Dressed to Impress: Clothing and Culture

Posted by : Jacqueline Ahmed, Manager of Training Operations, EMEA and Americas .

During a recent travel to to a supporter in the Canary Islands, he remarked, “ I can spot the british people here at a glance. ” I asked him how, and he replied, “ By their dress, their style. ” This got me thinking about dress as a cultural phenomenon. Our invest communicates information about ourselves, our social position and club ’ sulfur values. The interpretation of styles of preen is inescapably conducted through the lens of our cultural orientation .

What do your clothes say about you?

Our dress can signify religious beliefs ( a nun ’ south habit, a Hassidic Jew ’ second dress, a Muslim abaya ), a meaning event in our lives ( a wedding dress, mourning clothes, prom equip ), or our sense of belonging to a subculture ( Scouts consistent, sports team break ), and our activities ( work uniform, sportswear ).

We can besides look at historical trends through the changing views of what is deemed “ acceptable ” clothing. In some societies, it used to be unthinkable for women to wear trousers, or for people to venture outside without a hat, but over clock these social “ rules ” have changed and both are now common. In early societies, those norms are still in place, and in others however, they never existed in the first example. Social and cultural values such as modesty and decency are profoundly linked with our clothe .

The duration of shorts or skirts, ripped jeans, exposure of certain areas of the body…. these are all subjugate to differing perceptions and judgements by versatile cultures around the global. similarly, how clothing is worn is a matter of sociable norm, for example, a shirt tucked in or not, removing shoes on entering a house, removing a befit jacket during a touch. The erosion of sealed colours can be load with meaning besides. A color that is seen as causeless in some countries can signify death or bad fortune elsewhere. For exemplar, wearing bright colours in a occupation environment in India is viewed positively, but elsewhere ( such as Russia ), bright colours may be interpreted as deficient in professionalism and damage to one ’ mho credibility.

I ’ molarity certain most of us have experienced the uncomfortable feel of being over or underdressed in a sociable position. When visiting, living in and working in a foreign country, it is essential to understand dress codes and the norms around clothing in that country. How are you expected to dress for workplace ? Are there any items of clothe that are considered inappropriate or immodest ? If invited to person ’ second house for dinner, should you dress up, or down ? Understanding and adhering to the expectations around clothing can help make a capital foremost impression. Dress codes are often oral, but all-important to feeling comfortable in another country .

Settling in successfully in the new location

clothing is fair one of many cultural topics that a Cartus cross-cultural Programme can explore with assignees and their families, assisting them to feel convinced and comfortable as they settle into life in the host nation. In addition to “ surface ” matters like dress, body terminology and sociable etiquette, our programmes besides cover the deep cultural values that underpin them, such as hierarchy, formality and status. This makes Cartus Cross-Cultural Programmes key to assignees ’ professional and personal achiever, and an substantive part of any international move.

If you would like more information on cultural issues, supporting relocating families, or any other expression of resettlement, contact us at [email protected] or visit our Resource Hub on Cartus.com.

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Category : Fashion