Behind the clothing: a Freudian reading of fashion
By paola
In literature, few scholars have explored the relationship between psychology and fashion. Perhaps because fashion is seen as frivolous, superficial, and not worthy of analysis. In reality, these beliefs are unfounded, as clothing has always revealed a lot about us and the society we live in.
Particularly interesting is the application of the psychoanalytic theory, specifically Freud’s, to the phenomenon of dressing. The person who tackled this effort is John Flügel (1884-1995), a British psychologist and psychoanalyst who is credited with writing one of the few books dedicated to the topic, “The Psychology of Clothes”, which is referenced in our article.
According to the scholar, dressing is the result of three fundamental motivations: decoration, modesty, and protection.
Decoration
Like any respected psychoanalytic theory, the psychoanalysis of clothing considers sexual drives as central.
Since clothing allows for increasing sexual attraction through the decoration of the naked body, clothes can be considered as true erotic symbols.
But precisely because it carries sexual symbolism, clothing is also meant to carry all those contents that symbolize the “cultural” equivalents of sex: power, wealth, and authority. In fact, according to psychoanalytic theory, the ultimate and essential cause of fashion lies in the competitiveness of both a social and sexual nature.
Modesty
Modesty seems to exist in opposition to something; it is a negative impulse, ordering us not to do something that we might otherwise be tempted to do. In this light, modesty can be considered as an inhibitory impulse against the opposite, more primitive tendency of exhibition. With clothing, we cover ourselves to avoid exposing our nakedness and not attract others’ gaze.
Protection
A function generally attributed to clothing is that it exercises a form of containment, both physical and psychological.
Clothing serves to protect from dangerous external agents: cold, heat, human or animal enemies, accidental offenses.
But it also serves to protect against dangerous internal agents, psychological ones.
A very important function of protection is against moral dangers: simple clothing that covers the whole body can help avoid distractions that might lead one astray (a clear example is the clothing of monks).
Moreover, protection can be directed against hostilities from the world in general. In the presence of strangers or people with whom we feel we have nothing in common, our reaction is to close ourselves off in our clothes, to take refuge within them.
Clothing as a resolution of an internal conflict
The motivations of modesty and decoration are evidently in opposition. On one hand, I cover myself to avoid exposing my nakedness and attracting others’ gaze; on the other hand, I adorn myself because I want to enhance my body and be noticed.
This situation is comparable to the classic Freudian example of blushing on the face: blushing shows shame for an unconscious exhibitionist impulse, but at the same time, it attracts attention to the subject, achieving an indirect satisfaction of exhibitionism.
According to this interpretation, clothing would be comparable to blushing on the face and would resolve the conflict between modesty and decoration: it covers the body to satisfy the impulse of modesty while enhancing the parts of the body to add beauty to the naked body.
If modesty and decoration are two conflicting impulses, protection is the rationalization. I cover myself with clothes because I am cold, but while I cover myself, I satisfy both the decorative need and, thus, exhibitionism, as well as modesty.
The psychoanalytic theory is just one of the many approaches that can be used to explain the act of dressing, an action that is anything but frivolous and always hides deep motivations. And if you are not convinced, we offer you a challenge: would you leave the house dressed head to toe in baby pink? Oh no? Why not? This provocation humorously shows how none of us would leave the house “without even looking in the mirror,” as so many claim.
“Only superficial people don’t judge by appearances. The real mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.” – Oscar Wilde
