Did you know that anthropologists have discovered skeletons that go back to neanderthal times still wearing bracelets and necklaces? The fact the we human beings wear clothes and personal adornments seems to be one of our most distinguishing features.

Why do we do it? Maybe it’s because we don’t have fur or feathers and we feel self conscious. Seriously. We like to think of ourselves as more evolved than other species because we’re so inventive. However, maybe we’re lacking something in the evolutionary chain and we had to become inventive in order to survive.

That may or may not be true, but it is still a fact that we do adorn ourselves. Clearly, one of the reasons we do so is to bond with our tribal or group community. While this is obviously true in isolated indigenous cultures, it is not as clearly evident in our large Western cultures, with our mix of fashions and styles. Take a closer look, though.

Psychologists tell us that it is necessary for our psychological well being to feel that we are part of a group or tribe. We are missing something if we feel either isolated from the rest of society or are lost in the crowd. Therefore, we instinctively align ourselves with a subculture. Some of us may be gothics and wear the appropriate goth jewelry. Others of us may be part of office culture and wear a suit and tie.

Then again, just as indigenous tribes wore certain makeup, headgear and jewelry for certain occasions, we, too, choose the appropriate adornments for the occasion at hand. We dress differently when we go to work than when we go out to a singles bar or to a family Thanksgiving dinner. We not only wear different clothes, we wear different jewelry, perhaps a special ring, depending on the occasion.

Why else do we adorn ourselves? While a simple straw hat may be entirely utilitarian in nature, it also reflects our status or role in our community. There is nothing utilitarian about a top hat, though. The top hat is simply a symbol of status. Literally and figuratively, it shows that a man “stands above” others in society.

Then there is the issue of personal choice. We are individuals as much as we are part of a larger group. While there may be certain types of jewelry, clothes and other adornments we wear, we also have personal tastes and express our individuality through individual adornments.

So you see, the bracelets and other jewelry you wear tell a story. What is your story?

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