The bias that operates below conscious awareness
Everyday you and I put a label on the people who cross our path. From things such as leaving a comfort seat between yourself and a stranger on the bus or crossing the road to avoid contact with a rough looking individual. Even more subtle examples might include making assumptions on ones character based on how much, how little, and what kind of clothes they choose to dress themselves with. Implicit bias is the “Bias in judgement and/or behavior that results from subtle cognitive process that often operate at a level below conscious awareness” (ncsc.org). Implicit bias can help us avoid danger but we have to be careful because it may also lead to incorrect judgements of individuals. In my Dress and Humanities class we are discussing sexual assault by means of implicit bias. Scandalous dress is often mistaken as an invitation to ones body and that is a reputation that needs to end. Dress habits are and never were invitations to one’s body. To stop this we need to raise awareness of implicit bias and how it effects our actions.
