A familiar topic for many of you might be jeans. As for me, I really didn’t start wearing them until last year when Uniqlo opened a new store in 34th street. They had an opening sale, selling skinny jeans for $10 a pair. I bought two because my friend persuaded me to. I, however, was really reluctant to wear them. It was a culture very distant to me, one that I never thought I would step into.
I was overweight and looked obese. Back in 6th grade, my friends laughed and joke about how fat I was (they were all skinny) and the triple chin that I had. Then one day, my cousins gave me a few pair of jeans that they didn’t use anymore but I could barely fit in them. And honestly, I felt that I looked hideous wearing them. The tightness of it only made it more obvious how fat I was. So I resorted to wearing baggy pants throughout middle school and most of high school. From time to time in middle school, my friends would ask why I was not wearing jeans or why I didn’t wear them. “Because they make me feel even fatter than I already am” was what I wanted to say but could never bring myself to. I felt like jeans separated skinny and obese people. It was two very different societies, split because of a pair of jeans.
The situation only worsened in high school. It was almost like a social status or a given that boys should wear jeans. Everyone seems to be wearing jeans while I was wearing pants all year round. People probably wondered but not one cared until I became more acquainted with newly made friends. They couldn’t help but confront me with the question, “Why don’t you ever wear jeans?” I felt ashamed to answer, so I had always avoided the question. They even suggested going with me to get one in a store together. But I didn’t want to. I couldn’t. I didn’t want to feel like I did in middle school, remembering again how fat I was to not able to fit in regular jeans. It would kill me if my friends were to witness that.
So on the day I went to school with my Uniqlo jeans, they were literally shocked. One of my friends couldn’t stop talking to me and his friends about it. I was amazed at how amazed he was just because I broke out of baggy pants to jeans. I couldn’t stop laughing every time I saw that brilliant smile on his face when he saw me wearing jeans the days afterward. Wearing or not wearing jeans seemed to mean a lot more than just clothing or fashion. It was like a religion that he believed in. It was what it meant to belong.
By: emmstitch
It was brave of you to write that. It’s amazing how significant jeans are in our culture. I’ll admit I’m one of those people that wear jeans 95% of the time, but I don’t understand why people would go as far as to ask you why you didn’t wear them. Ironically, this is supposed to be a free country, where people have a right to choose what to wear. I like your ending sentence because it reminds me of how, in some countries, clothing is a major part of religion. The deeper thought behind this post is that some people religiously follow unwritten rules in fashion, despite all the choices we have.
I agree with Alessandra; it was very brave of you to write about that. I used to be one of those people who wore jeans every day but I find them to be uncomfortable sometimes so I have resorted to other bottoms. I am also surprised that your friends had questioned you about what you wore because these days, there are so many different styles that people are going for, which makes what people choose to wear now are not questionable. I think that it’s great that you were able to break out of your baggy pants and start wearing jeans. I find it very hard myself to wear something I would normally not wear but I hope I can change that and start wearing anything I’d like!
I like how you bring up jeans as a requirement for boys. It reminds me of a friend of mine who didn’t wear jeans until high school. I still remember when my friends and I were talking about how our friend didn’t have a girlfriend yet. He wasn’t bad looking and he was friendly. He was also the most talented handball player and at that time being a handball god was the highest position you can gain. But what was his downfall? He didn’t wear jeans. So Gen, if you get a girlfriend one day, you got her because of your jeans! Just kidding! (:
Reality hits hard for both me and your friend.
Hahah, as for getting a girl friend because of jeans… I wouldn’t want a girlfriend for that reason :)
I think one of the factors that led to the mindset you proposed is the fact that we live in New York City, known for being a fashionable city. People here are expected to follow the latest trends and to spread this culture, or religion, as you call it. After reading your post, I see this as a form of peer pressure. Although consequences are minimal, it seems to me that people are pressured to have and pursue these materialistic desires. I’m not trying to say that one should not own a pair of jeans; I actually think jeans are very comfortable. However, I’m glad that you brought up this issue.
I think your post wonderfully highlighted an underlying theme of grade school: you have to dress to fit in. It is true, one simple thing can be the barrier between being considered “cool” or not. That’s the mentality of children. If you don’t comply with the invisible rules, then you are considered to be weird. Im sure that in this stage in life, fewer people ask about your clothing preferences. As we grow up, we admit to ourselves that material things matter less and less. Sure, its nice to have them, but friendship nowadays revolves more around coinciding personalities and interests. Its a positive change that we acquire as we mature.