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__The Surface of Depth__

__What Your Clothes Might Be Saying About You__ by Ben C. Fletcher

It is often said that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover, **but** human beings are much more prone to making "snap judgements" than they realize. Fletcher introduces and describes a number of scientific studies in which people were asked to make assumptions about a number of different people in pictures by looking solely at their clothes. The differences between the clothing choices of these people were subtle, with the skirt an inch longer or shorter or a button undone here and there. It seems, however, that it is still possible to make a radically different first impression, "after just a 3-second exposure," with these subtle changes. Men wearing tailored suits, for example, tend to come across as more favorable than men wearing pre-made suits, even if both suits generally look the same. Snap judgments can also vary based on status; the senior manager of a large firm gives off a better impression by not dressing as provocatively ("provocatively" meaning a skirt slightly above the knee with one button undone, "still very conservative in style and look" ), but the receptionist is percieved in the same manner despite these minor clothing differences. Impressions can even be made as early as during one's childhood; one study shows a teacher making assumptions about a child's academic ability based on their clothing choices. ** While Fletcher claims that ** "it is important to choose our dress style carefully" as a result of these experiments, such studies are really proof that humans are too judgemental and we shoul care less about what people think.

Works Cited Fletcher, Ben C., Dr. "What Your Clothes Might Be Saying About You." Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers, LLC, 20 Apr. 2013. Web. 13 June 2014. .