Making a statement about your appearance is more than just how you dress. It involves a process of inner confidence, outward appearance, and even subtle clues such as body language and your scent.
You’ve probably heard the saying, “dress the part,” which means wearing clothes that fit the occasion and projecting how you want people to perceive you.
Another way to say “dress the part” is “dress to impress” or “dress for the job you want, not the one you have.”
All that being said, the key to any job or first impression is how you project yourself. If you went to a job interview slobbily attired, late, and disheveled, even with an incredible resume, it’s more than likely that you won’t find yourself employed at the company.
People evaluate you by what you wear in every situation.
There are just no two ways around it.
The Power Of Perception
How people perceive you can elevate your standing, giving you more respect and authority, or it can diminish your influence and impact. How people perceive you, in other words, is significant.
If you’re perceived positively, people tend to let their guards down, are friendlier, and are more open to suggestions from you. However, if people perceive you as aggressive, demeaning, or bossy, they’re less inclined to want to work with you, interact, or make suggestions.
You can invest much time and money into your outward appearance, but what you do inside is just as important. There are simple procedures for your outward appearance, but focusing on your inner confidence is just as important for how people will perceive you.
To affect how people perceive you, changing your internal monologue and exuding a change in body language will change how you present yourself to others.
- Practice kindness
- Relax your body
- Shoulders back
- Make eye contact
- Ask plenty of questions
- Have a positive internal monologue
- Speak in calm, even tones
- Dress the part
Projecting outward kindness and confidence begins with an internal monologue, constantly telling yourself of your value and happiness. Then, those inner thoughts become non-verbal cues to others through your body language and vocal tone.
As you start to control your internal language, you’re able to become more confident, affecting people’s perceptions of you.
When people are asked about leadership, one of the first adjectives that come to mind is confidence. Additionally, when people are asked to describe a person they like, one of the first adjectives is happy. In other words, people identify with you and how you feel inside.
Fragrant Memories: The Link Between Smells And Memory
Dressing the part is only one aspect of improving how others perceive you. Making indelible perceptions of people can have long-lasting positive impacts when you interact with them in the future.
In fact, your fragrance or how you smell can also embellish how people think of you, and research shows a correlation between scent and memory. Scientists believe that memory associated with smells is more profound and thought about less often, making them more vivid of a recollection.
Research shows that the correlation between scent and memory is deep in our minds. Scientists believe that the link between smell and memory are so closely linked due to the brain’s anatomy.
The olfactory glands are connected to the limbic system, the part of the brain linked to emotional and behavioral responses.
The powerful emotions of the limbic system are deeply rooted in primary biological responses needed for survival, from feeding, reproduction, caring for the young, and the fight and flight responses to threats.
In other words, smells can evoke powerful emotional memories in people, so how you smell is a subtle way to influence how people perceive you.
The problem with most people is that they don’t think about the fragrance they put out to others. They put on some deodorant, maybe some cologne or perfume, and that’s about it.
The reality is that there is a combination of smells associated with you, from the food you eat, the laundry detergent used on your clothes, shampoo, conditioner, and body spray or deodorant.
Finding the right combination of colognes, perfumes, and body sprays can be costly. But there are ways to find deals on your favorite fragrances.
You can shop in bulk or find coupons or discount codes during sales. A discount code can be brand-specific or general discounts used at the time of purchase. For example, a FragranceX discount code allows you to save on various designer fragrances without spending a small fortune.
The benefit of having designer fragrances marked down is that you can save money as you try out new scents to see which ones you like and which seem to be received well by others.
What you wear and how you smell are significant factors in how people perceive you. So make a bold statement about yourself by dressing the part and wearing complementary fragrances to grab others’ attention and hold any room.