You are what you wear

The first thought that popped into my head when I saw him was, I wonder how long it took him to do his hair this morning. It looked like a porcupine, each spike so carefully in place. If you told me he stuck his finger in a socket, and got electricuted, I would've believed you. My hands itched to touch it, and see if it was as prickly as it looked. But I don't think he would have appreciated that.

I have no idea what kind of thoughts were going through his head, or how he was feeling. I didn't know his name, or what he ate for breakfast that morning. I knew absolutly nothing about him, except one very obvious thing- he spent a lot of time on his hair that morning.

This can be telling me that he cares a lot about his appearance, that he's vain, that he likes spiked hair. Maybe I'm wrong, but those were the obvious conclusions that I came to.

We are all very similar on the inside, our internal organs. We all have a brain, a heart, kidneys, liver, the same limbs. Our thoughts and our feelings are very different, but everything else inside is pretty much the same. If we all walked around naked, we would all be equal, on some level. But G-d made the concept of clothing, of outer appearances. That is what makes us different, unique.

Everyone has different styles of clothing, diffrent ways of wearing our hair and make up, we all like different accessories. No two people look the same. If we took the inner, and outer appearances, and weighed them by importance, the external shell would definitly be worth more, because that is all the world sees.

If you knew that today, you were meeting the queen of England, and you had just one chance to make a good impression on her, wouldn't you take care how you dressed that day?

The world sees what you show them. If you sit in your room and lock the door, and you dress up in jeans and a leather jacket, and sing along to your favorite band, no one will ever know that you like to sing, or dress like that, unless you parade outside.

Every morning when you wake up, you are making a big decision. How do I want the world to see me when I step out my door? Will I wear a suit and tie to work, aqnd look like a presentable bussinessman? Will I walk out in a roab and tichel, or put on a skirt and pantyhose? Do I care what people think of me, or how they see me?

A lot of people have bad dreams in which they show up to school in pejamas. It is an embarrasing experiance, because it is not publicly acceptable to walk outside in pj's. If you knew that today you would be strip searched at the airport, you might wear your pretty undergraments. But luckily we only have to worry about our outer clothing.

Imagine that every morning there is a big billboard for all to see, with a picture of you as you walked out the door. You had no idea a picture was taken of you. Now the world will see that you are frowning, you are wearing a sweatshirt and sneakers, no makeup, your hair is in a messy bun, and you are gulping down a bowl of cereal and milk as you walk down the steps. Now we can conclude that: you are in a bad mood, you are in a rush this morning, maybe you woke up late, and you don't seem to care what you look like, because you are dressed like a shlump.

The world will not know that you are heading to your lab, that you are a research scientist, and you are about to discover a cure for cancer. All we know is what we see, what you choose to show.

Though it might be wrong, the world judges by appearances. A famous musician once too part in an experiment. He sat in the subway station, dressed in rags, looking like a beggar for the world to see. He played on his violin, a beautiful melody that he composed, and he watched as one by one people passed him, without a glance, not recognizing him in his beggar get-up. Some random people threw him coins, others hurried pass with no backwards glance. All because he carefully chose what to wear that morning.

Before you step out your door every morning, look at yourself in the mirror, and ask yourself, what is my message that I am trying to relay to the world, and does my appearance reflect that?

If you want the world to know that you don't care about your body, and you are there for anyone to take, and you are dressed in a tight t-shirt, and mini skirt, then pat yourself on the back, and walk out the door. because you have accomplished your goal.

If I want the word to know that I am a good aidel Jewish girl, that I try hard every day to do what G-d wants, that I am not perfect but striving to be, and I am dressed appropriately, in tznius attractive clothing, then hopefully the world will get what I am trying to say.

With everything you wear, you are making a statement, you are communicating a message to the world, to everyone who will see you that day.

So make sure to dress the part, because we don't want anyone getting the wrong message.