I write this as a general response to those who claim that I have somehow "sold out" by changing my manner of dress. There have been at least three people who have made this or a similar claim, and while I don't believe that they were completely serious about their criticism of my choices, I do believe that there was an underlying belief in their accusations upon which their jokes were based. So it is to this that I respond.
Starting several months ago and continuing up to the present day, my wardrobe has been slowly changing. My old stand-by, which was basic jeans from a supermarket and a random t-shirt has been gradually supplanted by clothes which are considered more stylish by the mainstream market - clothes of brands such as Abercrombie and Fitch, American Eagle, etc. Along with the change in brands, there has also been a change in style. Gone are the large t-shirts with something nerdy on them. Instead, I have button-down short-sleeve shirts, or polo shirts, and so on. Also being replaced are the generic Wal-mart or Meijer jeans. In their stead are faded jeans from the Gap or AE. These changes have not gone unnoticed.
Most have commented favorably. But there are those people who consider wearing clothes from such retailers to be selling out. The claim is that in wearing these clothes, I am joining a part of society which they dislike. They say that I am trying to imitate the popular people, that I need to fit in with the crowd, and that I am trying to define myself by what I wear.
But this is absurd. The only people who would make such claims are people who are themselves defined by what they wear. Or, more specifically, defined by what they don't wear. I am wearing these clothes because society has deemed it more stylish to wear these clothes. Yes, I am changing what I wear on the whim of the masses, but I don't define myself by what I wear. Someone who refuses to wear certain clothes because certain portions of society also wear them is defining himself by what he wears, and is thus guilty of the very thing they accuse others of. They somehow believe that wearing certain clothes will identify themselves with a part of society which they hate because it is, in part, defined by its clothing. But in doing so, they are the ones defining that part of society by its clothing.
I for one have no qualms about wearing the clothes that I do, because the way I dress is pragmatic. I dress comfortably and (I'm still working on this...) stylishly. I may dress like certain parts of society which they dislike, but they should define those parts of society by their actions, not their clothes. In not doing so, they are being as shallow as the people they scorn.
I am not defined by the clothes I wear, but perhaps they are.
2 comments:
some people just make comments about clothes and things because they feel like they are expected to notice. yr not selling out...theyre just jealous ;)
But you see, that's exactly the point... If you decide that wearing those types of clothes will associate you with the douchebags in middle school, then you are the one defining yourself by your clothes.
But of course this whole argument falls flat on its face when you look at the history of clothing in general - clothes have always marked one's social status.
Really I'm just making a one-man stand against the social forces that say that the douchebags get to wear the good-looking clothes.
But perhaps the good-looking clothes are such because the douchebags wear them, and the douchebags are the ones that all the girls want. That's definetly one to think about.
And another thing to consider is the fact that I haven't actually had to buy clothes from any of the mentioned stores - I've had them given to me. So really, my whole defense is a house of cards.
I suppose that I just want to be able to look fashionable by the current standard of society because I'm a shallow person.
Of course, the douchebags in middle schools are now the ones bagging my groceries, and the people that wear these clothes now are all across the board - douchebags and cool people. So the whole thing is a moot point, and I've just made everything I've written about the whole issue a moot point.
This is an assload of writing for something that doesn't even matter. So I'm just going to stop.
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