Apparel oft proclaims the man

Outline;
· A man just like a book is judged by its cover by undermining what it carries in the inside.
· Polonius parting advice to his son.
· Philosophy’s dualistic bifurcation of the inner and the outer self.
· Shaw, Chaucer, and various fields of life exhibiting the particular attitude of humans.
· Anthropologist’s thesis why humans tend to judge other by their apparent exterior.
· Antiquity, obvious characteristics helped people to choose and recognize.
· Relation to survival and reproduction
· A good judgment can save lives yet first impression is not the last one.
· Pride and Prejudice Elizabeth and Darcy victims to such attitudes.
· Looks carry particular importance for an employer.
· Categorizing people according to the company they keep.
· Psychological impacts
· Cesare Lombroso’s research
· People assert themselves by a conscious effort towards their attire.
· Just by having a color, belonging to a country breeds racism and contempt.
· Stereotyping a common error
· An illusionary world vs the real world.
· Nietzsche’s, ‘There are no facts, only interpretations.’
· Linguistic minimalism a source of expressing the inner against the focus of the outer self.
· Helmuth Plessner classifies bodily expressions.
· Symbolic physical bodily movements and their impact on the perception.
· Physical stance are actually the significant social codes .
· Edward A. Denison’s article ‘Dress for Success’.
· Hitler's concept of a master race based on appearance
· ‘Society and Traditional Expectations’ cultural baggage makes one to adopt a certain attitude.
· Majority is judgmental
· Media triggers the physical appreciation causes huge damage
· Vicious cycle of pretentiousness can break with the will.


Image is important, it’s part of nonverbal communication, which some would argue is more powerful than verbal communication. As a book is judged by its cover like wise man is assed in every day life by the outward appearance. In both situations one is undermining the worth of the person or the book’s inside, in both is usually questioning the worth by judging it without actually knowing it. Socially in psychological terms it can be devastating. In certain scenarios where it is actually a basic tool as in jobs, marriage suitors, unknown place the instinct that judges the person from the outside often proves to be fruitful. It’s just another tool to segregate and discriminate. Or because appearance tells people about a person’s personality and interests, attitudes, and their own self-regard,*it’s just simple human nature to evaluate them based on how they look.

This is part of Polonius' parting advice to his son Laertes as he is leaving for France. In Act I, Scene 3, Polonius advises his son in Hamlet that, ‘Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,/ But not expressed in fancy; rich, not gaudy;/For the apparel oft proclaims the man’. A wise advice which elucidates Shakespearean belief that pretensions and energy spent on maintaining fake images is a stigma, once a person establishes a false believe about self then that image follows him through out his life. So the significant advice the father could give to a son is depicted here that one should advertise only what one can afford to do all along his life on every occasion.

In the dualistic tradition of the modern Western philosophy the exterior is bifurcated from the inner, the self is divided into mind and body. This tendency is closely associated with metaphysical dualism, in which the existential world is divided into the spiritual and the physical world, the world that can be perceived against the one which is invisible. Metaphysical dualism divides human intellectual ability into reason and sense corresponding respectively to mind and body, and divides the self further into the self as a thinking being and the self as a material being. Under this dichotomy, the body is degraded to an object of a natural scientist's experiment and observation while the mind is fixated as the subject of psychological investigation. hence, the philosophers accept this division between the outer and the inner.

A rabbi, priest or a mullah is identified in an instant by the apparel. A person's reverence becomes evident the moment he lays eye on his religious representative. In The Canterbury tales the priestess is presented to be amoral because of her inappropriate outer appearance.Sympathy, pity or a censuring laugh at the disabled is another instance that no matter how genius the person is the external is what appeals to people because of which a highly intelligent disabled girl was denied admission in medical college in pakistan. Then why don’t people name their children Stalin, Gangez Khan or even Bush, for the simple reason of the negative connotations attached with them, only by hearing the names one establishes an image.Beards banned in PIA or hijab in France would not prevent terrorism but it’s the significance of this exterior aura that makes people and nations take strange steps. Shaw in Pygmalion uses Eliza’s transformation to mock this attitude of humans towards their fellow beings.

Anthropologists suggest that opinions based on looks alone have been present since ancient times. Much of this strategy is based on fear and the avoidance of that which may be dangerous. Looks are the first criteria one has to assess a person. In prehistoric survival situations, one had no time to stop and communicate with another person to decide if he was a threat or not. Decisions had to be made immediately. humans tend to respond better to people who look like them, and early humans who avoided something or someone that was unfamiliar also avoided injury or death in many instances. The clans and small groups automatically turned them against other groups and clans with different facial markings, tattoos, ornaments. The populations of early man likely had much less variation in appearance and behavior than the human cultures of today. Thus, differences were particularly salient. Those who looked unfamiliar and were thus possibly hostile members of other groups provoked a defensive response.

