What persentage of people around you, do you think are trying to signal anything with their outfit?
This seems… close to unanswerable? I think it depends enormously on what you mean by “trying to signal anything”. I think there are reasonable definitions for which the answer is very high. (I was going to say “close to 100%”, but then considered that this is untrue of e.g. small children, who may be both incapable of desiring to socially signal things yet, and also not choosing their own clothing. Although in that case, their parents may be trying to signal something instead.) Anybody who is aware that clothing signals things, and is choosing between multiple items of clothing, is very likely (although not certain!) to be putting some consideration, however little, into what their clothes are saying.
I mean trying to signal something more specific than, e.g. dressing according to the norms of ones profession. Anything that the person would expect others to understand as some other information than “I belong here”, or I have X official role.
E.g. haivng a high-vis vest if you’re a rode workier, or wearing nicer cloths if you’re at a dress-up occation does not count. Whereing a t-skirt advertising you like chess counts, if and only if you’re not currently at a chess club, and you chose it deliberatly.
No, my impression has always been that you aim for comfy clothes.
Maybe modulo cases of you wearing an AI Safety Camp t-shirt or something like that.
Maybe you’re kinda trying to signal preference for comfy clothes in addition to that by deliberately trying to choose clothes that someone would choose iff they prioritize comfiness above all else. Not that I have any specific evidence of that, just putting a hypothesis on the table.
Yes, I just rememebered that I forgott to do this. Oops.
I chose my clothing based on:
Comfort
Fitting in (not alwasy the same as blending in)
Things I like how they look
The list is roughly in order of priority, and I don’t wheare anything that does not at least satisfise some baselevel of them.
Point 2 depend on the setting. E.g. I wouldn’t go to a costume party without at an atempt at a costume. Also at a costume party, a great costume scores better on 2 than an average on, this is an example of fitting in not being the same as blending in.
In general 2 is not very constraining, there are a lot of diffrent looks tha qualify as fiting in, in most places I hang out, but I would still proabbly experiment with more unusual looks if I was less conformist. And I would be naked a lot more, if that was normal.
I’m emotionaly conformist. But I expect a lot of people I meet don’t notice this, becasue I’m also bad at conforming. There is just so much else pulling in other directions.
Questsions for John or anyone that feels like answering:
What persentage of people around you, do you think are trying to signal anything with their outfit?
(if you’ev met and remember me) Do you think I’m trying to signal anything, and in that case what?
This seems… close to unanswerable? I think it depends enormously on what you mean by “trying to signal anything”. I think there are reasonable definitions for which the answer is very high. (I was going to say “close to 100%”, but then considered that this is untrue of e.g. small children, who may be both incapable of desiring to socially signal things yet, and also not choosing their own clothing. Although in that case, their parents may be trying to signal something instead.) Anybody who is aware that clothing signals things, and is choosing between multiple items of clothing, is very likely (although not certain!) to be putting some consideration, however little, into what their clothes are saying.
I mean trying to signal something more specific than, e.g. dressing according to the norms of ones profession. Anything that the person would expect others to understand as some other information than “I belong here”, or I have X official role.
E.g. haivng a high-vis vest if you’re a rode workier, or wearing nicer cloths if you’re at a dress-up occation does not count. Whereing a t-skirt advertising you like chess counts, if and only if you’re not currently at a chess club, and you chose it deliberatly.
40%?
No, my impression has always been that you aim for comfy clothes.
Maybe modulo cases of you wearing an AI Safety Camp t-shirt or something like that.
Maybe you’re kinda trying to signal preference for comfy clothes in addition to that by deliberately trying to choose clothes that someone would choose iff they prioritize comfiness above all else. Not that I have any specific evidence of that, just putting a hypothesis on the table.
Thanks :)
I will reviel the true answer to 2 in about a week, in case anyone else want to take a guess.
Could you reveal the answer now?
Yes, I just rememebered that I forgott to do this. Oops.
I chose my clothing based on:
Comfort
Fitting in (not alwasy the same as blending in)
Things I like how they look
The list is roughly in order of priority, and I don’t wheare anything that does not at least satisfise some baselevel of them.
Point 2 depend on the setting. E.g. I wouldn’t go to a costume party without at an atempt at a costume. Also at a costume party, a great costume scores better on 2 than an average on, this is an example of fitting in not being the same as blending in.
In general 2 is not very constraining, there are a lot of diffrent looks tha qualify as fiting in, in most places I hang out, but I would still proabbly experiment with more unusual looks if I was less conformist. And I would be naked a lot more, if that was normal.
I’m emotionaly conformist. But I expect a lot of people I meet don’t notice this, becasue I’m also bad at conforming. There is just so much else pulling in other directions.