Expression of personality through dressing

Abstract

Clothing and fashion allow the multiplication of multiple personalities into one human being. The tendency to be "someone else", even if it is only with some detail in the clothes, is based on the possibility of transformation of the individual. That transformation is done by masking man, more precisely, the aspiration of one person to transform at least for a short period of time. The possibilities offered by fashion, that a person can be someone else with the help of clothes, cosmetics or make-up are really great. One of the most important functions of clothing and apparel is to achieve a sense of spiritual balance. In fact, with the help of clothing, certain shortcomings of a person are compensated and, in that way, a certain psychological balance is achieved. The extent to which following fashion reduces the feeling of inferiority is seen in the fact that in most countries fashion is most closely followed by young people and immigrants, because it seems to them that dressing according to the latest fashion equals them with others.

Full text

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TEKSTILNA INDUSTRIJA · Broj 1 · 2021
EXPRESSION OF PERSONALITY THROUGH DRESSING
Jordan Efremov1*, Marija Kertakova2, Vangja Dimitrijeva Kuzmanovska1
1 Art Academy, University „Goce Delcev“, Stip, Republic Nort of Macedonia
2 Technological and Technical Faculty, University „Goce Delcev”,
Stip, Republic Nort of Macedonia
* e-mail: jordan.efremov@ugd.edu.mk
Abstract: Clothing and fashion allow the multiplication of multiple personalities into one human being. The
tendency to be “someone else”, even if it is only with some detail in the clothes, is based on the possibility of
transformation of the individual. That transformation is done by masking man, more precisely, the aspiration
of one person to transform at least for a short period of time. The possibilities o ered by fashion, that a person
can be someone else with the help of clothes, cosmetics or make-up are really great. One of the most important
functions of clothing and apparel is to achieve a sense of spiritual balance. In fact, with the help of clothing, cer-
tain shortcomings of a person are compensated and, in that way, a certain psychological balance is achieved.
The extent to which following fashion reduces the feeling of inferiority is seen in the fact that in most countries
fashion is most closely followed by young people and immigrants, because it seems to them that dressing ac-
cording to the latest fashion equals them with others.
Keywords: fashion, clothing, personality typesl, socio-cultural environment, psychology.
IZRAŽAVANJE LIČNOSTI KROZ ODEVANJE
Apstrakt: Odeća i moda, omogućavaju umnožavanje nekoliko različitih ličnosti u jednom čoveku. Težnja da
budemo „neko drugi“, čak iako je to samo sa nekim detaljima u odeći, zasniva se na mogućnosti naše transfor-
macije, tačnije transformacije nekog pojedinca. Ta transformacija se na neki način vrši maskiranjem čoveka,
tačnije težnjom jedne osobe da se transformiše bar na kratak vremenski period. Mogućnosti koje nudi moda,
tako da osoba uz pomoć odeće, kozmetike ili šminke bar na trenutak ili u nekom odrеđenom periodu, može biti
neko „drugi“, zaista su sjajne. Jedna od najvažnijih funkcija odeće, je postizanje osećaja duhovne ravnoteže.
Zapravo se uz pomoć odeće nadoknađuju određeni nedostaci kod osobe i na taj način se postiže određena
psihološka ravnoteža. U kojoj meri praćenje mode smanjuje osećaj inferiornosti, vidi se po tome što u većini
zemalja modu najviše prate mladi ljudi i imigranti, jer im se čini da ih oblačenje po poslednjoj modi izjednačava
sa drugima.
Ključne reči: moda, odevanje, tipovi ličnosti, sociokulturno okruženje, psihologija.
Professional paper
UDC: 391:646:159.928
doi: 10.5937/tekstind2101028E
1. INTRODUCTION
One of the most important components of fash-
ion and clothing is that every person strives to express
themselves in some way through clothing. The di er-
ent ways of dressing, then the di erent psychological
characteristics of di erent people, lead to the fact that
a person can successfully express the characteristics
of his mental structure, precisely through clothing
and fashion. The expressiveness one of the most im-
portant functions of clothing and out t is to achieve
a spiritual balance. In fact, through clothes and cloth-
ing, certain shortcomings in the person are supple-
mented and, in that way, a certain, as we said, spiritual
or psychological balance is achieved.
