What Are You Wearing?

What are you wearing? Such an interesting question. Or at least it can be.

It could be asked in a horrified tone--imagine a mom seeing her child dressed inappropriately (at least in her mind) right before leaving for school on class picture day. It could be said in a curious tone, one girlfriend to another as they plan their outfits for a dance. And it could be said seductively, one lover to another in a phone chat--the old fashioned kind, without a video component. 

There's a good reason this question can precede phone sex. What someone is wearing (or not wearing) can titillate. It also can communicate. If your long-distance lover says she's wearing "sweats," you're probably in for a different conversation than if she says she's wearing a satin nightie--or maybe nothing at all. 

Wearing an inappropriate outfit to an event might tell the world that you don't care to live up to their sartorial standards. Or maybe it says you're so uninterested in fashion--or so preoccupied with something else--that it didn't occur to you that what you put on that day might be too casual or too fancy.

Of course, even if you intend to send a particular message through a fashion choice, it doesn't mean other people will grasp your point. A man might choose to wear the same style suit as the boss often wears, trying to portray an image of professionalism. But his coworkers might get the message that the guy is an ass-kisser.

The same thing can be said about a person's grooming. A woman with face tattoos might intend to send the message that she'll do what she wants with her body. A person seeing it might think she means art belongs everywhere. A man with a mohawk might be telling the world that he loves punk or appreciates nonconformity, while his neighbor might think the message is threatening or that he's a fan of the 1970s and '80s.

Where am I going with all of this? Just as clothing and grooming choices can send messages in real life, they can send messages in novels and stories, providing useful information to the reader. A character who wears 1950s-style dresses every day is telling something about herself (though one reader might think it means she has old-fashioned beliefs while another might think it means she is independent and wears what she wants, no matter what's in style). If a character who works in an office where suits are de rigueur goes into work one day in ripped jeans and a stained T-shirt, the reader might think he's sending a message that he is under stress or maybe that he wants to be fired. A woman whose husband loves her long hair could be sending a message to him--and the reader--if she cuts it short.

So, when describing a character's clothing and grooming choices, be sure to think about what you're trying to communicate or why you are making those choices. If you don't have a particular point to make or a reason to dress a character in a particular way, maybe don't do it.

I've read a number of novels and short stories over the years where characters' outfits were mentioned yet it didn't feel as if the authors were trying to say anything with the clothing choices. Rather, it felt as if the authors thought they needed to show the characters, so they randomly mentioned what the characters were wearing, even if the clothes were boring (and the authors weren't making the point that the characters were boring). Fellow authors, don't do that to yourself.

If a lot of a book's characters are wearing jeans and a T-shirt, for instance, unless you're making a point about conformity, think about cutting these boring descriptions for something more interesting (that fits with the character and plot). Give your characters more purposeful style. Just for instance, if you dress a character in assless chaps, that choice likely will catch the reader's attention and should suggest something (something interesting) about the character, especially if the character is heading into his corporate job where everyone always wears suits and ties.  

To sum up, when describing a character's clothes, hair, and other matters of appearance, think about what you're implying. If it's nothing other than that this character wears clothes and has hair, it might be worth rethinking your choices.

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And now for a little BSP: My newest short story, "Just One Twist," was published in the final issue of Black Cat Weekly magazine--issue 270--on October 31. In this tale, the only thing standing behind an abusive husband and his on-the-run wife is an unlocked door. Who will get there first? You can buy the issue here: https://blackcatweekly.com/b/yspUh.