Non-Verbal Communication: Clothing

Instructions: Clothing
conveys a sufficient amount of information and is manipulated so intentionally
that it can accurately be described as a channel of nonverbal communication. In
some social contexts clothing is carefully encoded, carefully decoded, and
critical to people’s impressions (e.g., high school). For this paper
assignment, you will first be required to (1) read a series of research reports
on clothing, and (2) watch clips from the film Mean Girls.
The paper should
be divided into two sections. In the first section (about 1/3 to 1/2 of the
paper), you should concentrate on discussing the required readings. What are
some of the perceptions of people that are affected by their clothing? What
kinds of cues or information are evident in people’s clothing? Can clothing
send messages? Explain. What kinds of judgments might people make about others
based on their clothing? Is there a relationship between social competence,
social participation, and clothing among high school students? In this section,
be sure to discuss specific findings and conclusions from the required
readings. Ideally, these should foreshadow some elements of the upcoming
analysis of characters from one of the two films.
In the second section (about 1/2 to
2/3 of the paper), present a careful and detailed analysis of 3 of the main
characters from Mean Girls. How did the director manipulate their
clothing to covey certain images? Pay attention to detail (including things
such as make-up, jewelry, hairstyles, etc. in addition to clothing). How does
the clothing create or contradict the character’s image? What do the
characters’ clothes suggest about their personalities? Feel free to choose
which ever dimensions of evaluation or description (e.g., status, group
membership, personality) you feel are appropriate. Pay particular attention to
how aspects of characters’ clothes may fit within the story line of the movie
you chose (e.g., wearing brightly colored clothes at a funeral scene, etc.).
How does the manipulation of clothing in this film relate to the research you
read for the first portion of this paper?
Remember, I am looking for a clear
demonstration of your knowledge of the background readings as well as a careful
analysis of the movie clips you select. Background information on the two movie
options is given below. If you have never seen these films, I recommend that
you first read the synopses below.
HERE ARE THE LINKS TO THE TWO SCENES FROM MEAN GIRLS:

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