Judgment by Appearance Acceptable

I was fortunate enough to host a well- attended party over the weekend. Apologies ahead of time for this shameless plug, but it was a fun time. The party had a "stoplight" theme, which simply means that you wear green if you're available, red if you're taken, and yellow if you're somewhere in between. The value of such a theme is obvious. It forgoes the subtle indicators given off by the usual partygoer and overtly states their availability. At a base level, it makes sense. But, because of our apprehensions with the role of appearance, something as simple as picking what color to wear becomes muddled in debate.

It was interesting to see the wheels turn in people's heads in the days leading up to the weekend. There were plenty who thought that wearing green was equivalent to giving a free pass to whoever directed their intentions towards you for the night. Others just thought it meant you weren't dating anyone. The dreaded double-standard reared its head, with girls worried about looking like sluts and guys proudly displaying their emerald garments like conquering heroes. It all turned into a booze-soaked social experiment that was bound to happen, given the theme, but seeing it all unfold was interesting.

The bright, attention grabbing red shirts floated around the party like fiery sentinels, framing the clutches of other colors. The brash nature of the color red was perfect for the aura that these people embodied. They no longer had to humor the advances of other partygoers. They seemed loose, perhaps more free because of the overt declaration their shirt gave. The yellow and green blended together, with large crowds moving from drink to drink and song to song, indiscriminately chatting or dancing with anyone they could find. All the mental considerations of the earlier wardrobe selection lifted and things went as they usually do late at night, for better or worse. Though it's easy to write most of it off as the behavior of a throng of drunken college students, the theme certainly had an effect on how people acted.

Some people say, "The clothes make the man." Other people say don't judge a book by its cover. Both are worried about one thing: appearance. Appearance has become a double-edged sword. As our world twists and tears itself towards a more "politically correct" (what a hateful phrase that is) atmosphere, appearance is caught in the middle. We're taught not to judge others by their appearance, but we're also taught to look as good as possible so that we may be judged positively. You have to look good for job interviews. You have to look good for social events. You have to look appealing to get that girl or guy. Yet your intrinsic worth is what people should be looking for, and that's the most important thing.

Any pessimist would agree that appearance is more important than character, and optimism is increasingly hard to come by these days. Whatever side you're on, it's true that even the most steadfast believer in the worth of what's inside makes on-sight judgments, even if they're at a subconscious level. A large part of taste has to do with smell and sight. Making judgments about people isn't any different.

Now, I'm fairly certain most people weren't looking for intrinsic worth in a dark pit full of thumping bass and barely-visible faces, but most of the judgments made by the average partygoer had to do with appearance.

The "stoplight" theme codified and simplified the clues that need to be searched for otherwise. And really, whatever intention the people had, they were offering an answer to a basic social question on some level. Appearance facilitated that. It provided function and, if the person desired it, results.

I could go to the bank and talk with a financial advisor. He'd be wearing a suit and sitting at his desk. I could immediately make a judgment that this is a man I want to talk to for my banking needs. He could also be a poet of great ability, or a composer, or an artist. I wouldn't know. And it wouldn't affect our interaction at its most basic and applicable level at all. Same thing goes for the stoplight party.

Appearance drives us. It affects every judgment we make. As much as modern thinking wants to destroy that idea, it cannot help but submit to it.

Some people would say it's ignorant to just accept that fact and not work towards resolving it. I say, "Why not embrace it?" Sure, you might get judged wrongly, but that's just motivation to display the appealing parts of your character in a stronger way. Making appearance-based judgments works. It can lead to a pretty good party sometimes, too.