Dress and image - Test 3

C2 Proficiency · Essay · Cambridge English Proficiency 2, Cambridge University Press

Write your answer in 240–280 words in an appropriate style.

Use your own words throughout as far as possible, and include your own ideas in your answers.

Write an essay summarising and evaluating the key points from both texts.

When professionals such as bank managers or lawyers wear formal clothes, they are often sending out a clear signal that they wish to maintain a degree of distance and detachment from those they serve. Their style of dress suggests that the atmosphere is unlikely to be light-hearted or relaxed. In fact, there is no doubt that many of us would be somewhat uncomfortable if we walked into the office of a bank manager or lawyer who was dressed casually. Somehow, formal clothes communicate the message 'I am competent and you can trust me', and naturally we feel reassured by this.

Dress and Image

Many jobs involve wearing a uniform but the authority this suggests can be intimidating to some people who may instinctively feel that they are put at a disadvantage. For some purposes therefore, such as when police have to deal with particularly vulnerable people, informal clothes may be more appropriate. Of course, there are some important public occasions, such as coronations and state funerals, for which the wearing of elaborate formal dress is an integral part of the ceremony; it might be deemed disrespectful if this critical custom were not observed.

The Impact of Dress

Read the two texts below.

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