There are many possibilities and ways to achieve
these goals through dressing, such as masking the
person during dressing, then achieving spiritual and

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TEKSTILNA INDUSTRIJA · Broj 1 · 2021
psychological balance through clothing and compen-
sating for that feeling of inferiority through clothing.
The social status of the person can be successfully
displayed through the dressing. Clothes can show a
person’s status through many di erent things, for ex-
ample, through the colors of the clothes, through its
quality and its price, and even through the material
from which the clothes are made i.e., as we have said
through its quality. It has been proven by several sci-
entists that clothes, in one way or another, can cap-
ture and display the social status of a person, but we
will talk about that in the following text of this article.
New research also shows that the style of dress af-
fects a person’s thinking. Whether it be smart casual,
formal, business formal or casual, each of these ways
of dressing inspires and motivates di erent ways of
thinking in the person who practices such ways of
dressing.
In this article we will try to explain these few as-
pects of how and in what ways a person can express
himself through fashion, through clothes and through
dress.
2. PERSONALITY MASKING AND
DRESSING
Clothing and fashion, as we have said, enable the
multiplication of several personalities in one human
being. The tendency to be “someone else”, even if it is
only with some detail in the clothes, is based on the
possibility of transformation of the individual. That
transformation is done by masking man. The possibil-
ities o ered by fashion, so that a person with the help
of clothes, cosmetics or make-up can be someone
else are really great [1].
Disguise while dressing allows the individual to
move towards greater freedom. However, in the opin-
ion of some analysts, disguise often entails hypocrisy.
In fashion disguise, a person transforms and pre-
tends to be someone else, who may or may not exist.
However, fashion disguise is similar to just one type of
game and this kind of disguise is not intended, to lie
or deceive someone, but o ers relaxation of the per-
son and o ers the opportunity to discover oneself as
a new person. Because of that man feels and behaves
much freer. The unit through this “game” of dressing,
transforms into someone else, without losing their
identity.
For example, if you compare the appearance of a
hippie with the appearance of a Chinese red guard,
you can see the complete contrast. The clothes and
the way of dressing completely modify the human
appearance.
Di erent socio-cultural environments and di er-
ent situations dictate the fashion and processes of
masking the individual, who tends to present himself
in a new style. Clothing, make-up, coloring or make-
up, wearing a beard or mustache in a man, as well as
Figure 1: Karen J. Pine. Mind What You Wear: The Psychology of Fashion. Kindle, 2014,
The clothes of the red guard in China, compared to clothes from the period of the hippie movement

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TEKSTILNA INDUSTRIJA · Broj 1 · 2021
some other elements of make-up, often have exactly
that purpose for masking the person [2].
Fashion o ers great opportunities for an individ-
ual to be able, at least “formally” through clothing, to
approach and identify with some type of personali-
ty, who dominates at a certain time and in a certain
space. However, by exploring one’s own expression, in
this game it is necessary to  nd the right measure and
limit, which will ensure the person does not neglect
his other own qualities and lose his identity.
3. ACHIEVING SPIRITUAL AND
PSYHOLOGICAL BALANCE THROUGH
CLOTHING
One of the most important functions of clothing
and apparel is to achieve a sense of spiritual balance.
In fact, with the help of clothing, certain shortcomings
of the person are compensated and, in that way, a cer-
tain psychological balance is achieved. In this case it
is about one, if we can say compensatory function of
clothing, which is a certain mechanism by which the
body defends itself. If a person has a feeling of infe-
riority, she often tries to make up for the shortcom-
ings that negatively a ect her through clothing and
fashion. This function of clothing, to compensate for
certain elements or shortcomings, is put in the fore-
ground through the very meaning that a costume has
for the individual [3].
