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Faddish
Off the
Wall
May 1,
2008
Back in November of last year, my wife and I traveled
to Patton where one of her relatives lived. There we would meet
together with some of the other relatives of hers plus friends
of the host. The occasion was Thanksgiving.
The majority of the people there were grown-ups;
however, it was comforting to see how well the youngsters played
together so nicely.
Through the course of the day, one very bright child
shared with us something she had started doing in her school,
and the idea took off like wild fire. Now all the kids her age
were doing it.
"What I've been doing," the youngster
noted, "was to wear blue jeans under a dress. All my friends
have started to do it now," she said with the brightest
smile on her face.
All we could do is grin along with her. I never
gave much more thought about it until lately.
I was talking to a member of our church who works
in the bookstore at St. Vincent College. She told me how appalling
it is to observe young brides enter the store "with too
much skin" showing, need I go into detail. She also commented
about the many tattoos the girls are exhibiting these days.
I may sound like an old foggy, but I find it very
offensive also. I love it when women wear long dresses down to
practically their ankles and their blouses or dresses cut just
below the neck line. Many times I have related to people, I love
the way the Amish dress.
Even those who have inserted metal in their flesh
are trying to be faddish. From my point of view, I haven't seen
anybody, yet who looks attractive by metallic objects sticking
in the eyebrows, tongues, or in the noses. Why would one who
really isn't that good looking want to look worse? Sure beats
me.
I'm sure many of you seniors can remember the swimwear
that was worn back in the 20's. The only way I know of that type
of dress is by looking at pictures. It might sound prudish, but
I think we should revert back to "covering up," rather
than exposing one's physique to the degree that people do today.
Fads don't always show themselves in terms of body
coverings, clothes or otherwise.
The types of food we eat can be faddish as well. For instance,
after attending dances in high school, we would automatically
go to a favorite hang-out that sold pizza. To think the popular
food is still sought after some 45 years later is amazing.
What is even more fascinating is that the pizza
pie was invented by a baker by the name of Raffeale Esposito
of Naples back in 1889. That certainly disqualifies the definition
of the word "fad" as being something intensely fashionable
for a short time (dictionary.com)
Remember the Hoola Hoop? Boy did that toy catch
on for a short spell. I had a pink one, I believe.
I imagine if we all wanted to do something out of
the ordinary and create our own fashions of a sort, we could
do it. Our little ideas wouldn't have to be anything outlandish
just something noticeable that others may want to copy.
For instance, I thought lately about wearing my
tie outside my sweater rather than behind it. "Why wear
a tie if it can't be seen," I thought. If I am going to
go to the trouble of wearing a dress shirt accompanied by a tie
and sweater, I want it all to be seen. Makes sense to me. The
question that follows is, "Will others try to imitate me."
I don't know. If I hear someone exclaim, "Let's dress like
Pee Vee," I'll be honored.
Paul J. Volkmann
3/1/08
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