Decline of civilization expressed in decline of appropriate dress? [Vanity]

Self | June 6, 2013 | fwdude

[Fiji Hill]

You should take a look at how some people in the country really lived and dressed at that time . It wasn't just a few considering it was also the time of the dust bowl.

Indeed, it wasn't fun living in the Dust Bowl, where the fashion-conscious had to take their zoot suits to the dry cleaners frequently to clean out the dust.

Dust--The Sons of the Pioneers (with Roy Rogers) (1938)

Dusty Skies--Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys (1941)

A Zoot Suit--The Andrews Sisters (1942)

[Taft in '52]

Checkered suits, polkadot ties, raccoon coats and zoot suits? It must have been fun to go people-watching during the Great Depression.

[sten]

when 80% of the graduated students cannot read(new york).... it does not have the same significance

it’s like celebrating the end of day care

[thecodont]

The trend toward excessively casual clothing does reflect a declining morality because so often "casual" equals "deliberately revealing." When women are bouncing around with no bras, nipples sticking up, when skirts are so short that a crotch shot is likely, when shorts are so short that the lower half of one's butt hangs down, when men wear bike shorts so tight that one can see their religion, this is not just casual, relaxed clothing; this is a deliberate effort to display one's sexual equipment. And that is definitely due to a declining morality. It's hard to argue that a woman who is walking around on the street or in church with her breasts falling out of an insubstantial top or a man with his shirt off inappropriately is being moral in that environment.

I was going to post something along these lines, but you said it so well. The relaxed clothing is really an expression of relaxed morals and lack of consideration for other people. "Constraint" in clothing and "appropriateness" in clothing (context and purpose are important) translate into the same attitudes in treating other people. I've nothing against beachwear or gym wear, as long as it's on the beach or in the gym.

[joseph20]

You just stated that the Great Depression happened in 1910...

[Fiji Hill]

The Great Depression: October 24, 1929-December 4, 1943.

[truth_seeker]

My great grandparents, grandparents and then 3 year old mother came across the continent in 1928.

There is a black and white picture, taken of the family and the two men are wearing sport coats, ties and hats.

No air conditioning. And a long slow drive. Made it to Whittier California and bought a walnut orchard, on S. Painter, next to what later became The Quad.

[joseph20]

Your post 25 includes a picture from 1910 with a comment about how they they are dressed for the breadline.

People still dressed well during The Great Depression.

And a picture from 1910 proves it!

"The Great Depression: October 24, 1929-December 4, 1943."

...

[dmz]

Question: Why are you so extremely defensive about this issue? That in itself, says a lot.

<><><><

Your crystal ball software needs an upgrade.

[dmz]

Why is everyone missing the point of my essay? Am I that bad a writer?

<><><><

Please don’t take this as a defensive comment on my part, no you are not that bad of a writer ... your thesis is what is being questioned.

At least that’s what I’ve quarreled with.

[Spruce]

I cannot prove that my code is better because of my attire.

My position is one in which I am sent to clients when they are in deep, deep sh*t. When they call for me there is a serious problem.

Now imagine being this client and having me show up dressed like a slob, or an overgrown toddler. Showing up well-groomed and well-dressed immediately puts them at ease and instills confidence in the people I will work with. It’s also a demonstration of respect and courtesy, in my opinion.

So, no it does not impact my performance directly, but it most certainly has some weight on whether our clients call us back again. And they always ask for me by name when they do.

[dmz]

I was not even thinking about client meetings in my response. Coat and tie always for client meetings. Always.

[Double Tap]

Standards of dress have changed, not declined. At one time men wore skirts and powdered wigs. Anyone want to go back to that?

[fwdude]

The point is not that standards have changed, but that there is no longer standards of different levels for different occasions.

[TexasKamaAina]

When we went shopping at the May Company department store in downtown LA during those days, we would always wear coats and ties.

In the 1950s, when I was a kid, we would go "over the hill" (i.e., from the Valley to Hollywood or Downtown) and my mother would wear hat and gloves. But in the Valley, everything was much more casual.

I think the biggest problem with the way folks dress today isn't that it is casual, but it is sloppy.

Also, if you look closely at those pictures of folks on the street or at baseball games in the 30s and 40s, they might have been wearing coats, ties, etc. but they were often rumpled and not very clean looking.

I started dressing more casually 25 years ago, when I moved from Colorado to Texas due to the climate. Even so, when it is hot and humid, a pair of light wool dress slacks is a lot more comfortable than a pair of jeans.

[Fiji Hill]

I started dressing more casually 25 years ago, when I moved from Colorado to Texas due to the climate.

Texas governor Bill Clements was a proponent of casual dress. In 1978, he asked that everyone in Texas wear short-sleeved shirts during the summer.

[Fiji Hill]

At one time men wore skirts and powdered wigs. Anyone want to go back to that?

When was that?

[hal ogen]

That is now in San Francisco.