The world of culture is important to man. It is a
continuous process in which the creative thought and
the imagination are intertwined with what has already
been created, and in that way they themselves are re-
alized, more precisely, materialized. Because in mod-
ern society, spiritual culture is increasingly expressed
through material forms. That is why abstract scienti c
and artistic ideas also penetrate material products.
So, such ideas shape objects for everyday use, change
the means or tools for work, residential buildings, ma-
chines, clothes, human relations and more.
This means that the material objects and products
where the clothes belong, but also the other products
that we have mentioned, are in fact signs that carry
with them a certain meaning. Clothes are a sign that
indicates the person who wears them.
It emphasizes his social status, his class, his ethi-
cal, urban, rural or some other a liation. So, the cos-
tume is a kind of sign that indicates certain meanings.
Every person can communicate with other people
with the help of signs, including clothes. Of course,
the signs should be di erent from each other. Name-
ly, the clothes that are conditioned by the class, eth-
ical or professional determinants, should be di erent
Figure 2: Karen J. Pine. Mind What You Wear: The Psychology of Fashion. Kindle, 2014,
Masking the man with a beard and mustache

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TEKSTILNA INDUSTRIJA · Broj 1 · 2021
from the clothes through which the person wants to
compensate or make up for certain shortcomings. In
such cases, the dress and clothing, as we have already
said, serve as compensation, in order for the person to
be psychologically con rmed.
Compensation has a role to play in the need for
prominence and the desire to come out of anonym-
ity. Given that fashion often changes, every fashion
change opens a “new chance” for those people who
think that the fashion that has passed may not “ t
them well”, more precisely it does not suit them, which
of course in some way reduces their inferiority [4].
4. COMPENSATING FOR
THE FEELING OF INFERIORITY
THROUGH CLOTHING
To what extent, following fashion reduces the
feeling of inferiority is seen in the fact that, especially
in the United States, young people and immigrants
follow fashion most closely, because it seems to them
that dressing according to the latest American fash-
ion equals them with other Americans. It somehow
reduces their uncomfortable but basically justi ed
feeling that they are second- or third-class citizens in
that country. The situation is similar with the smaller
cities in a country i.e., in the cities from the interior
in relation to the capital. In fact, following the fashion
there is often more pronounced than in the capital, or
in the larger centers.
This phenomenon is exactly because of the feel-
ing of inferiority or the so-called “province complex”
and the desire to equalize with the big centers. But
there are smaller cities where the textile industry is
actually developed, so that is why such textile centers
do not have this complex of inferiority compared to
the big cities. It is so, because of the fact that exact-
ly from these small textile centers the latest fashion
trends are created intended for an entire country, and
beyond, more precisely, fashion pieces are exported
to other countries in Europe and in the world [5].
There are various reasons why a person has a
feeling of inferiority, which he wants to suppress
and complement through clothing. For example,
when a person in an environment can’t a rm himself
through certain values, then he seeks the expression
of a rmation through fashion i.e., through clothing.
The person through the signs of the costume, strives
to create a certain meaning which is a surrogate, i.e.,
copying a certain status, beauty or prestige in a cer-
tain environment. In fact, the way of dressing, should
in some way serve to gain some recognition from the
environment towards that person.
Often the costume is a sign that indicates a cer-
tain status and speaks about the psychology of the
person. But the costume can often be a false copy of
both the status and the psychology of that person. All
other functions of clothing such as protective, erotic,
aesthetic and others can actually be included or cat-
egorized in that compensatory or additional function
of clothing. It conditionally provides the person with
a spiritual and psychological balance in certain situa-
tions.
For example, bizarre and striking clothing is often
accompanied by inappropriate behavior, such as ar-
rogance, bullying, etc. This is usually just a manifesta-
tion of a compensatory and compensatory behavior.
