"She who was rich in fine linen, who loved clothes, lies in the cast-off garment of yesterday.
Modern scholars believe that clothing provides a mark of identity, and it is a kind of nonverbal communication. In our societies, clothing functions almost as a language that can indicate a person's age, gender, marital status, place of origin, religion, social status, or occupation. In modern industrialized societies, clothing is not so strictly regulated and people have more freedom to choose what kind of message they wish to convey with the way they dress. Also today, people tend to place more importance on a person's dress, rather than their ability, honor, and character. Nevertheless, clothing can still provide considerable information about the person who wears it, including individual personality and economic standing.
First, to be "a beautiful and "a smart man" in the 21st century does not mean that you are a brilliant doctor or a caring mother. It means that you a have perfect style of clothing and this doesn't depend on gender, age group, or sexual orientation. For an instance, take the famous model Gia, who was one of our society's "ideal" women- she died of AIDS and, after her death, it became known that she had been taking drugs.
Second, believe it or not, style is something really serious. Most businesses and schools have written or unwritten dress codes, and violations of these norms are reason for potential social rebellion. For example, in the Merrill Lynch, world's most famous financial institution, employees are expected to dress in a certain fashion on some occasions, demonstrating a cohesive spirit and the bank's unique identity. In turn, this sense of solidarity and identity serves as a key condition for them to observe the dress code. Mondays through Thursdays they are expected to dress in the same uniform. On Fridays they were allowed to wear whatever they wish. Dress rules and regulations constituted some kind of a controlling mechanism.
