Things that really .. really piss me off: part IX

Fashion fascism.

I loathe the expectations of people for conformity and that you should adopt some kind of consistent theme to your attire.

When I was at school, I had to wear a uniform; shirt, tie, trousers, shoes.

I hated this with a vengeance.

Even as a teenager, I was very much aware that the 'adult logic' behind school uniforms was deeply, deeply flawed.

Being the son of my mother, I spoke my mind and this would cause endless problems for me with my teachers.

If I know that I'm right, I simply will not back down. So I made several trips to the headmasters' office on the strength of my convictions.

So the idea is this: if all children wear a uniform then .. well, they look uniform. That way, no one knows who's poor and who's rich.

Uh ohh! Adult logic alert!

So the parents who condoned this very idea are the first ones to break it because they wanted little Timmy & Tamara to look the tidiest with all of the best shirts, shoes, trousers, skirts, ties et cetera, et cetera.

Meanwhile, little Johnny & Jenny Backstreet didn't get all of the branded stuff, their mum & dad had to give them hand-me-downs or clothes bought on income support from the school clothing suppliers.

So the very idea of a school uniform was self-defeating. Instilling and propagating the idea of regimented tedium, stifling individuality and perceptibly drawing out and throttling all notion of being your own person.

Needless to say, I bided my time.

College came and college went, and what I saw was basically the same principle, only this time, the custodians of dress rule were the student collective, broken down into factionalized clans.

So for those like me who'd survived school and yearned a little latitude when it comes to what can & cannot be worn, the survivors blindly forfeited their right to choose the moment they aligned themselves with one musical taste or another, and thus the cycle continued.

This might sound like I'm stating the obvious, but you might have guessed that I did not fit in with any one clan.

The level of outright intolerance you could expect for wearing a certain pair of trainers / sneakers, or for wearing a leather jacket was just laughable.

The situation had got to the point where there was no cross-over between the various clans and woe betide those who dared infringe the regimen.

So in the mad, desperate dash to look different, the over-riding need to fit in and be a part of something largely undid whatever ideas and aspirations most people had of individuality and they all ended up looking the same.

All except me, that is.

To me, this wasn't just about what you wear on your back, on your arse or on your feet, this was about what's happening inside your head.

If you can't think as an individual, then there's no hope of dressing like one.

Being an individual doesn't mean looking wild and garish. Being a Goth or a Neo Hippie and wearing certain clothes doesn't mean that you're an individual. All that means is you're an acolyte, or a follower.

Dress is the outward method of assessing the character of a person.

Some use stealth and diversion to avoid letting slip their individuality. They're usually the more interesting people.

Then there are those who would hope that dressing a certain way and being the brightest / gaudiest / grungiest must surely mean that they're an individual. They're usually the most boring people...