Does what a Musician Choose to Wear on Stage Matter?
Music is more than just sound; it’s an experience. What a musician may wear to a performance can alter that experience and convey information to the audience, even if they’ve never heard of the musician before. While the famous saying of never judging a book by its cover is one that we like to use a lot, the fact of the matter is that the way someone dresses conveys a lot of information, and we pick up on those subtleties. Unless we are consciously aware of it how a person dresses can even impact how we treat them.
What a musician wears can tell you some information about who they are and their target demographic. How a person chooses to dress expresses intimate details about their personality, who they are, and how they want others to view them. Clothing gives a person a chance to rewrite, or confirm social assumptions others may make about their personality or mannerisms. For example, if you see a man in a business suit you may make several assumptions very quickly. Within moments you’ll likely have assumed certain aspects of his life such as where he is going, what his profession is, and even his level of intellect. These assumptions are not entirely baseless, but they may not be accurate, either way, they are made.
Using the assumptions people make to your advantage is one of the many benefits of understanding this concept. How you dress is only one part of the visual bases assumptions people make. Hairstyles, facial hair (or lack thereof), and body language all go a long way to telling others about you. As you grow in popularity people will start associating your style with you, and if others imitate it (wear your merchandise, etc.), then others will assume that those people like you (which, is a fair assumption if someone is wearing your merchandise).
Different musicians may opt for different attire. Some may dress formally, while others do not. There are pros and cons to each. When choosing what you will wear for your show, take a moment to consider how it may impact other’s perception of you, and if that perception matches the image of yourself that you want to convey.