Babies and children are naturally expressive. They use their bodies, voices, movement, toys, art, imagination, and clothing to reflect who they are. With each choice, children learn more about themselves as they choose chocolate versus vanilla, pants versus shorts, books versus blocks, and red versus yellow.
Once children are old enough to express their opinion, many children will experiment with clothing to express their identity and personality. Most adults are familiar with teens experimenting with fashion to identify with a group of peers or to separate themselves from the crowd. But even at a younger age, toddlers begin to form their sense of self with something as simple as clothing.
Adults play an important role in buying children’s clothing and thus help define who babies and toddlers are before they can express their own preferences. Most parents and caregivers dress their children in clothing that reflects their own personal beliefs, fashion style, identification with ideals, and even moral convictions. For example, a traditional household will dress in traditional clothing and children in these households often wear ruched rompers, jon jones, and more traditional color and style choices. On the other hand, in a home that is considered non-conformist, children can be found dressed in punk rock clothing or baby goth clothing with non-traditional ideas towards childhood.
In the children’s clothing industry you can see everything from traditional children’s clothing, punk rock baby clothes, gothic children’s clothing, funky designer clothing, hip hop streetwear and contemporary unisex clothing. It is essentially up to the adult who dresses infants and toddlers to begin to define the child through clothing. As children grow older, they naturally want to copy the role models of the adults in their lives, and many children dress in fashions that are seen on adults. This natural progression begins to shape children’s identity as they imitate adult preferences and children observe and learn that clothing is a way of actively asserting one’s identity, whether as a boy or a girl, a member of a group or as an individual. Of course, some kids are naturally drawn to dressing up like mommy or daddy, and others prefer to wear a tutu or pirate costume 24/7. And frankly, other kids don’t mind wearing any kind of clothes at all! Yes… this is personality in the making!
For times when adults want to guide children to become independent, critical-thinking, problem-solving adults, it is important to let children begin to express themselves through clothing in a choice-directed way. of color, materials, textures, and styles that fit the home’s definition of “appropriate.” Whether a child is drawn to mismatched checks and prints, just one color or style, or even minimal clothing, when allowed the freedom to decide, children are developing important discrimination, problem-solving, and self expression. It may seem like Sam just wants to wear his red striped shirt every day, but Sam is really learning about his own preferences, asserting himself and how clothes can be used to identify.
While clothing may not be a distinguishing factor in a child’s personality development, it certainly can subtly teach children about identity and how to express themselves in a safe and natural way. It is up to the adults in a child’s life to guide these choices, but by allowing a child to use clothing as a means of self-discovery, important lessons and life skills are gained.