In the second act of Shakespeare's King Lear, we find the old king quarreling with his daughters Regan and Goneril, who have challenged him to justify why he "needs" all the trappings and raiment of nobility. Lear's point is that the clothing we wear serves a much larger purpose than merely protecting us from the elements-our fashions express who we are. Clothes DO "make the man" (as the old saying goes) and our modern society is no more or less obsessed with fashion than those of years gone by.
Appearance is particularly important when we are dealing with people who offer us certain services-we may not recognize the individual person, but we most assuredly recognize the uniform. Who would want to take a trip on an airplane piloted by a grubby-looking guy in cut-off jeans and a torn T-shirt? Even Southwest Airlines, which prides itself on its more relaxed and casual atmosphere, requires that its flight attendants clearly appear to be wearing a uniform. And imagine how you would feel as a patient in a hospital where the nurses and doctors were wearing ballet tutus?
The choices we make about the clothing we wear also say much about our personalities and our attitudes towards the society we live in. We no longer go to extremes of fashion to indicate our social rank (a notable exception, of course, is the Queen of England at a state ceremony-how disappointing if she didn't wear her crown!), but we do pay attention to when a more "formal" appearance is required. At a job interview, for example, it would be a very unwise choice to show up in "casual" clothes. If you want to make a good impression, you obviously need to pay particular attention to how you are dressed.
Of course, there will always be certain groups in our society who will use fashion to make a particular "statement." Tune in to any Hollywood-like event and see how amazing (and sometimes ludicrous) the stars' costumes can be. One example was the outfit worn by the Icelandic pop star Bjork at the 2001 Academy Awards, which made her look like a giant swan. Clothes will continue to "make the man" but beauty will always remain in the eye of the beholder.