Most of what is considered attractive is directly related to physical attributes that indicate health. Facial symmetry indicates lack of disease and deformity. Clear skin, proportionate bodies, wide eyes, full lips and color in the cheeks are indicators that a woman is healthy, well-fed and able to deliver and raise many children. For men, well-defined muscles, strong features and a tall stature indicate that the man is able to protect his family and be successful in providing resources. The primary motivators in early man were survival and reproduction. Communication was limited, so there weren't other methods to judge a person's character or suitability for mating. Even today people rely on these outward appearances to make contacts.

Certainly, most human populations are now less concerned with survival and reproduction than they were in early human history. But the responses to others have been passed down through time. This transmission may be cultural or somewhat biological. In any case, modern justifications persist for ancient judgments. Someone who looks "creepy" may in fact be dangerous, and the avoidance of such a person may save a life. In this case, judging on physical appearances can be a positive. A person values youth and beauty, and often takes these attributes as indicators that a person is smart, capable, successful, honest and friendly. Obviously, this is not always the case. A potential employer may form an erroneous impression that a person who is older or overweight is lazy, slow and unable to handle to demands of the job. In fact, one such candidate may be the best person for the job. Luckily, unlike ancient humans, one can now say that these impressions are only the first impressions, not the only impressions. A person must be aware of human predisposition towards forming impressions based on looks and so he or she must fight with the inner self to judge people according to better criteria.

Pride and Prejudice first called as First Impressions, caters with the same issue how myopic eye can make mistake at judging a very fine human being. This instinct to assess others has survived evolution and one cannot see a person without forming some kind of opinion about them based on their appearance. One can tell what kind of mood the person is in, and can guess what type of lifestyle and interests the other person has. Responses, replies and reactions all change according to this outward appearance.

There is a tendency to assume that people in suits with neat hair are successful and in control. This is the type of appearance one would want to put across if the person was interviewing for a job for example. If a person turns up in ripped jeans or with bright green hair s/he probably wouldn't get the job. The employer would probably assume someone who looked like that was going to break the rules or cause trouble. Those times when it doesn't matter what people think of a person, such as when s/he is out shopping or on holiday, wearing what they like, It can be interesting to try out different "looks" and watch people's reaction. Instead of worrying what people think, they make it fun. People learn something about how people perceive him or her and how much importance appearances have.

Have you ever heard someone say that "you are known by the company you keep?" There is a lot of truth in this statement. Consider the person at school who runs with a certain crowd, so everyone assumes that he/she is into whatever that group is doing. If someone plays basketball, they assume s/he is athletic. Then everyone has a tendency to lump people into categories like "jocks," "Goths," "preps," "nerds." Or if an adult, maybe categories are "yuppies," "retirees," "homeless," "new money," "old money." Regardless of the label, one anticipates that the people grouped will behave in a certain way that relates to that label.

‘Negatively Judged By Your Appearance?’ discusses three recent studies looking at the effects that "appearance based" rejection sensitivity have on a persons overall mental and physical health.It was found that those who anticipate rejection because of their appearance, are more likely to: Negatively compare themselves to others, Feel bad about themselves, Exercise compulsively, Not eat when hungry, Engage in binging and purging. In addition, those with appearance-based rejection sensitivity were more likely to have: Insecure attachment styles, appearance based self-worth, view themselves as unattractive with low self-esteem.

The concerns about appearance are not limited to existing weight issues, other real or perceived issues related to appearance can also trigger for a persons' sensitivity to rejection. Even thinking about aspects not liked in oneself, can trigger someone to feel to lonely, isolated, unwanted, and rejected.

According to Italian surgical doctor, Cesare Lombroso’s research, we can know that criminals always have disgustful faces, though not. Cesare Lombroso spared no effort in analyzing what characteristics can be associated with criminals. After continually verified, he discovered that physical characteristics of human are related to their behaviors. Amazingly, he also observed that people who have disgustful faces will incline to commit crimes, and he insisted that criminals who have terrible appearances represent as human’s physical degenerations.
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The question one needs to ask himself is,” Do I love myself?" This means, do you like the way you dress? Do you like the way you speak? Do you like the way you present yourself? It is not loving yourself to the extreme of being egotistic. It's all about character. words become thoughts, thoughts become actions and actions become habits, habits ultimately become character. Starting with words, if one doesn’t want to be judged as ignorant or less sophisticated, he shouldn’t use poor grammar .By examining words of choice, in the end, they design who they are and how they present themselves. People who curse every other word obviously make a huge statement about who they are. At the same time, people who use large words in the wrong context also send a message like Eliot’s ‘Shakespearean rags’.

The importance of the outward actions can not be underestimated. From nail biting to smacking the chewing gum, cracking knuckles, they all matter. Body language and facial expressions fall into this category as well. Williem De kooning in an interview asserted. ‘It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances. The mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible’.

