Conquering the Cool

The clothing that men wear is often dictated by the time period in which they live, their social standing, and the culture which they are a part of. These factors play a role in the larger scale of men's fashion. However, these factors do not tell the whole story of the evolution of men's clothing, which is dependent on many factors within a society. 


This development can be seen in our everyday lives, for men do not dress nearly the same as we did fifty years ago. As American society becomes more and more casual, the norms of what is "proper" for one to wear as loosen. For example, look at what school children wore in the 1950s and compare that to what you see today. In the 1950s, we see all collared shirts on the boys (tucked in of course), every boy is wearing a belt, and has short, well-kept hair. This differs greatly from today, where it is now acceptable for a boy to wear athletic shorts and t-shirt to school. Even through this shift to a more casual day-to-day interaction, there is still pressure to dress up a bit for special situations, such as a nice dinner with one's family or a date with a lady friend. 

In class we saw this in the 1950's How to Date videos, in which "looking one's best" was of primary importance. This value remains today, in that one will dress up for a date and make efforts to clean up, but wearing a collared shirt and pressed pants is slightly excessive. The videos also stressed being sociable and friendly as a large part of being successful in dating situations. This value is ever present in today's society as well, although is has deteriorated a bit, due to one's outside image not being the sole point of contention for a person.  

Ready for action.

Advertising in today's world is constant and oppressive. We find ourselves saturated with media. The media itself is not the issue, it is the fact that nearly all the media that we encounter is commercial media. This removes any harmless tag associated with it, for no longer are is media created for media's sake, but now it is all created for money. This removes most of the artistic motive behind movies, TV shows, even more traditional 2D art. For now, the main concern is no longer personal expression or voice but rather it is "how will this sell?". This shift endangers one's control of a "free mind", for we are not exposed to ideas but to products, services, etc.  

 

Gender Roles - The World As Our Stage

"All the world's a stage,`and all the men and women merely players" - William Shakespeare

In Leigh S. Shaffer's From Mirror Self-Recognition to the Looking-Glass Self: Exploring the Justification Hypothesis, we see how individuals shape their behavior based upon the "reflections" they see of themselves in others reactions to them. This shows how man is a purely social creature, for without those reflections, he could not "see" himself.

This principle can be seen in how a gender's specific roles are displayed by individuals in today's society. Just like actors, people "learn to manage the impressions of others in the improvised roles of everyday life" (Leigh). This skill of managing others impressions is paramount in surviving modern-day interactions. One must always be cognisant of what others see in them. This awareness allows for one to construct an image of them self, which, in turn, can then be used by that individual to preform better in social situations. 

I see this in my daily interactions as well. Over the years, I have constructed an image of what I am, both physically and mentally. This image serves me well, for I am aware of my strengths and weaknesses. Which allows me to know when to push an issue, or perhaps, let it mellow out a bit. This approach does hamper my interactions, for I know my weaknesses, so I will try my hardest to avoid them. This helps to lead an "easier" life, but what fun is that? By improving upon my faults, I can improve my daily life, and further augment my mental self image. The goal is to increase my comfort with myself. This is all a way in which I "manage the impressions of others".

This management can also been seen in the study of gender roles, for as children we learn to balance many factors (from parental lessons to societal expectations) in the construction of our self. We watch films that show large, heavily muscled men rescuing a defenseless, but beautiful, princess. These images stick with young children, and they assume that this is the way the real world works. This can lead to a disillusioned view on gender roles and a distorted view of one's body.

Interesting study on ideal muscle mass from Harvard: here

This distorted body view carries with it some major consequences, for as a jury begins its talk on Barry Bond's perjury charges, one cant help but to consider the consequences this will have. Steroids have been in use since 1950's, when the Russian Olympic team made an incredible debut performance in the 1952 Olympics. The use of these drugs has only increased since then. With widespread media coverage and references, one cannot help but to be bombarded with images of a "magical muscle builder". This leads young athletes looking for an edge to consider an aid to their performance, in the form of steroids. This is the wrong path, for steroids are only effective when an athlete intends on training above, and beyond, the normal human limits of recovery and intensity. However, in a society filled with "miracle pills" and dreams of grandeur, who can really blame these kids?   

Who doesn't fit?