Gender sensitivity in clothing impression

Communication is the transfer of information from one person to another person. Nonverbal communication usually occurs through the process of communicating wordless messages using the medium of “silent language”. Along with all other nonverbal signals, clothing, as probably the most prominent source of nonverbal communication, transmits messages which are important aspects of communication. Clothes often signal a person’s sense of self esteem, personality, education, general character, background, socio-economic status, and credibility. In a world that is becoming dominated by multimedia, the likelihood of people being judged on snapshots of their appearance is increasing. Social networking, dating websites and online profiles all feature people’s photographs, and subsequently convey a visual message to an audience. Whilst the salience of facial features is well documented, other factors, such as clothing, will also play a role in impression formation. Clothing can communicate an extensive and complex array of information about a person, without the observer having to meet or talk to the wearer. There are significant cross-cultural differences regarding the relationship of gender and clothing. The present research aimed at studying gender sensitivity in clothing impression. It was expected that females would be more sensitive towards clothing impression than males. An incidental sample of 60 male and 60 female college students was selected and administered a clothing Impression Scale. The findings supported the hypothesis.