One of the deepest pre programmed glitches in the human being is its mistrust of other ethnic minorities. It's irrational that most Caucasians are intimidated by Afro Caribbean men but that's the way it seems to be. One would presume this goes back to slavery and the racial divide carved out between the slave traders of all colors. This is why some black guys tend to have chips on their shoulders. Unfortunately both sides reinforce and fore fill racial stereotypes because of this divide and suffer conflicts.

Amber Grosj puts it as ,‘Most of us aren't blind. Be it your physical built, the accessories you use, the clothes you wear, even your hair color and ethnicity, there's always something that can and will be interpreted based on how you look.’ There are a lot of stereotypes out there. There are some good stereotypes, but there are more bad ones. Here are just a few: Be obese and you're sadly thought of as a glutton with food as your only companion whereas in reality that be a genetic or hormones gone crazy. On the other hand being on the thin side, others might start to think you have an eating disorder. Wear glasses and you'll either be thought of as smart or quite the geek. But then again, it will also depend on how your glasses look. Wearing colored frames such as red, you could be perceived as fun-loving or bold. If your frame is of a neutral color, you could be thought of as a serious type of person. Wearing just a shirt and jeans, others may just think that your boring and have no fashion sense. Wearing too much makeup could lead others to think of you as cheap, while wearing none or too little, you could be thought of as conservative. Of the hair colors, there'd be most to say about having blond hair. You could be thought of as a fun, bubbly person, fashionable but then sadly, sometimes, with not much brains.

There is much to say about ethnicity. Having African ethnicity, you could be perceived as good in sports, or in singing. Having Asian or Middle Eastern ethnicity these days especially, most would perceive you as to having some terrorist connection. White American stereotypes would lead others to believe you as not too smart and ignorant to a point.

The world has painted an illusion of how the world should look. Magazines are filled with them. Movies are loaded down with them too. Even a doll like Barbie has influenced the way one thinks. People should be thin, have clear skin, silky hair, long neatly trimmed nails, and a perfect smile with pearly white teeth to top it off. The average person doesn't look like that. Yes, a lot of people are over weight. But these people have a beauty within themselves. So what if this beauty doesn't shine through on the outside. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Why don't the world live by that phrase? Because its easier to look at a pretty face and deal with the bad personality than it is to look at someone who is wonderful and doesn't have a clear complexion.

Nietzsche says, ‘There are no facts, only interpretations.’ So in every sphere of life, schools, colleges, home, work, people when fully develop internal virtue, it is naturally exposed externally through facial expressions. Also, people in subordinate positions should not feign flattering looks as when their inner state of mind is sincerely respectful, it is naturally reflected in their face

Linguistic minimalism is a prominent characteristic of the linguistics. As it is the case with all semiotic systems, language is used to tell lies as much as to communicate truth. Distrust of language leads people to adopt nonverbal semiotic systems, such as eye and facial expressions and body gestures, as alternative tools of communication. This is because body language is more truthful than spoken language. Communication through the body is conducted by nonverbal mediators such as the eyes, facial expressions, and body gestures in a face-to-face situation. Body language, which is possible only if the speaker and the listener exist in the same temporal and spatial boundary, is more effective for sharing representations of commonly held beliefs than for communicating information, in the creation of a stronger sense of cohesion in the community. In other words, body language is a more efficient instrument to confirm existing value and belief systems than to transmit new information.

Helmuth Plessner classifies bodily expressions into three groups: 1) physiological or psychosomatic response without involvement of consciousness (e.g., blushing, paleness, coughing, sneezing, sweat, and nausea); 2) facial expressions and bodily movements that involve consciousness and are controllable, like words and action and 3) facial expressions and bodily movements that involve consciousness and are not controllable, like laughing and crying. The bright eyes of a righteous person are a natural external revelation of one's inner feeling and will. The eye expression is neither an unintentional physiological symptom, nor an intended voluntary action. This results when one's emotion and will for goodness grows as fully as possible, breaks the shell encasing one's inner world and becomes exposed to the outside. Emotion and will, which remain simply as a process of intentional consciousness, are externalized or embodied through facial expression and bodily movement visible to others and thus perceivable by others. In this sense, the body is a field of expressiveness, and the eye a window to the soul.

As Hegstrom argues, body gestures expressed for the purpose of communication like yawning and arm stretching are symbolic movements exchangeable with words. Symbolic body gestures in everyday life are communicative tools and at the same time represent power relations of domination-subordination. Expressions in the eye, face, and body movements reveal deep hidden emotions on the one hand, and disclose "a microphysics of power" in political power relations on the other. Particularly, in power relations of domination and subordination, the subordinates express their submission by making macro-movements like bending or lowering the body. But more importantly, the inferior can also use micro-expressions like eye or facial expressions for the same purpose. The fact that Song Si-yeol, a renowned Confucian scholar of the Joseon dynasty, implored King Sukjong to allow him a chance to look up to him in his audience demonstrates succinctly the importance of micro-expressions like eye expression in power relations.

