Strut Your Rhetoric

     Appearance is everything. It was everything decades ago and it is everything now. Your hair, your attire, your facial expressions, and the way you walk establish stereotypes regardless if it was your intent or not. You can change your appearance to create different labels as well. Are you feeling down today? Throw on some black. You are in a fraternity? Those Sperry’s, Easter egg shirt color, and khaki shorts never suggested that. Just broke up with your boyfriend? You should definitely cut and color your hair, you know, slap on the “new me” look. The tip top of the head to the shoelaces on your sneakers scream certain qualities that either you want or just can't seem to escape no matter what you do. Let’s talk about the rhetoric that you unknowingly exhibit.

    From the jump we initiated this rhetorical discrimination. Cigars and mini baseball caps equals a boy and bright colored bows coupled with pink dresses equals a girl. As age increases, clothes begin to neutralize themselves, but if a male would ever wear a dress, uncomfortable and shocked glances would be shot his way no matter his age.

      Then we hit adolescence, and music, pop culture, and trending fashion takes control. Middle school demonstrates how the majority of individuals develop their own personal style and it continues throughout high school or changes completely into what others deem as “popular.” For example, if you are a girl and you do not own a pair of Uggs or something of the sort, then what country do you live in? Because it sure is not America.

      College is the point in time where students claim they are “too grown” to care what others think about them, therefore, t-shirts and sweatshirts with their university’s logo on them are all the rage. When age continues to advance, people wear attire that they feel matches their generation. Moms are expected to never be caught dead in a mini skirt and wedges just like grandfathers probably wouldn’t wear a shirt that says “national beer pong champion.”

     Age is not the only thing that is obvious through clothing, but things like personality are as well. Certain stigmas are attached to the girl sporting the skin tight black mini dress with pumps compared to the refined girl with a turtle neck and flats on.

     It is entirely our fault that these clothes state these assumptions on people. Judging is human nature. Clothing cannot speak, but it sure can say a lot.