Physical Appearance

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Reality television’s What Not to Wear stylists Clinton Kelly and Stacy London are experts at redoing the appearance of people who have been nominated by their friends and family for makeovers. What you wear—or the way you fix your hair or makeup—doesn’t really speak to your abilities or define you as a person, but it communicates a message about you nonetheless. In fact, the initial impression your appearance makes may affect your future interactions with others (Burgoon, Buller, & Woodall, 1989; DeKay, 2009).

Research shows that attractiveness gives people certain advantages. For instance, attractive students receive more interaction from their teachers (Richmond, McCroskey, & Payne, 1991), and “good-looking” job candidates have a greater chance of being hired (Molloy, 1983; Shannon & Stark, 2003). Jurors find attractive defendants innocent more often (Efran, 1974), although discussion and deliberation can mitigate this bias (Patry, 2008). Appearance affects not only perceptions of attractiveness but also judgments about a person’s background, character, personality, status, and future behavior (Guerrero & Floyd, 2006). In fact, the psychologist Nancy Etcoff (1999) claims that all cultures pursue and value attractiveness as a matter of survival.

Perceptions about appearance and attractiveness are inferred from not only physical characteristics like body shape and size, facial features, skin color, height, and hair color but also from clothing, which can reveal a lot about your status, economic level, social background, goals, and satisfaction (Crane, 2000; Sybers & Roach, 1962). For example, many uniforms are often associated with lower-status jobs, such as working in a fast-food restaurant. More formal attire (business suits) and certain uniforms (doctors’ coats, judges’ robes) are associated with higher-status occupations.

We also infer a great deal of meaning from artifacts—accessories carried or used on the body for decoration or identification. For example, the expensive Rolex watch that your uncle wears sends a very different message about wealth and status than a ten-dollar watch would. Other artifacts, such as briefcases, tattoos, earrings, nose rings, nail polish, and engagement and wedding rings, also convey messages about your relational status, your gender, and even how willing you are to defy conventions.