Look in the mirror, who do you see? You might see yourself, as you know yourself, the same curly head, the same brown eyes that you have always known, since the first time you discovered a mirror. But do you ever wonder how the people around you see you? Through their eyes, they might see a young girl with a baby-face, or a haggard-looking student who looks like they’ve spent too many nights out. Through their eyes, they might see a stressed middle-age woman, presumably with two young kids that have been giving her a hard time,

or maybe a glowing dame who’s immaculately dressed with perfect hair, even though you are neither one of these.

As cliché as it is, first impressions play a large part in our relationships. They may the first to fly out the window if you have the opportunity to get to know a person well, devoting quality time to your relationship, but in this day and age, who has time to? Instead, we look for all-revealing clues on the persona of an individual, instead of looking past their exterior façade. Clothes, manner of speech, or maybe the volume of which they’re talking, or even what they’re talking about can all tell a lot in a person. Ask your closest friends what their first impression of you was and how their opinion of you has changed over the years. It’s amazing how accurate and spot-on first impressions are; sometimes they paint the most honest and blunt image of ourselves to other people, before everything gets tinted with familiarity and routine. How else would your friend’s then-annoying habit of manoeuvring the conversation back to her become something of the norm to you? Where you used to routinely roll your eyes, now you give her the habitual leeway for self-advertisement?

Another point is clothing; people usually overlook the large part that clothing has in building first impressions. Humans are very visual creatures, and sometimes what we see of a person influences what is in the person. It is a well-known fact in drama that costume is instrumental in building the character that the actor is attempting to bring to life. If life is a stage, shouldn’t the same fact be relevant to us? Clothing, as the standard mode of dress, helps us to build the image that we’re trying to portray to society.

Do you want to paint a formidable-looking image, or a casual easygoing exterior? Personally, I dress to my mood or for occasion, purposefully donning my seldom-used heels for a party or formal social event, my sneakers for supermarket shopping, sandals for a trip to the dairy. This habit of clothes-selection shows the innate human quality for visuals and drama, where we put on a different persona with every different outfit we put on, in hopes that it will give a sense of purpose to the occasion ahead. If you’re wearing a nice dress to a party, it gives a sense of propriety to the occasion; showing that you’re the party version of yourself at the party, not your dairy-going track-pant-wearing self.

But as central first impressions are, there comes a time to overlook them and to stop valuing the image you want to portray. Excessive paranoia over what you look like, and what people think of you will just give over to vanity and a low self-esteem. There is a time for just being yourself, where your own impression of yourself is what matters most; above all the drama and the judgments of strangers. After all, impressions are called impressions for a reason.

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