Facial expressions, bodily movements, and clothes are a system of social codes. Social codes are composed of various nonverbal codes, including body language. Nonverbal codes include signs ranging from markers revealing one's social standing, rank, or rules of human relations that determine how to interact with others (manners, behavior, and clothes suitable for class and status) to means of social communication that foster a sense of belonging and solidarity among community members, e.g., ceremonies and festivals.

Kim Zoller at Image Dynamics says 55% of a person's perception of is based on how the person presents himself. Edward A. Denison in his article "Dress for Success" states you should dress appropriately for your surroundings. "Your appearance must be consistent with your message”. That is, don't wear a suit and tie to visit your mechanic. To dress for a specific function, you need to look the part. His second rule is "Don't underestimate the power of first impression." Assumptions are often made based on your first appearance. When an army general or the head goes to war leading the army, he must wear a courageous look with firm determination. His command should be strict, his face solemn, and his eyes clear.

Every one have their stereotypical views. It has always been understood that good-looking people are more popular, more intelligent, with good looks propelling them through the door. Look at all the people who are in the limelight, TV anchors, business men, show hosts and hostesses, politicians and movie stars. They all are image makers.

Hitler's concept of a master race based on appearance and therefore intelligence was so out of line, he set out to massacre a whole race of people. ‘Have you ever imagined what it would be like to have a superior race of blond and blue-eyed people being led by a lesser man of stature, with black lacquered hair , sporting a quirky mustache?’ was a critique presented against outward physical appearance.

‘Society and Traditional Expectations’ of Giovanne Pierre talks about the initiation of this approach towards each other and discusses a cause which is a little more home-grown, where someone gets their judgments from family, school or work environment, etc. The people whom are the closest tell their expectations of what is the "right" way or the "wrong" way to look. Of course, one starts off young, and by the time they are old enough to go out into the world, they don't want to disappoint their "circle", so they carry the baggage. Some baggage is good for an overall structure such as bodily hygiene is definitely an expectation that one should keep, should they ever decide to toss any of their judgment "values" out. However, too much baggage just ends up being dead weight, and that weight is the one that makes the most discrimination and social segregation problems that the societies

Even though we all like to think of ourselves as not judgmental, and a lover of all people, let's get real. We all judge based on appearance. We rate probability of success, mental capacity, social status, moral character, and a whole other slew of categories based on physical appearance. There was a study done on the very subject of which people were more likely to get hired to a job, and those people were the more attractive than their counterparts. They based the decision on the fact that the person's appearance reflected the company's "appearance" if the person was to work for them, and they want customers to feel as comfortable as possible with the employee, thus ensuring good business.

There are other reasons why people judge, based on appearance could be that someone could have had a bad or good experience with a particular person, and remembered what the person grossly looked like, and associates the image with an expected result, should they meet. This happens all the time with relationships. A guy may be into brunettes more than blondes, because he had a good experience with someone that filled that description. Or, someone may break out in hives every time he sees a bulky- looking guy, because in high school, he always got stuffed into a locker by someone who fit the description.

Media has played a huge part in shaping the perception of how other people may act or think. Not every black person that lives in the ghetto is in a gang, not every Asian knows karate, and not every white person is a country fanatic, or a victim in some crime,but that is what sells in the media, and that is what everyone, at some point watches. This comes as a huge disadvantage, especially for someone who hasn't gotten the chance to experience someone from another race, country or religion. Because of the isolation, they only have the media feeding them this information, thus impairing them when they actually go out into a diverse environment with an "us vs. them" attitude, especially in this country, where diversity is practically a given expectation in much of the country. Gulliver’s Travels, the diminutive Gulliver’s observation of the woman’s mole make it clear that one who looks attractive and appealing form the outside might not be the same when observed closely so one should always leave room for exploration rather then forming images based on outer appearances.

Looks are important. A judge can't walk into a court room wearing casual clothes and a mechanic can't work on a car wearing suit. Yes, children should be clean when going to a store. Yes, when a person goes out, he should look the best he can. Sometimes it isn't easy but every one should look presentable to the best of their ability. Everyone's ability will be different which is what makes all different. Being different is something what one should strive for. And if all endeavor to look for the different things in other people, then humans can get out of this vicious cycle of pretentiousness that they have lived in for hundreds of years. The brave will succeed and stand out. Be brave. Be your own person and accept others for the same reason.

Suggestion; the essays revolves around the same topic as ‘A book is judged by its cover. Even ‘ first impressions’ or ‘All that glitters is not gold’ takes its major portion from this essay.