The Object of Clothing is...?

Earlier today, I read an article on CNN.com about the activities of an interesting organization. It is called Dress for Success, and it's an international charitable organization that helps provide business class clothes for the less fortunate. The main goal of the group is to equip people with the clothes that will give them the image they need for a job interview. 

In the article, Sonia Jacobson, executive director of the organization's Miami branch, commented on the importance of proper apparel when attending a job interview, "Immediately when that interviewer sees you, they're making an assessment based on how you dress, how you look, your grooming."

Jacobson's comments beg the question: Why are interviewers making assessments based solely off of a candidate's clothing? Shouldn't they be ultimately concerned with the quality of their character and their experience in the field?

Henry David Thoreau, the renowned transcendentalist author of "Walden", would certainly agree. 

"Let him who has work to do recollect that the object of clothing is, first, to retain the vital heat, and secondly, in this state of society, to cover nakedness"

According to Thoreau, clothing serves two practical purposes, and nothing more. Unfortunately, his values are not reflected in the opinions of many job interviewers or those of the general public. 

In the chapter Economy, Thoreau continues to say: "I sometimes try my acquaintances by such tests as this,-- Who could wear a patch, or two extra seams only, over the knee? Most behave as if they believed that their prospects for life would be ruined if they should do it."

After reading the article on Dress for Success, I feel that society truly does ruin the prospects of life for those that do not have the best clothing. I fully support the work of charitable organization, but I really wish that the efforts of Dress for Success were not necessary for people to get a good job. To read more about the recent activities of Dress for Success, click here.