneyland had
trouble with high school students behaving badly on Seniors' Day. They instituted a dress code of formal wear for the students and the behavior greatly improved" (Willgues). Like Professor Galinsky's experiments, the student's behavior changed when they wore different apparel or formal wear, which is usually associated with abstract reasoning and philosophy. Because of her
extensive study and instruction in this field, I asked her if she had ever experienced the clothes
she wore shifting her mental state or how she felt about herself. She responded, "When I moved to New York City in my 20s, I had a very soft, innocent demeanor and look. This was 1980s
New York - very rough and tumble. I bought a black motorcycle jacket and it helped me feel a
little tougher and I believe it made me look less of a target. It felt like literal armor and gave me
more confidence."
I had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Rachel Bratlie, an adult psychiatrist who completed her undergraduate degree in Math and Computer Science and attended medical school
followed by her psychiatry residency training. I also asked her if she had ever experienced the
clothes she wore shifting her mental state or how she felt about herself. She explained, "Yes, I
am often much more comfortable in casual attire, even in a workplace setting. Wearing scrubs
helps me feel more relaxed because I am more comfortable. I think also the ritual of changing
into pajamas at the end of the day is another cue for relaxation, slowing/winding down, getting
comfortable" (Bratlie). I also asked her how one could use enclothed cognition as therapy.
Referring to the previous studies conducted, Dr. Bratlie responded, "I thought the attention
results were really interesting and wouldn't it be nice to have a way to help people who could use
improved focus with something that did not have side effects, like some medications?" As both her so's were diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), she explored this concept as a simple treatment to enhance her children's performance, attention, and focus
without harmful medications. While this concept of enclothed cognition can be used to better
performance, behavior, and ultimately set one up for success, can this phenomenon be used to
unite us culturally, see commonalities between oneself and others, and promote acceptance?
Fashion can not exist without culture opined my first interviewee, Ms. Willgues:
Culture is a collective expression by a group of people that includes music, dress, food, literature, shared values, and more... What we call fashion began in the Middle Ages when the middle class emerged after the Crusades. Men started wearing long pants
primarily after the French Revolution as an act of rebellion against the monarchy and nobility. Fashion is a constant evolution. (Willgues)
Historical and cultural context helps to explain how form follows function, and in this case, political activism. The history of traditional dress holds rich meaning contributing to a sense of group identity. The World Almanac for Kids' nonfiction, "Fashion Around the World" details
the various styles and textures people of different cultures around the world would wear. Over
the course of the article, the authors of the book discuss numerous garments from togas to
kimonos as well as their history and use in different time periods. The authors detail cultural
fashion around the globe in order to inform and educate the readers as to the sources and
significance of various garments and clothing styles. They conclude that a large portion of
Western fashion originated in other parts of the world to permeate and influence style in other
continents.
Interestingly, historical fashions from different parts of the world have similarities to one
another. For example, "The tradition of covering one's face or head with a veil was practiced
more than 5,000 years ago in the ancient kingdom of Sumeria, the modern-day Middle East.
Veils were worn to protect the face from desert wind. But some veils revealed the origin, tribe, or even skills of a person. In this tradition, men of the northern African Tuareg tribe wear veils today as a status symbol.." (Fashion Around the World). The book proceeds to describe
different types of shawls and veils worn by Hindus and Muslims to show modesty. The covering
of the head and hair as an expression of modesty in a house of worship has been adopted into
some Orthodox Christian religions in Northern Africa and Eurasia as well. In this case, the
significance and meaning of the clothing article followed the function of the veil.
The utility and versatility of veils demonstrate a convergence of ingenuity in a simple
garment that many cultures have in common. Other commonalities occur in other cultural garb,
designs, and textures by way of borrowing the symbolism of meaning. For example, fashion's most daring hemline, the miniskirt, originating from ancient Egypt, symbolized female empowerment during the '60s. Additionally," ...the first hoop earrings originated circa 2500
B.C.E. in Nubia, an African civilization located in what is now Sudan" (Davis). Now, hoop
earrings are ubiquitous and worn by many people all over the world and continue to be one of the
most enduring fashion trends around. This empowering accessory and staple of Latino/African
culture, symbolizes strength, pride, identity, and resistance to discrimination. Hoop earrings also signify unity, infinity, and wholeness as well as evoke the emotion of pride because it represents Black and Latina culture, roots, and tradition. For young girls, it is a common tradition to receive
a pair of small hoop earrings at a young age from their mothers or grandmothers. The bigger the
hoop, the more mature the girl is in her coming-of-age journey.
