Relay Column: "Deciding to Become Yourself" – Style, Fashion, & Personality (Shinnosuke Okada)

The painter Modigliani is known for elongating the faces and necks of his subjects when he paints portraits. That is his style of representation. In the film "The Sky Crawlers" directed by Mamoru Oshii (2008), there is a character who meticulously folds a newspaper after reading it. That's his way of handling newspapers. A friend of mine has a unique way of using emojis when communicating on social media. That is her style of communication.

As seen above, when a person does something, there can be (whether consciously or unconsciously) a unique manner of doing it that reflects their individuality. Such a "manner" is generally referred to as "style." The individuals I mentioned earlier possess their own styles when doing specific activities (painting portraits, reading the newspaper, chatting). And of course, the way one dresses, or fashion, is one such style. Some may prefer a simple style, while others may lean toward a lavish and decorative one.

What I want to delve into is the relationship between fashion as a style and a person's personality (character, persona). Before discussing that, let’s introduce a philosophical perspective on style and personality.