Namely, in this way a person wants to draw attention
to himself and thus alleviate the feeling such as: “I am
nobody and nothing”, from which feeling most often
su er the most immature “heroes” of a society. But
compensation or compensation in a person’s behav-
ior does not always have to be socially undesirable
and negative. There are cases where this encourages
the weaker to become stronger.
For example, a frail and sick boy may be encour-
aged to become the best student in his class. In that
way, the boy will make up for his inferiority to the
stronger children if he were with them on a meadow
or on a playground.
In such cases it is a matter of super compensation,
it is a mechanism that encourages people who have a
real problem. In fact, in this way, with persistent exer-
cise, they manage not only to compensate and over-
come that problem, but to achieve even more than
the others, i.e., to overcome other people [6].
5. DEMONSTRATION OF STATUS AND
PERSONALITY, MODERN TYPES OF
STATUS AND POWER
How can clothes show a certain status? Clothes
can show a person’s status through many di erent
things, for example, the colors of their clothes, the
price of the clothes, and even the material from which
those clothes are made. For example, according to
some scientists, clothes still show your status in one
way or another. For example, clothing colors are often
used to mark or label people, so many people will as-
sume that black will be the color of Gothic style, but of
course this may not always be true.

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TEKSTILNA INDUSTRIJA · Broj 1 · 2021
However, in the Tudor period, which is histori-
cally in English history between 1485 and 1558 and
corresponds to the Tudor dynasty, also known as the
Elizabethan period, the color of clothing was used for
many purposes. Then, for example, the color purple
was allowed to be worn only by the royal family, so it
was used to determine the social status of a certain
person, i.e., how much wealth and  nancial resources
he possesses.
Many di erent materials can be used to make
di erent types of clothing. But they all cost di erent-
ly, from polyester and nylon, which are among the
cheapest, to silk, which is one of the most expensive.
The more expensive materials were usually carried by
royal families or some wealthier people, so that they
could show how much money they had and how
much wealth they possessed.
The cost of clothing is determined by many di er-
ent things, and one of them is for example the price
of the materials used. Throughout history, rich people
- the royal family and similar – wore more expensive
clothes, to be able somehow to stand out from the
poor people. Nowadays, such status di erentiation
between people is done through uniquely designed
clothes, which many people buy in order to stand out
from the rest in some way.
The way we dress is the way we express our per-
sonality. Every person who wants to be nicely dressed,
tries to have an authentic, unique and original style,
which is re ected through the use of certain colors
and other fashion details depending on the person.
Also, through the clothes and through the way peo-
ple dress, sometimes it can be emphasized what their
preoccupation is or to emphasize what they should
emphasize and express if they should wear the uni-
form for example. So, in the army, maybe many things
can be expressed according to the costume of the
clothes and according to its color - the camou age.
Dressing children in some schools in uniform is also
a way for that school to be di erent from another
school and to stand out with its di erent individuality
and di erent occupations [7].
6. CLOTHES CHANGE ACCORDING
TO THE WAY THEY ARE WORN
BY A PERSON
If you have ever seen the rehearsal process in a
play, then you know how powerful the costumes
themselves can look in it. Even at a very early stage
of the project, professional actors will come to prac-
tice the role dressed in certain pieces of clothing,
which is made for that purpose, in order to feel more
immersed in the character of the role. It could be old
shoes, then a long, heavy skirt or something. These
pieces of clothing help the actors a lot to get exactly
that real impact on the role, to get the right motiva-
tion and bene t, to look convincing and to be able to
reach the zenith of the stage through the play.
A few weeks later, when the actors are closer to
the premiere, they already have the real rehearsal
with their real costumes. It is quite amazing, but also
nice to see how the real clothes that the actors wear at
the performances, leads to a completely new level of
presentation and to see how those clothes transform
the actor into the character. In fact, the costumes that
the actors wear in the play complement and shape
the overall theatrical act on stage. As business profes-
sionals in any  eld, we can actually learn a lot from
this example.
