What We Wear, and Who We Become

Neha Suradkar
2 days ago
4 min read

Neha Suradkar

Co- Founder of YOGEE Beauty & Wellness Pvt Ltd

Assistant Professor (Fashion History, Styling)

Fashion and Design Educator, Entrepreneur, Style Coach™ and Advocate of Timeless Thinking

Have you ever noticed how you automatically sit a little straighter when you are dressed well? Or how staying in nightclothes till noon somehow convinces your brain that answering emails is… optional?

This isn’t about impressing anyone. This is psychology. And I am not here to shame anyone for loving pyjamas. Pyjamas play a very important role in human happiness!

Let’s explore a fascinating concept called enclothed cognition- the idea that what we wear quietly influences how we think, feel, and behave.

How clothes turn into characters

Actors understand this better than most of us. When someone wears a costume, they don’t just look different, they become different.

The posture shifts.

The walk changes.

The energy transforms.

This is why costumes are never an afterthought in theatre or films; they help actors slip into character.

A striking real-life example often discussed is Ranveer Singh after portraying Khilji in Padmavat.

He openly spoke about how the role affected him mentally and emotionally, and how it took time to detach himself from that intense character.

The costume, the body language, the constant immersion- all played a role. When you dress for a role, your mind starts playing along.

Everyday life, everyday roles

As Shakespeare rightly said, “All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players!” We all play different roles throughout the day; it’s just that there is no literal screen or stage.

We dress differently for work than for a morning walk.
Sportswear makes us feel more athletic, and sleepwear helps to calm our minds.
Wedding clothes instantly put us in celebration mode, and donning the colour of the national flag makes us feel patriotic, even if it is for a day.

That is also one of the reasons why many people who work from home admit that productivity drops when they stay in sleepwear all day.

It’s not laziness; it’s the confusion. Your mind thinks it’s rest time, while your calendar says otherwise.

Clothing aligned with the moment helps our minds switch gears with much less effort.

“My work needs my skills, not my clothes”

I am sure quite a few of you have seen a trending reel (or something similar) where a young woman wears a very short skirt to work.

When her husband objects, she responds by calling out his mentality and stating firmly,

“My work requires my skills, not my clothes.”

And she is not wrong! At least not entirely…

Skills, intelligence, competence, and ethics do not come stitched into an outfit.

A person’s capability does not change with a skirt, a sari, a suit, or a pair of jeans. Reducing someone’s professional worth to clothing is neither fair nor progressive.

But this is where the conversation often stops. While clothes do not decide capability, they do influence context, perception, and presence, for others, and sometimes even for ourselves.

Think of clothes like language. Your thoughts may be equally intelligent, but you still choose different words when speaking to a child, a friend, or a boardroom.

Not because you are pretending, but because context matters. Clothes work the same way.

They quietly tell our minds, and the spaces we enter, about the role we are stepping into.

When our attire goes with the environment we are in, it becomes easier to feel confident, be taken seriously, and remain fully present in that moment.

Dressing is Communication

There is an uncomfortable truth we sometimes don’t want to believe- even if we do not want our clothes to communicate, they do! Uniforms signal responsibility.

Sportswear signals movement.

Formal wear signals a setting.

Comfort wear signals rest.

None of this is about judgment; it is about visual language.

This is what enclothed cognition also explains- when external cues align with the internal role, performance improves. The performance may be professional, social, or emotional.

Dressing for the occasion, not for approval

Dressing “right” doesn’t mean dressing fancy. It means dressing mindfully.

Clothes that let you move when movement is required
Clothes that help you relax when rest is the goal
Clothes that respect shared spaces like workplaces, classrooms, places of worship, and social gatherings

With social media everywhere, there is pressure to dress for pictures rather than for the occasion.

But an outfit that looks great on social media may not always serve the moment you are actually living in.

When clothing supports the activity, you are free to experience it, rather than constantly adjusting, tugging, or feeling out of place.

Not rules. Just awareness.

The intention here is not to engage in moral policing or to discuss rigid dress codes. Fashion should still be expressive, and personal style should remain personal.

But it is worth pausing occasionally to ask:

What role am I stepping into today?

And dress up accordingly. Whether you are heading to work, attending a celebration, playing a sport, or simply stepping out for errands, what you wear helps you show up as a more present version of yourself.

And if all else fails, remember: even superheroes have different outfits for different missions. So, the next time you get dressed, think of it as setting the tone for the day.

Your brain gets the memo… no cape required!