Skepticism is all about examining conventional wisdom, so let’s crack this one open.
Your looks are comprised of two components: heredity and choice. You may not be able to do much about your height or facial features, but you sure as heck choose how to present yourself. Your clothing, eyewear, piercings, tattoos, haircut, make-up, etc. – all of these are an expression of your inner self, and send social cues to others about who you are.
That doesn’t mean that one should be judged by his/her fashion acumen. In fact, it means quite the opposite. It’s entirely possible to be stylish without being fashionable and vice-versa. Fashion involves conforming to a mainstream or sub-culture. Style is self-expression.
So is it actually appropriate to judge a book by its cover?
(Read what psychologists are saying: The Style Imperative)
http://www.nysun.com/arts/you-can-judge-this-book-by-its-cover/7505/
From the above:
“Students who view three 10-second video clips of a professor, for example, give roughly the same ratings of that professor’s effectiveness as those students who actually took the course. The same effect can be seen in dating, where first impressions are everything, as is well known by those who have tried “speed dating” (a trendy way to meet people, in which each of multiple “dates” in one evening lasts only six minutes).”
I can second part 2 of that.
Yes, as long as you’re willing to throw that away based on other evidence.
A person’s appearance IS, as suggested, evidence of their personality. The clothes a person wears, the grooming choices they make, the way they carry themselves, and the trends they follow DO tell you a lot about who they think they are or want to be.
It’s not irrational to look at a person and sort of come to tentative conclusions about them based on the choices they’ve made. It’s not like you’re judging them based on immutable things beyond their control. Clothes/style are forms of behavior…in some ways it’s no different than judging a person you don’t really know based on their actions in a particular situation.
It only becomes a problem when you’re unwilling to throw away whatever conclusions you’ve come to after conflicting evidence (ie. getting to know the person) comes to light, or when you begin to treat a person unfairly because of assumptions you’ve made that you’re unwilling to test.
I could be all sentimental and say “Well, you should NEVER judge someone like that! Waaa!” but the honest truth is, there’s no way you’d have the TIME to get to know everyone you see even at one bar/party, let alone throughout life. You have to make assumptions and sort of choose who to get to know. Will you sometimes miss out on awesome people? Of course, but you’d do so anyway. If you know yourself and know what you want in a friend/whatever, I see no harm in choosing not to know someone you think will have nothing in common with you (or with whom you may be likely to have an antagonistic relationship).
That, or maybe I’m a huge asshole. I’m still up in the air on that one.
Good article.
Yes, it’s appropriate to judge a book by its cover. The cover has to somehow appeal to a person who would enjoy the story. I don’t know how this is done, but when I read a novel based on reviews rather than the image on the cover, its less likely that I’ll enjoy it.
As for clothes, even people who don’t use clothing as a way to express themselves (i.e., me at the office) (unless you count “don’t bother me, I’m working” as a personal expression) are giving a signal. Always. Even if they aren’t trying to. For example, my first year as a professional definitely screamed “this is my first job after grad school!!”
Expatria-
I agree with what I believe is the premise of the article (see my post above) – that people (read: me) will subconsciously/conscously judge the book by its cover, and those same people will not often signficantly change their opinion after they get to know someone. To be sure, the reasons the opinions do not change is because we refuse to give appropriate weight to the “objective” evidence that comes later.
Case in point: My own romantic relationships fall into two categories:
(a) We immediately started dating because we were attracted to each other, investing in those first impressions and all those instinctual and biological signs of whether that person would make a good mate (and style is a part of a larger part of how one carries oneself).
(b) We started as “just friends” because one or both of us did not feel or act upon any sort of initial attraction, but then we dated later on (weeks or months later) based on getting to know each other and deciding objectively that we may be good mates based on our common interests and compatibilities.
I have to say that on balance, the (a) relationships lasted longer, but that may have to do with a number of other factors.
Expatria said it better than I would have. …Which would have been:
Yes, but limited. The cover is just one clue about the contents.
Outward appearance is something I (personally) use as a filter. If you don’t meet certain criteria, I’ll avoid you. If you have certain traits, I’ll make an effort to like you. If you’re in the middle… We’ll see.
There are a few interesting people I would never have had the pleasure of meeting if I had simply gone by looks. Big scary biker types ( I’m 6’1″), tatooed racer types, skinheads, punks, hippies and so on. The cover rarely represents the contents!
It is absolutely appropriate to judge a book by its cover for the high level pass. It is inappropriate to make meaningful decisions based on that high level pass.
Yes. The way people dress tells you a lot even if it is only, “I’m too tired to care what you think.” I know that when I go to wal-mart and see the movable freakshow that is that’s store loyal clientle I make a lot of judgments based on covers.
I don’t know the technical terms, but what about those who can’t “read faces”? And what about people with autism who have a hard time reading/understanding social cues? These would be a form of “judging a book by its cover” and I imagine it makes life difficult for those who can’t do that.
