Clothing
Clothing
Clothing means any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is a unique characteristic of human and is a feature of nearly all human societies. The amount and type of clothing worn depends on functional considerations, such as a need for warmth or protection from the elements and social considerations. While in others much more clothing is expected.
Clothing performs a range of social and cultural functions, such as individual, occupational and sexual differentiation, and social status. Clothes can provide a hygienic barrier, keeping toxins away from the body and limiting the transmission of germs.
Clothing can be regarded as protection from the elements. Clothes can also enhance safety during hazardous activities such as hiking and cooking, by providing a barrier between the skin and the environment. And different kinds of clothes can tell you what the person’s status. A uniform, for example, may identify civil authority figures, such as police and military personnel, or it may identify team, group or political affiliations.
Clothing can and has in history been made from a very wide variety of materials. Materials have ranged from leather and furs, to woven materials, to elaborate and exotic natural and synthetic fabrics.
In many societies, norms about clothing reflect standard of modesty, religion, gender, and social status. Clothing may also serve as a form of adornment and an expression of personal taste or style.