Clothes do more for us than most think. Some people think of clothing as a materialistic that some may put too much focus on, i.e. the fashion industry. While others may think of clothing as just something we used to cover our private areas and a way to avoid an indecent exposure ticket. While there may be some truth to both thoughts on clothing, clothing does way more than that.
There are studies that show over 30,000 years ago, humans started wearing clothing for decorative or symbolic purposes. The origin of clothing as stated here in this article was simple to protect us from being cold in the winter and protect us from being burned from the sun when it winter. So long story short, humans wearing clothes has been a thing for a long time.
With that being said, we see that eventually humans realized clothes could do more for us than protect us from weather. They eventually realized that clothing can be used as non-verbal communication. People use clothes to signify their age, gender, political views and economic class. Also, different cultures, religion and groups use clothing to non-verbally communicate their beliefs, customs and history.
People have a plethora of ways of expressing themselves using clothing. Some people are what some would say over the top with their expressions, or some are what some would call basic. Clothing speaks for us before we open our mouths to say anything, which is why having clothing that falls in line with truly reflects your personality is important. Because I would be lying if I said people do not judge people based on from the clothes they wear. First impressions matter and I go into more detail about that in this blog post.
Think about preparing for a presentation or speech for a speaking gig. You work to be sure what the words that you use not only resonate with the audience but also make sure that words you use sounds like you. The same should be done when choosing your clothing. Your clothing should speak to the person you are, your brand and what it represents. If your clothing is speaking to a person outside of you, or giving off that you do not care about yourself and how you look, that can be off-putting when meeting new people or speaking in front of an audience.
For this reason, I advise to stay ready so you do not have to get ready daily. How you can ensure you always nail your non-verbal communication is by knowing your style personality, body type and what you want your style messaging to be. Knowing these things will set you up to dress for success every day for your professional and personal lifestyles.
Also, it will make getting dressed fun and not such a chore or something that is so stressful. If you go to your closet and hate the clothes you see in there, that can affect your mood. Putting on clothes you hate is a mood killer. Why would you want to be in a foul mood every day from something you put on your body?
All that does is communicate to others that you are in a foul mood, which can cause others to perceive you to be something that you are not. See how that works. Clothing has power which is why you should put effort into your wardrobe to make sure you have clothes in it that makes you feel amazing, confident and the power Rich Auntie that I know you really are.
It would not be right to tell you how clothes affects communication and not give you some examples of ways you can use non-verbal communication to slay the girls on and off the stage for my speakers or even for those of you reading who are not speakers.
So let’s get to it!
The Stylish Party Girl
The outfit speaks for the woman who likes to be seen and is not afraid of being the center of attention. A woman who wears a look like this is a fan of color and has the personality to match. She is a cross between a drama and creative style personality.
The President of Rich Auntie’s
This woman likes to look good and does it the most of classic of ways color wise. Black represents strength and sophistication and this look does exactly that. A woman who wears this wants to the world to know that she is pretty, pulled and can professional if needed.
Apeshit
This woman wants to communicate that she is about all the fashions and trends. This look is inspired by Beyonce’s look in the Apeshit video but she is wearing Blue to represent Blue-Ivy because she is a member of the B-Hive. A woman who wears this is confident and red carpet ready.
Corporate Boss Babe
This woman is an executive at Vogue and exudes power and courage to be daring enough to wear white to work. She has more of a classic style personality but doesn’t mind adding a touch of drama in this case would be the shoes.
Free Spirited Fashionista
This woman is a free spirit and loves to express herself with bright colors because they reflect her personality. While she is free spirited and does not like looking to “stuffy” she is all about quality. She wants to make sure all the colorful pieces she purchases lasts.
Classic Bombshell
The woman who wears this enjoys a classic slay. She is not a big fan of color but she can play with colors using accessories. This woman knows her way around her closet. She wants to look powerful and stylish, so she invests in pieces that help her exude that.
Pattern Mixing Diva
This looks screams creative style personality. A creative woman who is into style doesn’t follow rules, which means is why she is not afraid to mix a pattern or two. This look is perfect for the night out on the town during hot girl summer.
Legally Blonde Girl Realness
This woman is young, professional and stylish. She wants to be taken seriously but also wants to express her femininity while doing so. Pink and grey together is such a vibe, they compliment each other so well. This woman is snatching lace fronts and taking names, PERIODT.
Slaying In The City
I cannot pinpoint which character on Sex and The City would wear this, its between Charlotte and Carrie but either way, it’s cute. This woman is a little more classic like Charlotte but is not afraid of color like Carrie. This woman would wear this look out for Sunday Brunch and shopping afterwards. Slaying in a look like this is light work for a woman who would wear this.
Samantha Jones
Samantha Jones would so wear this. The purse is a little much, but we know Samantha likes her a good attention grabbing bag, remember the Herme’s fiasco, lol. A woman who is powerful, sexy and stylish would wear this to work and then galavant her way to happy hour after work in this same look.
There is a lot of communication going on with these looks and they are not even on a body. Imagine if you rocked one of these looks, how do you think people would perceive you in them? Does any of these looks reflect your personality? If so, take inspiration from them to add to your own wardrobe and see if you feel any different once you rock them.
All I ask is that whichever looks you choose as inspiration, have fun when you wear them. It’s very important not to lose the fun aspect of fashion, or else why even bother.