I started out wearing pants and a shirt every day to my old office job. Then, for about a year, I wore only dresses. I developed a reputation. People I’d worked with for several years made comments like, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in slacks.” Of course, I knew they had- but they didn’t remember. Then I phased out dresses and switched back to wearing pants. A while later, a long-time coworker commented that she couldn’t imagine me in a dress, since I “never” wore them.
What I learned from that experience is that, if you’re consistent, you can change your reputation. I know that the outfits I wore don’t exactly compare to shady behaviors like lying, stealing from people, or taking advantage of them. My clothes probably didn’t hurt anyone’s feelings or make them angry. (I hope not!)
But, for anyone out there who is trying to turn their life around, I’m inclined to reassure you that change is possible. People might even be inspired to forget the past.