Rachylou, so true about the army surplus! Even my little town out in the sticks had one. I thought it all seemed so cool, but somehow off limits for me.
Jules, yes, that is a good point about combat boots. I’m a peacenik, so when I first got mine, I tried to call them by any other name, but eventually gave in & went with the obvious.
It’s fascinating to me that one thing character can have so much influence on how we perceive something, but this is far from the first time I’ve heard the Bundy reference in regards to leopard.
Gigi, I think I have the same response to plaid shirts. I never realized it until I cocked my head at your response & thought “odd that a placement makes so much difference”. Then I realized that with all the great plaid pieces people have shown lately, I’ve felt really tempted, but I’ve resisted because I know that once it is on my back, a plaid shirt feels just the same way to me. (But not for the same reason—dairy farming is a generation back in my family).
Agree with you that the divisiveness is sad. Seems to me that getting dressed doesn’t have to be so serious—people here are having fun looking at our own little quirks. Also, “different” is not the same as “bad”. Several people on the forum recently have mentioned equestrian connections to certain styles—La Ped’s mom even asked if she was going to get back into riding because of an outfit she had on. That didn’t occur to me, but knowing such associations makes our appreciation of fashion richer. Another one where I depart from “fashion” (bodies aren’t fashion, but comments on clothes very often embed this mindset) is curvy figures, particularly a big backside. I think they’re great. And, because I’m not a good observer of such things, I am really glad that someone once pointed out to me that athletic attire (“gear”) is seen differently in Europe than in the US.