One may or may not like it, but it is an indisput-
able fact that the clothes and the way it is presented
and presented by a certain person, says a lot about
that person. It is very important that the person
knows how to wear the clothes that are on it. To be
able to take o the clothes he is wearing in style. The
question is not whether the person is very obsessed
or preoccupied with fashion, but how that person
consciously or unconsciously communicates with
the environment through her fashion choices when
dressing. Just as the actor in the real costume moves
Figure 3: Karen J. Pine. Mind What You Wear:
The Psychology of Fashion. Kindle, 2014, It is very
important that the person knows how to wear the
clothes he is wearing and to be able
to show it in style.

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TEKSTILNA INDUSTRIJA · Broj 1 · 2021
and speaks di erently, so the person does it every day
in everyday life [8].
The clothes tell a certain story about that person.
If a person wants to show that her work is clean, del-
icate and precise, then she will dress in clean fashion
lines, in elegant suits, with an emphasis on sharp folds
and lines, with an emphasis on shoes and a tie. Even
the way the glass is held, for example, can speak for
you and your work.
7. THE IMPORTANCE OF
DETAILS IN CLOTHIG
Research shows that you can learn a lot about a
person, about their political a liation, about their sta-
tus, about their age, about their income, just by sim-
ply noticing a detail of their clothes. It is considered
that the most common indicator to recognize some
of these features of a person, for example, is to notice
his shoes.
It can also be seen that sometimes high-rank-
ing politicians, with the intention of approaching
the working class, are often dressed very modestly
and simply. For example, former US President Barack
Obama often addressed the crowd of working-class
Americans, without a suit in only one shirt, with the
sleeves bent halfway up his arm. In that way, the pres-
ident actually indirectly informs the audience, i.e. the
people that he is also a great worker.
A few years ago, the forty-fourth page of the dress
code was discovered in the Swiss bank UBS, which
was attacked by viruses and hacked, and it revealed
many interesting details about the dress code in the
Swiss banks. Namely, all the obsessive provisions in
the dress code were revealed, which are de ned and
written in detail.
Starting with the reasonable ones, such as: If you
wear a watch, it suggests security, and that accuracy is
due to the great care you have for the company, down
to the purely invasive or imposed rules that were im-
posed on employees. Starting with how they should
shower, how they should use perfume or lotion, how
to wear underwear and suggestions that they should
not eat garlic during the week.
Those who wrote these dress codes at this bank
may have been control freaks or weirdos, but UBS got
a certain image that way, and that is that every detail
of a visual representation of an employee of this com-
pany re ects something about themselves.
When a woman dresses or arranges her hair, she
should consider what it says about her and whether it
is in line with the message she wants to send. It is not
a question of whether she is right or not, but simply of
the context in which it is perceived [9].
A man’s tie can give the impression that he looks
con dent and in some way such a look is rooted in
tradition. This can be a very important fashion rule in
an investment company, where clients want to know
that you are serious about managing their capital. But
also, by blindly adhering to that fashion code with a
tie, you can create the opposite e ect. Speci cally,
this way of dressing can give some of the investors the
impression that you are an outdated type, which may
be resistant to the changes that the investor would
require. Such a strict and formal dress can also some-
times seem inappropriate for a young investor who
wants to create a modern company, with technolog-
ical changes, which are a prerequisite for the techno-
logical development of that company.
8. CLOTHING HAS AN EFFECT
ON OUR THINKING
For increasing self-con dence and increasing
the feeling of self-proof, of course very important is
dressing in the so-called smart clothes. But the style
of dress costs much more than just sending certain
messages to our minds and to those around us.
New research shows that dress style actually af-
fects the way we think. One study found that a pro-
fessional suit, whether male or female, enhances
people’s abstract thinking and gives them a broader
perspective on their thinking. So, a tie could actually
be a key element in expressing your business crea-
tivity.
