Introduction to dressing sharp
Pants around the buttocks. T-shirts three sizes too large. Athletic shoes the only footwear. Wrinkled dress shirts. Poorly tied ties. Let’s face it; those are some of the common dressing habits of young men. The sense of pride for a man’s appearance seem to have been thrown into the trash whence his stained clothes were discovered. If you take a trip to your local university, you will see more young men sloppily dressed or even going to class in the clothes in which they slept than presentably dressed young men.
Young men are future workers, future fathers, future husbands and future leaders. All of these positions of authority, respect and prestige are not to be taken lightly both in terms of competency and in pride. A poorly dressed young man is a reflection of his attitudes towards himself and the general population. If a young man disregards the way he presents himself, then what keeps a young man from disregarding you?
I am not arguing that young men (myself included) are lazy, dumb and weak. No. On the contrary. I believe that my generation will bring forth great and innovative ideas to the world. What I am arguing, however, is that dressing sharp has lost its priority. We young men must pay more attention to how we dress, how we look and how we present ourselves. It may seem a little bit superfluous, but most judgments about a person are made within the first few seconds of making contact. Even before you say something someone is judging you by your looks and using your appearance as a measurement to the content of your character.
Taking the time and effort to look your best will only bring forth good in your life.
Looks familiar? This “style” is all too common and in poor taste
Image source: guim.co.uk
What does dressing sharp mean
Dressing sharp means to wear clean and fitted clothes
Does dressing sharp mean that we young men have to wear suits everyday of our lives? No! On the most basic level, dressing sharp means to wear clean and fitted clothes. We do not have to wear suits, ties and have a derby hat on our heads. While wearing a suit may be the sharpest we may get, chances are a suit will be worn less than 30 times in a young man’s year.
Dressing sharp means to be aware of personal style
Building on clean and fitted clothes, the next level of dressing sharp is to be aware of personal style. The way of mastering this awareness is to disregard mainstream trends in fashion. Skinny jeans and a popped pink polo might look good on the cover model of a magazine, for real young men these fluctuations in fashion will only prove counterproductive. Educate yourself by understanding how your build, your hair and skin tones, your environment and your wallet affects what your style is. We are all not the same: an outfit you see on the young man next to you may or may not work for you.
Dressing sharp means to learn from the classics
Now that you are aware that a sharply dressed young man wears clean and fitted clothes and is a master of his personal style, the third level is to learn from the classics. More often than not “dressing sharp” conjures up the image of men from the past. Men who wore jeans to work and trousers to church. Men like our grandfathers. There is a reason why the clothes from our grandfather’s generation are considered to be classic. Classic menswear, unlike fashion trends, holds firm over time; there are no ebbs and flows of classic clothing. A young man should learn from those who took immense pride in their clothes and their appearance and use this knowledge to his advantage.
Dressing sharp means to excel
The last level of the definition of dressing sharp is excellence. The etymology of the word “excellence” comes from the Latin “excellere” which means to rise, to surpass and to be eminent. Dressing sharp in the greatest sense is to rise above the social norms of the day. An easy way to understand this is to picture two men standing next to each other. Both men are of the same age, race, and build; physically they are the same. Now picture one man wearing a plain white t-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes; picture the other man wearing a dress shirt, trousers and dress shoes. Which man is sharply dressed? There is nothing inherently flawed with the casually dressed man’s clothing, yet that is the problem. His clothing is normal, his appearance is average. He is not sharply dressed because he does not rise, he does not surpass and he is not eminent in the way he dresses.
Cameron Bright casually dressed
Image source: Coolspotters
Cameron Bright sharply dressed
Image source: True Twilight
Five reasons why young men should dress sharp
Reason #1: Dressing sharp stops young men from being overlooked and undervalued
I will reiterate this fact: before you open your mouth, people will have already judged you by the way you look and by the clothes you wear. We live in a judgmental world; we are quick to make assumptions and to categorize individuals based on what we see.
If my above example of the two men is not enough, then let me give you another. If you saw a man wearing clothes which remind you of gangs, then would you not assume he was or is a part of the gang culture? Most of us will be very quick to make this assumption. Now how would you feel if this same man, dressed in gang-like clothing, was a successful entrepreneur with a top-tier college education? I am sure we all would feel bad for making such a poor assumption and would be quick to make amends. Now let’s say you are that successful entrepreneur with a top-tier college education, but you dress like you are a gang member. Even if you try to justify your choice of clothing, you are still giving people reasons to overlook and undervalue you.
