Some People Say That It Is Possible To Tell A Lot About A Person’s Culture And Character From Their Choice Of Clothing | Band 8 IELTS Essay Sample

Some people say that it is possible to tell a lot about a person’s culture and character from their choice of clothes. Do you agree or disagree?

Here is a band 8 IELTS essay on this topic submitted by one of our students. Send us your writing samples for a free band score estimate or get a detailed analysis of your writing for a fee.

Band 8 IELTS essay sample

Some people believe that we can predict a person’s culture and character from their choice of clothing. While I do admit that a person’s outward appearance tells a lot about them I do not completely agree with this view.

It is possible to guess a person’s background and nature from their clothes. However, one may not be able to predict their character and values. A person always wearing religious or traditional costumes may reveal their devotional and spiritual nature. A usually decent and formally clad individual portrays simplicity and modesty. Multi-colored and flashy outfits can indicate a person’s exuberant and lively nature. For example, entertainers and celebrities are often seen wearing jazzy dresses. Also, an odd-colored, loosely-fitted and shabby clothing may be an indicator of a careless attitude.

Nevertheless, I feel that outward appearance and looks can be deceptive. It may disguise a person’s true inner self and any malevolent intent. For example, some imposters donning sacred robes and religious symbols may defraud innocent followers. This was evidently seen in the recent criminal cases filed against self-proclaimed saints in India. Moreover, a person’s choice of clothing cannot always be used as a reflection of their character in general. To cite an example, a woman wearing light and short clothes for her comfort may incorrectly be perceived as indecent in some countries.

In summary, a person’s style of dressing can be an indicator of their thought patterns, and outlook towards life and culture. It can also show some of their qualities and attributes. However, it would be incorrect to draw a conclusion about someone based on their external appearance.

Band 8 IELTS essay sample 2

It is believed by some people that clothes showcase the individuality and cultural background of the person who wears it. However, I personally disagree with this belief as in this modern world it is common for people to wear garments that are in no way related to their culture or upbringing.

Firstly, with the boost in tourism industry and popularity of the internet folks today are adopting various customs, rituals and values of other communities. Thus, their dressing styles have also changed. For instance, south Indian saris are equally popular in northern states and north Indian “Kurtas” has also gained huge popularity in southern parts. Therefore, it is difficult to guess anything merely on the basis of the way of dressing. Likewise, it is not possible to guess someone’s character from their clothing. For example, someone wearing very traditional or simple clothing may actually have a modern outlook. Gandhiji wore only a loin cloth. He was not a weak person. So, obviously clothes can lie about your character.

Secondly, today’s population, especially youth, prefer to dress in a comfortable way which is helpful for them to cope with the fast-paced life. College going students and professionals working in the corporate sectors are the clear example of it. They generally wear jeans, T-shirts and pants and from this uniform type of attire it is impossible to judge about their roots and personality traits.

However, from the brands and tags on the clothes it is sometimes possible to have an estimate about the financial status of the person. Also, from the uniform of Doctors, Police and Army personnel it is easy to know about their professions. However, still it fails to reveal anything related to the personal likes, dislikes and values.

To conclude, it can be said that clothes can sometimes reveal the cultural background of a person. This is not always necessary but it can happen. However, there is not much you can infer about the character of a person from their clothing.

Band 8 IELTS essay sample 3

A few individuals opine that we can get to know a lot about someone’s culture and character on the basis of their attire. I agree with the view / opinion / argument that clothes can tell basic information about a person but other details like personality and customs cannot be judged based on their selection of clothing / garments.

Firstly, by observing the fabric and style we can come to an initial conclusion that the person is from a certain cultural background. For instance, we can easily identify some of the Muslim ladies if they are wearing a “Burkha” which is a long dress that covers their entire body. However, people nowadays wear mostly t-shirt or jeans or business wear which makes it difficult to identify the cultural origin of a person. Modern way of dressing has made it difficult to identify the cultural background of a person.

Secondly, judging a person’s character on the basis of their clothing is quiet misleading. Nowadays, people are more into fashion making it difficult to judge if one is good or bad as fashion is a deceiving weapon nowadays. For example, a man who wears a tidy and ironed attire might be a thief who is impersonating himself as a gentleman to fool people around. On the other hand, a person like Mahatma Gandhi used to wear a simple dhoti even though he was a well-educated lawyer.

To sum up, I would say that we can find certain things about an individual from the way they dress but we cannot judge their culture and character based on their choice to dress.