Why do we wear the clothes that we do?
Why do we wear the clothes that we do?
Why do we wear the clothes that we do?
As adults and even whilst growing up we all wear such a diverse variety of clothes, for different social occasions, different weather conditions, safety reasons or just for personal comfort.
Some people enjoy and feel comfortable and confident wearing suits, others prefer to wear more casual clothes whilst they are in or outside of work. Why are there such large differences between our feelings of security or correctness. In my own family my oldest brother who's birthday is the same star sign as my self dresses completely differently. Whilst we both worked for the same company in the past and dressed according to company policy outside of work we are completely opposite in what we feel comfortable wearing and being seen to wear.
My self I will happily wear a pair of jeans and t-shirt and a pair of trainers, if I wear a polo shirt or casual shirt I will happily wear what friends refer to as 'proper nice shoes'. For my brother in over 40 years I have only seen him wear jeans twice and he doesn't own a t-shirt let alone be seen in one in public. Smart trousers and shirt but without a tie are his limit and that even when he is carrying out DIY work at home. We have the same upbringing from our parents, in the same environment, we are even the same astrological sign and yet we are chalk and cheese in the clothes we wear. Now my youngest brother, whom I have also worked alongside at times during my adult life is of a different star sign. Until moving back to the village I grew up in we had worked in different environments for twenty years and whilst we worked together we would dress similarly, after all 20 and more years as a medical engineer he knows what is best suited for the job. However, outside of work we both feel comfortable in the same type of clothing. When we go out on our motorbikes we will both go out wearing leathers and gloves even in stinking hot weather because we both believe safety and protection is more important than 'looking cool'. We tend to look unfavourably upon other motorcycle users that ride around in shorts, t-shirt and no gloves and we wonder how they can ride so aggressively on anything from a twist and go scooter to 1000cc superbikes. If they have a spill and say hello to the tarmac there really wont be much of them left afterwards!
I guess everyone's perception of safety, comfort and style or even of just being seen to 'look cool' is very different. Yet would we expect to see scientists or workers in a nuclear facility to not wear suitable safety clothing. Do we see workers on large construction sites not wearing safety clothing and helmets any more? Every major site I have seen in recent years says no helmet, no job! And yet is our personal lives we take all sorts of risks that at work we are protected from.
Motorcyclists and Forestry workers are able to buy stylish jeans that are Kevlar reinforced for their protection, bikers from the effects of an accident or falling off, forestry workers from the possibility of severe injuries if the chains on their saw breaks. Construction workers have hard hats, gloves, ear defenders. Firemen have special suits and breathing apparatus. The list could go on almost endlessly. As adults we are either legislated to protect us from danger or left to use our own common sense and to make our own choice whilst we are not at work. Even then the clothes we wear are often required to have various markings on them to inform of what they are made from, washing instructions and possibly information of fire resistance and advice.
As parents we choose the clothes that our children wear from the day they are born until they are several years old and develop their own choice of mind. Until then it is ourselves as adults to ensure that we ensure their safety and well being. From mittens and booties to help maintain a babies temperature of limb extremities, to hats protecting them from the cold in winter and hats with brims in summer to afford protection from skin and potential eye damage. We buy their clothes to look good and even be fashionable, yet we really do so for our own needs and desires as adults. Until our children reach an age of expressing their own opinion they have to wear what we tell them to.
As parents we should be experienced enough in life to realise that it is perfectly possible to buy our children clothes that not only offer the 'form' that looks good but that make use of 'best practice' methods to aid their comfort and safety. Lets not just stop when they reach the age of self determination, we should still try to encourage our teenagers and young adults to appreciate comfort and safety.
Comfort and safety are not mutually exclusive to form or fashion, in this the 21st Century it is feasible to use fashions to help promote the safety of everyone, from birth onwards.
Time to go and sit outside with my dog now, OK where's my Factor 60 sun cream gone.
Now there's another area that we are frequently wise after the fact!
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