Tate Luckey's article, "International Fashion Show combines cultural diversity and
elegant fashion" reinforces the sentiments expressed by Willgues that fashion without the
influence of culture is impossible. The article details a Fashion Show at the University of Louisville that showcased performances and attire portraying cultures present in their
community. Luckey recaps the event, interviewing performers and models, in order to spread
awareness of cultural fashion and celebrate the university's diversity. In this way, students and
staff celebrate the cultural exchange of displaying people's heritage in a manner that is both
respectful and tasteful, carefully navigating the minefield and the stigma of cultural
appropriation that plagued numerous companies (Blazio-Licorish). A balance is struck between
the respectful sharing of clothing traditions and avoidance of representing or speaking for a marginalized or minority group as an outsider.
An intriguing illustration of clothing in common is "Vietnam's traditional outfit known as an 'ào dai,' which both sexes can wear," U of L junior Vivi Nguy said. "The amazing thing about an o dài is that most people who get one are personally fitted and choose their own
designs. This makes it a one-of-a-kind to everyone who wears one" (Luckey). Not only can
different genders wear this Vietnamese garment, but it can be worn by anyone regardless of
Vietnamese heritage. In this way, enclothed cognition can be used to help an outsider feel more a
part of a certain culture or group of people and serve to unify and promote tolerance towards those unlike themselves.
The face of fashion is on the fringe of a transformation. Gone is the era when the idea of
fashion was that of mere functionality or visual appeal. Not only will the consumer become the
model, but the intersection of fashion, psychology, and identity will serve to unite and reflect a
heterogeneous society. There is great power in the ability to choose garments that would influence one's mood, outlook, and cognition - a new, drug-free psychological tool. Just a! professional attire has been associated with abstract thinking and more formal clothing leading to
improved behavior, this concept in the field of embodied cognition can be implemented to gain
broader perspectives and empathy by donning wardrobes of diverse heritage. By envisioning a
"United Threads of America" - reflective of multiethnic origins, gender-inclusive, ethical,
sustainable, and affordable clothing - future generations will aspire to innovate and lead in
cultural awareness, acceptance and unity by melding principles from fashion and psychology in
design as an artistic reflection of multicultural commonality. If one dresses for the role, they will
live it.
Works Cited
Blakeslee, Sandra. "Mind games: sometimes a white coat isn't just a white coat." New York
Times, 3 Apr. 2012, p. D3(L). Gale In Context: High School,
SUIC&xid-9426451e
Blazio-Licorish, Tonya, et al. "How Cultural Appropriation Became a Hot-Button Issue
for Fashion." Women's Wear Daily, 5 Nov. 2020, https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-
features/how-cultural-appropriation-became-a-hot-button-issue-for-fashion-1234579968/.
Bratlie, Rachel. Psychiatrist. Video Interview. 26 March 2022.
Davis, Deven. "A Brief History of Hoop Earrings." Roma Designer Jewelry, Roma
Designer Jewelry, 29 July 2019,
earrings#:~:text-The%20first%20hoop%20earrings%20originated,other%20cultures%20around%20the%20world
"Fashion Around the World." Infobase Publishing, New York, 2010. eLibrary,
Gebicki, Michael. "Head for Fashion." Sun Herald, 22 Mar 2020, pp. 28. eLibrary,
Luckey, Tate. "International Fashion Show Combines Cultural Diversity and Elegant Fashion." University Wire, 02 Feb 2022. eLibrary,
Maldonado, Anabel. "Shopping Personalized by Personality." PSYKHE, 2019,
Miller, Jennifer. "The Dress Doctor Is In." The New York Times, 12 Apr. 2018,
Willgues, Joan. College Professor. Email Interview. 13 March 2022.
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