There's a professor I work with who has been wearing the same outfit for the last 30 years--at least. Black jeans, white shirt, and tie--he says why should he waste money on clothes when he's working for the revolution. His clothes are sufficiently formal for most occasions and rarely overly so (I will say that one time I saw him running around the track in his uniform, I worried a little). I wish I had his conviction, but I love my clothes.
Planning what pretty thing I'm going to wear is what gets me out of bed in the morning, and to the degree that buys into consumerism, I'm afraid I'm sold. So after reading a bell hooks essay last night about consumerism and thinking about the ways my purchasing politics (GAP, Banana Republic, etc) perpetuate various systematic isms here and abroad, I guiltily but rejoicedly bought 2 sweaters that were on sale today.
What are the politics of the sale purchase? Does the fact that I greatly reduced the store's profit change anything globally? Does whether I shop there at all matter? Probably not, though I don't have the economic knowledge set to really parse the possibilities--which leaves me to think on the local effects of my fashion choices.
There's the sheer bulk of my sweater collection, which causes great fun for my kittens but little fun when I move from locale to locale. More seriously there's the very legible class and gender aspects. I couldn't look more stereotypically white gay male. I had a date accuse me of being a log cabin republican once--it was terrifying. I didn't know the axis of evil had a claim on pinstripe.
But in terms of the message my love of fashion sends, I'm still trying to figure it out. How, when, and to whom to send messages? But I'm still on the lookout for the perfect skirt--which considering my desire to avoid any risqué ankle or hip curve exposure and the tendencies of the fashion industry, may require quite the quest.
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