A man who wears clean and fitted clothing and uses classic style to his advantage will make people value him, his ideas and his presence. A young man who excels (excellence) in dressing sharp will rise above and chances are, he will be spotted first, valued and respected.
Reason #2: Dressing sharp shows maturity
No matter if you chose to go to school or to enter a trade or to serve your country, you are now a young man. Do not think of yourself as an “old boy”. You are a man with youth, health and a full life ahead of you. Your background has shaped who you are today, but it is your responsibility to carry yourself forward. And the clothes you wear are no exception. You are responsible. You are mature enough to make decisions. You are a man. Dressing sharp shows all of this to everyone who looks at you. They see a young man with energy, with health and with a full life ahead of him, but they also see a young man who is mature and responsible enough to sever himself from and rise above his boyhood past.
Reason #3: Dressing sharp radiates self respect and self worth
If you take the time, effort and pride into dressing sharp, you will undoubtedly radiate an image of self respect and self worth. People will see you and think positively of you. Dressing sharp means that you are respecting your body like a temple and that you take care of your temple. Furthermore, a sharply dressed young man will radiate a sense of worth. People will see you in your classic, clean, fitted clothing and they will start to think that you have worth and that you are worthy of their time and company. By radiating a positive image, people will like and find you worthy because you respect and value yourself.
Reason #4: Dressing sharp boosts self confidence
A young man who has confidence in himself can rise to the challenge and move mountains. Believing in yourself is a vital necessity in order to be successful and to survive. How can a young man snag a job he wants if he doubts himself? How can a young man walk up to an attractive woman and ask her out on a date if he thinks less of himself? In short, self-confidence will directly and indirectly put you food in your stomach, a roof over your head, and a woman by your side. Dressing sharp will exponentially boost your self-confidence. Don’t believe me? Go put on your best clothes that you own. The immediate psychological effect is unquestionable. Here is why:
Look good, feel good. Feel good, do good.
A young man who looks good will feel good. Your self-confidence increases; you trust yourself and your judgements. When your self-confidence is up, you feel an extra bounce in your step, your voice is smarter, and there is a twinkle in your eye. When you feel all of this good, you want to do good and you do good! A self-confident young man will not be afraid to apply for a job he wants. A self-confident young man will make direct, soul-piercing eye contact with an attractive young lady and will confidently ask her out on a date. All of this good can be boosted by dressing sharp. Clean, fitted, classic clothes do wonders to a young man’s self-confidence.
Reason #5: Dressing sharp attracts and keeps wanted attention
If you remember my example of the physically identical, but differently dressed men, you will remember that you probably chose the dress shirt-clad man as sharply dressed. In doing so, you gave him your attention. I would go far as to say that you probably for a slight moment forgot about the man in the white t-shirt. A sharply dressed young man stands out from the crowd. He is eminent. If you stand out from a crowd, then you attract attention and keep it.
This is a good thing, attention is wanted. When people see and listen to you, you will be able to communicate your ideas, your thoughts, and your persona to them much more effectively than if they were half-paying attention to you. A young man who captures the full attention of an individual or a crowd, will move mountains. Dressing sharply is the first step to attracting and keeping wanted attention. We see with our eyes and we think with them too. Image is very important. A young man who dresses sharp gives a strong image to which people will be attracted to and will strive to maintain this attention.
Prince Harry and Prince William of England
Image source: Princeharry.co.uk
Conclusion to why young men should dress sharp
There were five reasons why dressing sharp will only prove beneficial to you. I believe that the above reasons are not far-fetched from the land of make believe; rather, I believe that the reasons I gave you are true and grounded on my experience and observation. Furthermore, dressing sharp does not require too much thought nor does dressing sharp require thousands of dollars. As you educate yourself on how you can dress sharp and carry out dressing sharply, you will find that overtime the effects (both self-inflicted and received) positively influence the way you think, the way you act, speak, walk.
Remember this important maxim: “the way people see you is the way people think of you.” Dressing sharp broadcasts a positive image to everyone who looks at you. They will think only good about you and will transfer these good thoughts about the future. Sharply dressed young men are the future, we will do many great things. We will excel.
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