Purpose of Clothing

Clothing is mainly used to cover our bodies, make us look more elegant and also to express where we are going. For eg. There are casual wears, party wears, official wear, sportswear etc. But there are also other reasons for us to wear clothes like protection, comfort. We wear particular clothes for social or psychological reasons.

Quiet often clothes tell a lot about a person I,e it exposes the personality of a person to some extent. We also have clothes based on different religion, caste, creed or country Clothing, food, and shelter are some of the basic important needs of mankind. Clothing is a complex but fascinating part of everyone’s life. Let’s us analyze as to why we wear clothes.

1. Protection

   First and most important reason for our clothing is it provides protection from heat cold, wind, and rain. We all know extreme weathers can affect our skin and body. Since our skin is open and uncovered these extreme weathers can easily affect our skin for eg. Too much cold can make our skin itchy and cracked; too much sun can tan our skin. Therefore there is a need for us to protect ourselves from such conditions. It absorbs perspiration, prevents sudden chills, and acts as a buffer between your body and accidental burns, scratches, and rough surfaces.

   The right garments can insulate your body against extremely hot or extremely cold temperatures. People who live in extreme cold weathers dress in heavy coats made of fur so that they can keep their body and thus survive the harsh weather; whereas in deserts, nomads protect themselves from the hot sun from dehydrating their bodies by covering up with long flowing robes and headdresses.

2. Safety

   Second most important reason for us to wear clothes is to protect ourselves from any possible injury. For eg some jobs like firefighters, some sportsmen like cycling etc. Wear particular clothing for safety reasons. In today’s world, some of our jobs are really very hazardous which requires safety measures like wearing proper clothing. Thus clothes offer safety, in fact, some of the clothing is specially termed as “safety” to identify them from regular clothing.

   Fire-fighters wear asbestos clothing in hazardous situations. Police officers wear bulletproof vests. Road workers wear fluorescent orange vests so that drivers can see them easily and prevent accidents.

3. Uniforms

   Uniform is a specific cloth worn by all the people of an organization thereby making it easy to identify which organization one belongs to. Uniforms provide an instant image for the group. For example, Workers of textile industry have a specific uniform, students of a school have their special uniform differentiating them from the students of the other schools, people working in government organizations has a particular uniform in sports like football, cricket each team has a specific uniform for their members.

   In certain occupation specific has to be worn like, members of the police, restaurant workers, airline personnel, and hotel staff also wear a special uniform. These uniforms help to identify the worker to their customers, as well as create an image for the company.

4. Style and Color

   Some occupation or schools require a preset style and color of clothing that means the same style with a different color is not allowed. E.g. the police uniform, the Navy or Army uniforms etc. These color and style has been followed since long years and is still continuing. Many people wear special styles and colors of clothing for special occasions in their lives like in a Catholic wedding the brides always wear white gowns.

5. Status

   Clothes are one of the important factors that represent the status symbol of an individual. In olden days the kings and queens had a specific style of dressing which was very unique from the other people, which made it easier to identify them and understand their status. In today’s world in an official meeting, the official wears like suits and coat that too of a reputed company or brand represents the status of every individual.

   Some of the things representing high-status today are designer clothes, designer jewelry, fur coats, pure leather item, cost of classy fabrics etc. because these items tend to be more expensive than others.

6. Sanitation

   Clothes made of a particular quality is used by people working in some special jobs like chefs who work in the kitchen have to wear an apron, a hat and a mask while cooking so that the food they make remains hygienic and is not contaminated. Also, people working in a food factory have to follow similar dressing code. Surgeons to have to follow a dressing code and use disposable gloves, face mask, cap, and aprons in order to avoid contamination.

7. Decoration

   Every individual loves to look good therefore each one of try to decorate ourselves with a certain style of clothing, jewelry, and cosmetics which help in enhancing our appearance and personality. We decorate ourselves based on the situations. This kind of dressing tells a lot about the individual. Adornment, or decoration, also helps people to express their uniqueness and creativity.

8. Modesty

   We all live in a society which has preset unwritten rules as to how an individual should or should not dress and all of us invariably follow those rules. Like if you go for a morning or burial you wear black or white clothes but you will never wear a colored or fancy dress. Modesty refers to what people feel is the proper way for clothing to cover the body. A different group of people follows different standards of modesty.

9. Insignias

   Insignias are badges or emblems that show membership in a group. Patches or emblems can be worn on jackets or blazer pockets. A school letter with a sports pin can be worn on a jacket or sweater to indicate participation in athletics.

10. Identification

    Certain types of clothing, colors, and accessories have become representative of certain groups, activities, and occupations. This means that a specific style of dressing along with a specified accessory helps every individual to easily identify them in a big crowd as to what their occupation is. We teach our kids in kindergarten to identify people based on their clothing as to what is their occupation.