By Natalie Brooks, Grand Valley State University

We spend a lot of time thinking about how we want to be perceived by others. The way that people see us can have an effect on what we feel our identity is. Observations about clothes, body language, and cleanliness among others tell your brain how to perceive the person standing in front of you. Plenty of people spend large amounts of time deciding how to make sure that they always make a specific kind of first impression, to show that they are a specific kind of person. Some might say that the problem is that the culture and views of the other person will affect their perception of your specific choices. That problem doesn’t matter so much when the main result of all of your conscious decisions is confidence in who you are and who you want to be. Fashion is often the vessel for discovering your identity.

Identity, in the simplest of terms, is ‘who you are.’ The Children’s Society, a London based organisation that strives to empower young people, tells us that “having an identity can give you a sense of belonging, which is important to your wellbeing and confidence.” A lack of identity and identity loss can happen at any point in life, and there are many different ways to discover who you are, but one way that you can do that, regardless of your age, is by experimenting with fashion.

‘Fashion’ is a term that includes many different subsections. From the different types of tops and bottoms to accessories like shoes and rings, fashion is all encompassing. It is often described as an expressive medium. Carolyn Mair, a fashion psychologist, says that “we use our clothing to express our individuality, identify with a group, symbolise our culture and traditions and even communicate our gender preference and social standing.” For example, each and every one of us, consciously or subconsciously, pick out clothing every day that society feels matches the gender we identify with. Some people prefer to wear designer clothing with obvious logo usage to express to others that they have money. Some people exclusively wear certain colours to take advantage of the meaning associated with that colour, or just to show that it’s their favourite one.

Not only does fashion help to tell others who you are, but it can also make a huge difference on how you feel about yourself. A common motto in the female weightlifting community is “look good, lift good.” This essentially means that feeling comfortable and cute will help you perform better during exercise. Despite criticism from other gym goers, many women opt to wear matching workout sets, different variations of sports bras, shorts, leggings, tops, sweatshirts, etc. or do their makeup or hair to provide that confidence boost.

Fashion is also a huge part of culture, and as we know, culture plays a huge part in who we are. Certain fashion styles and trends reflect traditional or common items in certain different cultures. Kilts are reflective of Scottish culture and history, Saris are reflective of Indian culture and history, and flamenco dresses are reflective of Spain, to name a few. The sharing of clothing items like this, whether it by physically or in images, creates and reinforces cultural identity.

A lot of fashion trends are not inclusive to people whose cultures or religions prevent them from wearing certain types of clothing. The people who fall into these categories, however, find ways to either incorporate trends in combination with their clothing preferences or create new styles that can help them and their communities join in a unifying identity. Sportswear is often inaccessible for those who wear hijabs as typical hijab materials can be uncomfortable in exercise settings. In early 2017, Nike announced their Pro Hijab. Nike wasn’t the first company to do this, but they were the biggest and most mainstream. While this announcement sparked some controversy online, it also opened the doors for a lot of people to more easily participate in exercise and competitive sport. On top of that, it validated the presence of hijab-wearers in sport and in the world. The visibility of a woman in a hijab in mainstream media showed that whoever identifies with it is valid and seen, and most importantly, accepted.

Discovering fashion that is inclusive of the part of your identity that you already know can be life changing for a lot of people. Culture is vital to identity, which makes culture a vital part of fashion. Scottish-Japanese artist Maya Caulfield decided to create that cultural accessibility for herself by creating her own tartan kimono. The 18 year old wanted to see her cultural ancestry combined in some way, and she achieved it in a way that made her feel visible when looked at with a passing glance. The popularity of this garment on social media showed others with the same heritage that they aren’t alone and that they’re appreciated.

When we take a moment to look at those around us, we see different parts of the world and its history coming together with feeling. Whether it’s feeling validated or feeling comfortable, our clothing helps us to identify who we are and express that to the world. We often find ourselves greatly identifying with our culture, especially cultural clothing styles. Aspects of identity can be found just about everywhere, but it’s important that we remember just how much fashion plays a role in that.