mari+research

I loved writing this paper because it gave me a chance to really show everything that I had researched. I put it together in this paper and came to the conclusion that women dress for themselves in that they dress to feel confident about themselves. In order for them to feel confident, they might show men what they want to see or conform to society, but it is only so they can really live out their lives to the fullest. Clothes shouldn't be what's holding a woman back from living her life to the fullest potential and that's why women are almost forced to dress the way that they do. Confidence is extremely important to have so that you don't waste precious time just trying to cover your flaws. If you look good, you will feel good.Research Paper

**She Just Wants One Thing**

 There are many myths to why women dress the way they do. People claim that women dress to impress men, to look better than other women, to conform to society, or for themselves. Their claims are right in that the above all contribute to why women dress the way they do; confidence. The reasons stated contribute immensely to a woman’s confidence and how she is able to portray herself to others. Although there are many reasons behind women’s choice of clothing, they are all for her to boost her self-esteem to feel confident.  Confidence is the foundation of life and has a big impact of how people enjoy life. People who are confident in themselves radiate strength, passion, and control (The Importance of Confidence). Women are their sexiest when they feel the most confident and are least attractive when worried about flaws and use their energy trying to cover them up (Wilde, 2011). An article written by Wilde, an actress from Tron and other movies, in Cosmopolitan wrote, “The girl who suggests skinny dipping after dinner is usually the one with the fresh bikini wax. Confidence is a state of mind.” This is completely true and women who dress in a way to hide their flaws and accentuate their assets will definitely feel more confident in themselves. People lose confidence when they are criticized by others and portray a negative body image dictated by society (The Importance of Confidence). However, there is nothing wrong with dressing in a way to make themselves look more flattering “As long as we’re aware that we are worth the same with our without those tools” (Wilde, 2011). What women wear plays a huge role in how women feel and how they approach the world. Charla Krupp, a professional stylist, even wrote a book called How to Never Look Fat Again, which contains a list of “high-fat” and “low fat” clothing. She claims that “it’s not you, it’s your clothes” (Krupp, 2010). Having confidence in oneself can majorly alter a woman's life and dressing the right way can add to her confidence immensely.  One of the ways women gain this confidence is dressing according to what men want to see. 34% of the 100 young males surveyed claimed that breasts are female's most appealing physical attribute. In comparison, 53% of girls stated that their ideal top on a normal day would be a tank top and 33% of girls said their ideal top would be a V-neck. Both the tank top and V-neck are very revealing in the chest area and these corresponding results prove that young women like the clothing they buy because it accentuates what men like to see. In addition, 33% of males stated that a woman's butt is a female's most appealing physical attribute and 41% said that her legs are the most appealing physical attribute. In comparison, 90% of girls stated that their ideal bottom would be a pair of shorts. Shorts accentuate both a female's legs and her behind. 25% of women said that the feature they try to accentuate most is their legs and 27% said their behind. In order for women to feel confident, they respond to what their male counterparts want to see. All of this occurs because compliments and attention equate to confidence, for “A woman would love male attention, the more she gets it, the more of a winner she feels.” (Do Women Dress to Please Men, 2008), (How To Attract a Man, 2008). In addition, some women are insecure and therefore they crave male attention as an ego booster (Godfrey, 2010). Although these women are dressing to gain attention from males, it is really for themselves. They are dressing this way to gain confidence in order to live out their lives to the fullest extent without feeling insecure.  Women also dress either to impress other women or look better than them. Because women all want positive attention, they feel like they need to compete with other women (Do Women Dress to Please Men, 2008). Women also tend to get jealous of women who are more confident than themselves (Godfrey, 2010). Godfrey claims that “many and most women dress for other women, whether it’s for admiration or to make others envious.” Women feel flattered when men compliment or look at them, but they would feel just as flattered getting this attention from a woman. Women feed off or attention and feel the same sense of satisfaction when a woman compliments them or when they look better than another woman. When she looks good, especially in comparison to others, it is easier for her to portray herself in a better way.  Women also tend to dress to conform to society. If she is not an outcast but dresses like one, chances are she will not be able to truly be herself and feel confident about herself. Fact is, people all dress to conform to some degree. Everyone who wants to be “different” or an “individual” do it in the exact same way as everyone else (Fields, 2007). For example, all Goths dress alike and all hippies dress alike. Even though they are trying to prove that they are different than mainstream America by “not conforming,” they are in fact conforming to another section of society. Ultimately, women decide how they clothe themselves subconsciously over how they want others who are a part of society to view them. Fields states that, “Society is a democracy and the majority rules.” This holds true because women dress according to the demands of society and social pressures. Society compels her to dress in a certain way in order to be accepted and to feel confident. Because of society, women have to dress appropriately according to the situation which shows that they dress for society. Society expects women to dress certain ways for different occasions and women are forced to adhere these rules in order to feel “accepted” (Godfrey, 2010). Usually when a woman is accepted, she feels confident. It does not give people a reason to make fun of her if she dresses like everyone else.  Lastly, women wear what they do because they like how it looks in general. No matter how flattering a piece of item may be, a woman will not wear it if she does not like how it looks. Clothing is a tool that women use to express their identity for no two women dress completely alike. They all have their own tastes and preferences. Some trends right now that do not enhance a woman’s figure that are fashionable now are floral prints and maxi dresses (Summer Shiigi, 2011). Women just buy them because they like how they look. Men could not care less if a woman is wearing the latest fad in fashion magazines and on television for they do not even know about them. Women just do this because they like how it looks and it expresses a part of who they are. When a woman can express who she is and get complimented for it, she will instantly feel more confident about who she is.  Wilde states that “ on a day when I need to feed my best, a few inches boost from a pair of deadly stilettoes is my way of correcting nature and fixing the injustice of my torso-to-femur ratio.” Women dress the way they do to feel confident about themselves in order to carry out their lives the way it should be carried out. Women do not want to be wasting their time caving in to try and hide their flaws, so they just cover them and really play up their strongest assets. In order to do this, they may be trying to show what men want to see or what might impress others, but this is just so they can feel confident and there is nothing wrong with that. Being confident in who they are will alter their life tremendously and something as simple as clothing has the power to do so.