When people saw me their initial reaction was almost always a smile whether they knew me or not. Following the smile, they would comment something like, "You look so nice today!" or, "Wow, you look different," but it was always in a kind manner; many also asked why I had changed my appearance.
I felt empowered and confident, but I struggled with focusing since I was concerned about how I looked. I would begin walking, or even just stand up, feeling poised and optimistic until I began worrying if my hair looked okay or if my skirt was positioned improperly. It also took me quite a bit longer to get ready in the morning and I had to curl my hair the night before.
I was not surprised by anyone's reaction because I know that people are naturally inclined to respect and think nicely of those dressed well since it's eye-pleasing. I was not surprised by my reaction either because I tend to worry about my appearence more when I'm trying to look good and my previous knowledge told me it's scientifically proven that dressing up causes one to feel the way I did. …show more content…
The places I went on this particular day I was "free" to dress up or dress down, but this is not always acceptable. Based on my results I am "free" to do as I please, however my data was very limited so it can not successfully answer such a question. I believe that these "social codes" are both good and bad since that help prevent people from saying or doing drastically inappropriate things whilst pressuring people into fitting a specific model rather than doing what they