The Importance Of Uniforms In Society

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The English Oxford Dictionary describes identity as “The fact of being who or what a person or thing is”; your identity is defined by numerous characteristics a person holds, from their visual exterior to their internal traits and social standing. Social standing is a significant component of one’s identity, with society being split into several classifications to which people belong; those in the upper class hold the largest fortune within society, the middle class are the second wealthiest and the lower class is formed of those from the poorest and most disadvantaged backgrounds (BBC, 2013). Fashion is used to express societies class structure and culture values, as the style of the garments we chose to buy is based on what we want …show more content…

McKnight,1987). Media publications in the 19th Century would reinforce such characteristics attached to particular uniforms such as the police or housemaids and then communicate these to the general public, creating stereotypes (Cannes, 2000). Demonstrating this point Bickman (1974) investigated how uniforms had an affect on people’s opinions of authority. The experimenter asked members of the public (passer byers) to either pick up a bag, step away from the bus stop or to donate a dime, whilst dressed as a guard, milkman or a civilian. Bickman (1974) found that subjects obeyed the guard more than they did the milkman or civilian, demonstrating that people are more inclined to take an order from a person dressed in a uniform conveying authority such as the guard compared to someone dressed in a uniform with no authority or a civilian. Connecting

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