“The formality of the clothes can a ect the
way other people perceive a person. The formali-
ty of the clothes also a ects how people perceive
themselves. But it can also in uence other people in
making speci c business decisions. “Such an impact
actually refers to very important situations, and one
of the most signi cant is the impact on the negotia-
tion process, especially in those business contacts,”
the study said.
Professional clothing also in some way creates a
status distance in professional work. When a person,
for example, has a kind of status distance through
clothes, then he tries to think and communicate in an
abstract way with the people he works with, i.e., by
using more distant and in some way abstract terms. In
such socially and status-driven circumstances, for ex-
ample, we address those people by the name or title

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TEKSTILNA INDUSTRIJA · Broj 1 · 2021
they have, rather than by addressing them personally,
or rather by their personal name.
Even when controlling the socio-economic status
of certain schools, the students in those schools where
they wear more formal clothing showed a stronger
inclination towards abstract communication, i.e., a
more inclination towards a formal relationship with
teachers [10].
9. CREATING A STRONG SHORT –
LIVED OR FLASHY IMPRESSION
THROUGH CLOTHING
Usually, we all process visual details instantly
through a process called  ash impression. This is when
the brain makes judgments in milliseconds based on
a new stimulus provoked by a particular sight. It often
happens even without us knowing or being aware of
it. We can sometimes get the feeling that we do not
trust someone else or vice versa, that someone else is
much more con dent and secure than us, and often
we are not even aware of it.
This feeling in the stomach is often called intui-
tion, premonition or  rst impression. It is really part of
the very fast mental process of the so-called  ash scan
of a certain scene in our brain and is similar to when,
for example, we would constantly and daily evaluate
the quality of books according to their external de-
sign or cover [11].
That is why we need to choose our appearance
carefully. Appearance does not only include our
clothes, but also the accompanying accessories, then
the hairstyle, the smell, the posture, the tone of voice,
the energy level with which we move, talk, etc.
In fact, we should imagine the person we would
like to be in any situation. Then we have to get
dressed, tidy our hair, i.e., hairstyle, to sort out certain
fashion accessories and to act in a way that will help
us mentally enter that imaginary person.
If we go somewhere to do a certain thing, then we
should wear a striking color, we should conditionally
say “roll up our sleeves” and speak boldly with an accent
tone and diction. If we are going to have a certain so-
cial communication, meeting a certain person at a gala
evening, at an event or a party, then we need to be per-
sistent, but to speak in a gentle tone. Women can a ord
more open and relaxed clothes, but with moderation.
It is the same as when, for example, we are going
to have fun somewhere on a long weekend and then
we intentionally bring less food with us, and thus we
will probably be able to avoid those excess comforts
that we would have there.
Taking self-control with the intention and pur-
pose of how we will be dressed and what our appear-
ance will be, is a good step in strengthening ourselves,
in achieving our goals. It is an opportunity to live a
more lucid or meaningful life, in which our decisions
will come  rst. That is why we need to be careful and
know that the whole world is a kind of wide and open
stage [12].
10. CONCLUSION
From all the above observations that clothing
can have a great impact on a person to express their
personality, it can be concluded that there are more
ways and more opportunities to achieve such expres-
sion through clothing. In fact, it is sometimes not the
end goal of a person. On the contrary, if we can say
so, the self-expression of the person through fashion
and clothing, usually happens intuitively, without any
intention and purpose, but it usually depends on the
character traits of the person, then it depends on his
creativity, meaning or talent that a person possesses
it for his fashion expression, and of course from the
 nancial possibilities, which are provided to such
a person to achieve it. However, through all these
conclusions, it is once again proved that fashion and
clothing are a phenomenon that penetrates deep into
the aesthetic and psychological characteristics of the
person, so all these components make fashion even
more exciting and irresistible.
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____________
Primljeno/Received on: 29.12.2020.
Revidirano/ Revised on: 16.02.2021.
Prihvaćeno/Accepted on: 19.02.2021.
______________________________
© 2021 Authors. Published by Union of Textile Engineers
and Technicians of Serbia. This article is an open access
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