Does your clothing define you?

The question I would like to address is whether or not its possible to wear traditional religious clothing and still be able to form your own identity as an individual in modern day American society.  To express the importance of clothes, Alison Lurie claimed, “For thousands of years human beings have communicated with one another first in the language of dress.  Long before I am near enough to talk to you on the street, in a meeting, or at a party, you announce your sex, age and class through what you are wearing.”  What Lurie is saying is that people derive their first impressions of a person based mainly off of the clothes that they are wearing; Lurie also could have included the use of clothing as a religious identifier as well which is discussed by Mir. 

Even at a liberal and accepting environment such as Hamilton College, the wearing of tradition religious clothing would still cause people to act differently towards an individual.  Mir discussed the social implications of an Islamic woman choosing either to ear or not wear a hijab.  If a woman chooses to conform to traditional western fashion norms then they are more likely to be extradited from the Islamic community for not sticking with their faith; on the other hand if they choose to wear a hijab they are more likely to be discriminated against and struggle to assimilate into American society.               

I agree with the arguments that Mir develops.  I feel as though many Islamic people in general struggle to assimilate due to the development of Islamophobia (not sure if that’s a real term or not) that stemmed from 9/11 and the conflicts in the Middle East.  While its completely unfounded to hold the entire Islamic community responsible for these, many Americans continue to be biased towards Muslims and really all other religious they may not feel comfortable with.  Because of these prejudices, it understandable why Islamic women may not feel they can assimilate while continuing to maintain the religious tradition of wearing a hijab. 

This leads us to the question: can someone wear traditional religious clothing and still be able to form your own identity as an individual in modern day American society?  In my personal experience, I live close to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which is known for its high population of Amish, and the lesser-known Mennonites.  These people contribute a great amount to the community in terms of tourism, labor, and goods but they are largely defined by their religious clothing.  So currently I believe the answer to the original question is no.  Until Americans are no longer ignorant regarding other religions and cultures, people who choose to wear religious clothing will continue to be identified by that religion.