Mini-essay #3 - Illustration

DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY IT'S COVER
For some, appearances are everything, they determine how they are judged and who they are. For others, appearances have little to do with their character or their lifestyle. I disagree with the saying “clothes make the person” as I do not take my wardrobe to an extreme with all brand-named clothing and I tend to not to care whether or not whatever I put on matches or not. Another reason that I disagree with the statement is that I do not judge based on appearances, I give people a fair chance to befriend me. The example I will use is a girl who went to my high school that came from a poor family that couldn't afford the latest fashion trends, but she is a very nice person that I became good friends with. Another example I will use is a girl who had all of the latest fashions and came from a wealthy family.

Her whole life was a financial struggle, as her parents struggled from job to job and paycheck to paycheck. My friend had the desire to own more fashionable pieces in her wardrobe though she could not afford them and her family most definitely could not. She often wore sweatpants, old t-shirts, and ruddy sneakers, daily it seemed. This turned some people away from her in our high school, although it was not like she didn't have good hygiene habits or that she was a mean person. I found that she was a very nice person with the same issues, and she grew up with our graduating class since kindergarten. Therefore there was much to relate to and much to talk about with her. I was the person in our grade to be able to get along with many of the different groups in our high school. I wasn't assigned to a clique and I see people for who they really are, giving people a chance to make up for the so called “stereotype” placed among the student population by the popular clique. From the popular clique comes my next example, as her wardrobe does not make her a good person (she is not nice at all in fact), and she only has her clothing and appearance as a social staple to “friends.”

Her whole life was a financial “carpet ride” where her parents were successful, her dad was a local lawyer, and they vacationed 3 times per year. Every item of clothing that she owned was name-brand and every friend that she had mirrored this similar aspect of fashion. Money never was an issue, her parents paid her way for everything, and the friends she acquired based their views of her through her financial stability and appearance. She looked the part of a “happy, successful, nice” person, however the inside was not pretty. The way she judges others and treats others is inhumane. The way she glares at those less fortunate. The way that she believes she deserves more than others because of her materialistic objects makes her an ugly person. These 2 examples are complete opposite examples from within my high school population, however they both represent how “clothes don't make the person.” It is what is inside that makes the person, their character should be judged and not their appearances should not.

I disagree with the saying “clothes make the person” based upon my past experiences, as everybody comes from different backgrounds and situations, there should be no judgment besides that of one's character. “Don't judge a book by its cover” is a popular expression complimenting my views towards this subject. People deserve more than just one passing glance.