One Saturday morning, while sitting in a coffee shop enjoying a hot beverage, I noticed an average sized man who couldn't decide whether or not to buy a paper from the stand. He was dressed in such a
way that he completely blended in among his fellow humans and perhaps I would not have thought twice about him had he not made such an indecisive production of such a simple process as purchasing the news. He did, however force my attentions of observation which quickly began to scrutinize his chosen wardrobe: loosely fit, white T-shirt proclaiming his attendance of an Allman brothers concert multiple
years ago, baggy, khaki colored cargo shorts secured with a black belt, white athletic socks pulled up his legs taut to about mid shin, & White sneakers resembling the popular court classic models that have
been flooding the suburban market via your local Costco wholesale for as long as I can remember.
years ago, baggy, khaki colored cargo shorts secured with a black belt, white athletic socks pulled up his legs taut to about mid shin, & White sneakers resembling the popular court classic models that have
been flooding the suburban market via your local Costco wholesale for as long as I can remember.
I don't know when it became OK to wear clothes that were not tailored or attractively draped to artistically adorn the human body, but since the afore mentioned episode I have made a point to record weekly observations on the subject. By stationing myself in different neighborhoods at different times throughout the city in order to observe random population samplings, and have found multiple common offenses that consistently show up among the masses. The following series will be geared toward
identifying and exploring the possible faulty reasonings behind these atrocities.
Let our first subject be none other than - THE T-SHIRT. Let me begin by noting that there are versions of the T-shirt that are designed to fit the body well, however, we will be specifically discussing the T-shirt in its classic form. (One that resembles a deflated Yoke when worn.) First of all, what was the thought process behind the acceptance of these covering? I know, let's picture a human form, standing with arms extended so they are perpendicular to the ground (forming a "T" if you will) & cut material to cover his shape in a one size fits all pattern. How is this an acceptable notion?
Also, perhaps because it's America, but most definitely because there is so much superfluous fabric that is doing nothing but standing there on one's torso when a T-shirt is worn and we hate to see waste, we
will use that space for advertisements, or to proclaim popular slogans that we find amusing, or state obvious facts such as "man want fast car", "boy like girl", & "I was homeschooled", or simply adding one, prominent, base word in capital letters such as "BEER". But using yourself as a human billboard does not stop with simple words; it also consists of "finer things" such as local art, pictures of your family, nature, animals, or any combination of all of these things. While all these things strive to add interest to the T-shirt, the do not change the simple fact that a T-shirt is a crudely cut thing that is not flattering to anyone's figure.
will use that space for advertisements, or to proclaim popular slogans that we find amusing, or state obvious facts such as "man want fast car", "boy like girl", & "I was homeschooled", or simply adding one, prominent, base word in capital letters such as "BEER". But using yourself as a human billboard does not stop with simple words; it also consists of "finer things" such as local art, pictures of your family, nature, animals, or any combination of all of these things. While all these things strive to add interest to the T-shirt, the do not change the simple fact that a T-shirt is a crudely cut thing that is not flattering to anyone's figure.
There are two reasons I can think of for the "one size fits all" mentality that has produced the T-shirt.
1. Wearing clothes that are loose or baggy "covers a multitude of sins" when it comes to the human form. I would like to challenge this thought process with the argument that wearing unattractive garments is a sin and sin cannot cover sin, only compound it. (i.e. if I steal from my brother I have sinned. If I steal from my brother and lie about it I have not covered my sin, I have simply sinned twice.)
2. One size fits all is convenient. We all know what happened to Cain. In conclusion for this week, please remember that your body is beautiful and you should not seek to cover it in garb that could also fit an additional person your same size or larger inside it.
Thoughts? ABBS
Sin is any want of conformity into or transgression of the law of God, not being unfashionable, lumpy, or garbed in a big concert shirt.
ReplyDeletePerhaps this is aimed specifically at the person too lazy to care...? That would be sin. So would deliberately dressing poorly. But I wouldn't want to imply that everyone who wears a baggy concert tshirt are in that place.
Not everyone can find glorifying clothing easily, or at all. Until mass- produced clothing becomes more aimed to suit different body types and ages, then many people are going to have to settle for less than flattering fit, especially if they are in a lower income level, or have limited transportation options or time.
I personally have a VERY hard time finding things to fit my figure... do I care? YES.... however most clothing is designed for a very specific body type, and then just sized up all over which makes for a very unflattering fit if you body isn't is the same ratio as the original model.
I know that a lot of people are intimidated by the youth/thinnies only bent of our fashion culture. The malls are dominated by this critical attitude, and it can be very intimidating to try and wade through the sea of things that make it obvious that our bodies are considered ugly by most people there. I know that I've left in tears before... Perhaps many have simply given up.
It seems too that it is hard to figure out what one should aim for if one isn't in their 20s anymore. The guys stuff seems to be either really grandpa like or trendy boy. I would love to see links of a casual wear fashion blog for midlifers...
Sorry for the ramble...
That said, there is a definite down trend in the effort people are willing to put into dressing.
ReplyDeleteThere are waaaaayyyyyy too many people shopping at the grocery store in their pajamas. :-)