Our bodies and nonverbal signals are powerful symbols. Others attribute meaning to these symbols, as we do ourselves. The human body is never neutral in meaning to us; neither are its accessories, like clothing and jewelry. We assign labels of thin, athletic, chubby, or fat to others and ourselves. For clothing, we say it looks cheap or expensive,sloppy or well-tailored, sophisticated or casual. The meaning we create from these symbols and this type of nonverbal communication and the information we extract and interpret from the perceptions of others shape our attitudes and direct our behavior toward them. For instance, we act differently toward someone with unkempt hair, an unshaven face, dirty fingernails, and overall slovenly appearance than we would toward someone who is well-groomed and wars expensive-looking clothing and shoes. People hold their own biases. Some will feel less comfortable around those who have an “expensive” or wealthy look.
Biases are real. Similarly we reward people with bodies that match the beauty standards of our culture with favorable, attention and admiration, as opposed to the indifference and disdain we show people who are obese or physically “unfit”. In the book Blink, Malcolm Gladwell points out research that says people associate height with power,especially among men. In America the average male CEO is three inches taller than the average man.
Does this mean we might as well not show our faces to an audience if we don't match the beauty ideal of the culture we live in? Does it mean the perceiving public will automatically dismiss us if we are less than perfect? The answer is no;far from it. But knowing what meaning is created by appearance, and that we're always communicating nonverbally whether we want to or not, allows us to at least influence the communication we sent out in our favor, as opposed to letting it happen random in other words, if I know that the color white makes me took pale and sickly, I won't choose to wear a white shirt that will create this impression in the minds of my audience. Similarly, if my body type is endomorphic, and I look stocky and rotund in pin-striped suites, I avoid the pattern ad choose a more flattering garment.
The important thing to remember is that our objective is not to change deeply ingrained cultural perceptions. Our goal, when we put ourselves on that proverbial stage, is to influence people to like us, believe us, trust us, or follow us.Confidence is the foundation to accomplishing this.
Why would our appearance and dress be important according to the passage?
Firstly, our appearance and nonverbal signals are powerful symbols and these symbols and this type of nonverbal communication and the information we extract and interpret from the perceptions of others shape our attitudes and direct our behavior toward them.
What should we do if our faces do not match the beauty ideal of the culture we live in?
Firstly, we will not be dismissed if we are less than perfect. We should know it clearly that we are always communicating nonverbally whether we want or not, at least we sent out influence other than letting it happen random in other words. Lastly, it is important to remember that our objective is not to change deeply ingrained cultural perceptions; we need to put ourselves on the proverbial stage and to influence people to like us, believe us and follow us. Confidence is the foundation to accomplishing this.