What messages can be sent from physical appearance?

Answer 1

Almost any message you want to send. The only caveat is that you shouldn't expect that message to always be perceived as you intend it to be. For instance, consider this scenario...

A young woman decides to wear a dress to a job interview that she considers very flattering to her figure. All of her friends, male and female alike, have given her many compliments on it so she's sure that she appears attractive in it. She arrives at the job interview confident and ready to go. The executive that is interviewing her takes one look at her and he's already decided that she's not going to get the job. Why? Because even though she is immanently qualified for the job as her resume has shown, he doesn't approve of her style of dress and he doesn't want some one dressed like her to represent his company.

Here's the question most people think of when reading this... What was the young woman wearing?

The answer... It doesn't matter. The lesson here is that her physical appearance lost her the job, not because she was dressed inappropriately necessarily, but rather because the message that the executive got from her physical appearance was one that he didn't like. Basically put, the messages one receives from physical appearances, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

Answer 2

Physical appearance can convey messages about age, gender, social status, personality, level of confidence, and personal grooming habits. It can also reflect cultural or social affiliations, health status, and overall well-being. However, it's important to note that interpretations of physical appearance can be subjective and influenced by individual perceptions and biases.