Chapter 1 Understanding Clothing 31 who always wants to look perfect. You may like to wear casual clothes most of the time. If acceptance by others is important to you, wearing the same type of clothes as your friends may make you feel more comfortable. In contrast, if you like to be unique, you might enjoy wearing styles of clothes that are not like those of your friends. This could be a way of communicating that you enjoy being original and different. What type of personality do your clothes express? The clothes in your wardrobe should express your personality. When shopping for clothes, has a friend ever held up an item and said, “This looks like you”? If so, your friend was saying that the clothing matched your personality. Your clothes should help you say, “I am trying to be me. This is how I feel about myself.” You want to wear clothes that are in style, but you also want to choose the styles that express your personality. For example, some young women may express quiet and soft-spoken personality traits by choosing soft, fl owing fabrics and small, delicate designs. Others may choose clothes with minimum design details, strong colors, and rough textures to express more forceful personalities. Many young men like to wear casual outfi ts, 1-6. They feel neat, but com- fortable. As they create these outfi ts, they are expressing their personalities. Young women can wear casual outfi ts based on jeans or slacks. They also have the option of showing their femininity by wearing skirts, dresses, or other types of pants. They can express the businesslike side of their personalities by wearing suits. Values Your values are the qualities, standards, principles, and ideals you consider important or desirable. They guide your actions and impact your decisions. They infl uence almost all aspects of your life in some way or another. Some of your values may relate to family, friends, education, wealth, and status. Values form over a lifetime. Your family shapes many of your values. For instance, your family may place a high value on caring for one another, honesty, and perseverance. Because of your up-bringing, you are likely to share these same values. Family values generally pass from one generation to the next. Friends, school, community, and cultural traditions also impact your values. 1-6 Most young men feel more comfortable in casual outfi ts such as these. Shutterstock f t