@marilove: More than you would believe. Both my oldest son and I have asperger’s syndrom. It gets easier to deal with over time but it is so confusing to deal with people when you have a lot of trouble telling if they are making a joke or are serious. The personal worst is when you don’t realize that someone is attracted to you.
@Gabrielbrawley: Yeah, that’s what I thought. I’ve known a few people with Asperger’s, and it’s always interesting to see how they deal with it.
This just makes it more obvious that people judge others — whether it’s physical attributes or subtle body cues — every day in their lives.
@Gabrielbrawley: “The personal worst is when you don’t realize that someone is attracted to you.”
You don’t have to have an autism spectrum disorder for that… just having a penis is enough :)
But seriously (folks): Wasn’t there a study recently that essentially said “Dudes have no idea when a woman is interested or not?” If someone knows where to find that I’d be much obliged. IIRC it said that men are much worse than women at reading/interpreting cues of attraction and, if I’m not mistaken, that it’s almost at the level of pure chance whether or not a guy judges that correctly.
I can speak (anecdotally) about the accuracy of that study. Hell… I could write a book!
I have to agree with what has been stated…
We “judge†based on what we have on hand… so making a general judgment based on clothes or bearing is fine.
But (as said above) we must be willing to revaluate our impressions as new evidence is presented.
Case in point. One of my best friends and I started off as rivals in an English class based on how we perceived each other.
That being said… there are a few quick “book cover†judgments that drive me up the wall.
I wear glasses… I happen to be relatively bright but not BECAUSE I wear glasses.
I am blond (sometimes), that doesn’t mean I’m dumb.
I wear a moonstone necklace, that doesn’t mean I am full of new age wisdom.
Etc
I think the way someone dresses and presents themselves is a clue about their personality, it just shouldn’t be the only thing you use.
I think I judge those making a personal style statement a lot less than those who look like they just rolled out of bed and don’t care what they look like. It says something positive about a person who takes time with their appearance even if it’s out there and unusual.
@Gabrielbrawley or “The personal worst is when you don’t realize that someone is attracted to you.” and ”
Actually, I think the personal worst (to a conscientious male anyway) is to act on the assumption that someone is attracted to you and then get shot down … That fear is what makes us males overly conservative and NOT act when someone IS actually attracted to us.
@Noadi: It says something positive about a person who takes time with their appearance even if it’s out there and unusual
I do the opposite, to an extent. If someone puts effort into looking out there and unusual, I often think “Trying too hard” or “Who are you trying to impress?” If someone just has a nice, well-coordinated outfit, it’s almost invisible until you concentrate on it. Not the clothes…the unifying idea behind them :-P
@TheSkepticalMale: I used to be like that but one night (I remember this pretty clearly) I decided “Ah fuck it.” I got shot down a lot but I also got accepted a lot. It was an old, old joke that made the difference for me.
Have you heard about the man who asked every woman he met to make love with him?
Most of them said no.
@Gabrielbrawley: That’s a great point … I think I’m going to start doing that – asking every woman I meet to make love to me … I will let you know how that goes ;-)
About 6 months ago, I had a very embarrassing scenerio where you don’t realize someone is attracted to you until it is too late (I mean she actually voluntarily gave me her number and I still didn’t get it – yikes) … My excuse was that she was 10 years younger, but on the other hand, she was very intelligent and well-read, so I don’t understand why I had the radar turned-off (so to speak) … Now the members of that social circle make fun of me, and she often reminds me (in the midst of talking about her new boyfriend), “You had your chance.”
@TheSkepticalMale: Well, you are cute, at least from what I can see, so I can’t blame her!
@Expatria: “If someone puts effort into looking out there and unusual, I often think “Trying too hard†or “Who are you trying to impress?†If someone just has a nice, well-coordinated outfit, it’s almost invisible until you concentrate on it. Not the clothes…the unifying idea behind them ”
I feel exactly the same way. Subtlety is everything. I am of the school of thought that if you are spending an excessive amount of energy tyring to say something with your outward appearance (whether it be fashion, plastic surgery, excessive tattoos), then you lack a certain self-esteem with respect to what you have to express from the inside. (I know I’m going to get slammed for that comment.)
So maybe those of us who look at those who express a strong sense fashion/style negatively cancel out those who look at it as a positive?
@TheSkepticalMale: I think you get the point. Basically if I was attracted I made a play. It is amazing how many women will go home with you if you just ask. I can’t believe how easy it is nowadays. Or how easy it was 4 years ago when I was single.
@marilove: Watch it, marilove … I actually live in Phoenix ;-)
@Gabrielbrawley: I think it’s because we women appreciate when men take time to be like, “Hey, I like you. Wanna hang?” And if we find you interesting, and we’re free, we’ll usually give you at least one shot!
@TheSkepticalMale: No, I think there is some truth to the fact that, when people make huge efforts with makeup, fashion, surgery, etc., they tend to lack self-steem. Now, that’s not ALWAYS the case. Some women I know just like to be girly because it’s fun.
And me, well, I’m just lazy and not a fan of mornings and would rather spend my money on books and electronics instead of fashion and