Why do suits make men appear powerful?
I think there is nothing more attractive than a man in a suit. There is more to it though, than just attractiveness. It is usually has to do with the type of man who is wearing the suit – maybe that is where the attractiveness comes from. However, suits seem to improve the appearance drastically of almost anyone.
I have also heard that wearing a red tie also signifies ‘power’.
Why does a suit, or a red tie, make a man appear powerful? Do you think it does? Why or why not?
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7 Answers
It’s social programming ant that’s all there is too it.
I’m with @Mikewlf337. There are social connotations attached to a man wearing a suit, that leads us to assume certain things about that man.
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Maybe because it shows that they spent like $1,000 on an outfit, when most of us spend under fifty for a complete outfit. $20 shoes, $15 pants, $7 t-shirt, $6 baseball cap, $2 underwears/socks.
Suits broaden a man’s shoulders and trims him up a bit with the line of the jacket, so it is more flattering to his figure.
I lived with men in suits (and one in a police uniform.. eeek) for 15 years and I found nothing powerful about it.
I think that if people think men in suits are powerful, then you’re handing them something they haven’t earned from you yet. It’s like the ‘white coat effect’ http://ksu.academia.edu/GaryBrase/Papers/423823/The_WhiteCoat_Effect_Physician_Attire_and_Perceived_Authority_Friendliness_and_Attractiveness .
Next time you feel intimidated by a man in a suit, remember that they are just pudgy middle age men and try to picture what they look like to their wives when they’re on holiday, in their swim trunks on the beach or next to the hotel pool.
Suits are only powerful looking if they fit well, and are pressed. A suit that doesn’t fit well, or was put on after it’s laid on a crumpled heap on the floor is not powerful looking at all. Neither is unshined shoes with a suit, or the lack of a belt.
There is a contrast thing going on in this situation. Man are thought of in one sense and then when they clean up and dress to this level it is a sharp and impacting contrast.
Additionally when men dress in suits they feel more confident which plays into their ability to put themselves forth and hold ground when appropriate.
Additionally there is the psychology of authority. People are more responsive subconsciously to authority. Remember the experiment from Psyc 101, with the button that would inflict a shock on another person and when the students would hit it. The more authoritative the person instructing them the more they would cross the boundary of inflicting pain.
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