Why the Way People Dress and Present Themselves is Important

One of the few clues that people have that gives us insight into another person that we don’t necessarily know is how they dress and present themselves to other people. It is possible to argue with this and say that appearances can be deceiving, but the fact remains that appearances, such as how people dress and their faces, more often than not provide insight into a person’s character, and perhaps even their values. This is especially important for today, because as a culture, we no longer value dress and appearance. People often have no understanding of modesty, and people even try to run around in their pajamas. This article will examine two things: how people dress, and how people carry and present themselves.

How people dress is extremely important, especially for Mass. It would be a wonderful thing if more parishes would consider creating a dress code. This is particularly important in coastal areas with beaches. Parishes that I have visited have installed dress codes. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. That fact should influence our choice of clothing.

 
How people carry and present themselves in the outer world have consequences, good or bad. G.K. Chesterton was a man who understood thoroughly the insightful information that can be gleaned through a person’s dress and overall appearance and face. His novels are peppered with characters that illustrate this. One of his best examples is in “The Club of Queer Trades” in which the two main detective characters are riding London trains around for fun, and they end up following one passenger because one of the detectives thought that he looked odd, and must be up to no good. He was too immaculately dressed and well-groomed, and he had a very hardened face. The detectives get into an interesting conversation about the importance of the impression that came from someone’s appearance, with one detective saying, “‘Well, an immediate impression may be’, I said, ‘a little less practical than facts,’” The other replies with, “’Bosh,’ he said. ‘On what else is the whole world run but immediate impressions? What is more practical? My friend, the philosophy of this world may be founded on facts, its business is run on spiritual impressions and atmospheres.’”

In conclusion, our society needs to go back to valuing how people dress and present themselves in public. To look decent, and to dress decently to go out in public and at Mass can be considered a virtue. It shows that a person has a healthy love of self, of God, and wants to avoid giving wrong impressions.