another idle thought

[rm]

Is our culture's excessive obsession with weight a partial product of the casualization of clothing?

I realize that wealthy societies as a rule tend to favour thinness and poor ones heaviness, because those things are markers of affluence (i.e., time to work out and be "healthy" or proof you have enough to eat and are therefore "healthy"), but as I was look at all the bad fashion choices in Union Square today, I realized almost everyone looked like shit because their clothes had no damn structure and excessive thinness can at least fake that structure or "require" less of it, than a larger softer body. That said, people are not made of perfect curves, straight lines and ideal angles at any weight, and I say this as a woman who can bring death with her elbows. I'm not convinced that better tailoring and accurate sizing can solve problems, but I sort of think the lack of both has caused a bunch of them.

Comments

[winterknight.livejournal.com]

I think it's more mass production and lack of emphasis on quality combined with a complete loss of skills. I think that's the problem with people's diets, too.

It is hard work to create something that's well-made. It cuts down the profits at the top. Therefore, cheaper clothing.

Loss of skills means that people don't know how to fit clothes, they don't know that their clothes don't fit, and they wouldn't know how to fix it if they did. I think the nation as a whole is somewhat depressed (emotionally, not financially) and aimless, and it doesn't really realize how it looks.

Moving the waist around doesn't seem to help either

[haya.livejournal.com]

As we speak... tons of very tiny women look very pregnant.

[beemerbike.livejournal.com]

I say we thank every major designer who sold out to Walmart and Target...

I think well fitted clothing makes a world of difference, but in the haste of daily life I think it was one of the first things to go.

[hangedwoman.livejournal.com]

It's actually kind of amazing how little time it's been since being fat was the sign of affluence in this country.

I blame our obsession with weight on the skyrocketing media coverage and the fact that so many people are gaining it, and these days I'm inclined to blame that on corn syrup.

[abnormal-apathy.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking much the same when I see gorgeous women walking around in things that are hardly acceptable as housecoats. Ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh. But hey, whatever floats their boat...

And this is coming from a woman who is always bitching about things not fitting right because fat clothes tend to just be "scaled up" versions of things that really only look good on thin women.

[sdn.livejournal.com]

oh, interesting observation!

let's not forget overly tight and revealing clothing and the use of "workout wear" as clothing.

[miep.livejournal.com]

I look about 15 pounds lighter since I quit wearing clothes that don't fit and don't have good structure.

[laurel]

Great observation, I think there's something to this.

It dismays me how much higher end clothing or expensive clothing is uber-casual or just poorly designed. Poorly thought out too. I think some people think that if they spend hundreds of dollars (or more) on a cashmere jogging suit, that means it's okay to where pretty much anywhere. Gah!

[annablume.livejournal.com]

And don't forget properly fitting undergarments. Or lack of, as is frequently the case.

[marzipan-pig.livejournal.com]

I've noted that 'thin' women tend to think everything looks good on them and can sometimes end up wearing stuff that really is more flattering to heavier or curvier women, and then heavier women try to wear stuff that looks better on thinner women.

I think people should wear what they like, and of course we've all worn dumb stuff b/c it's in style, but having a sense of what is flattering and what looks good on you goes a long way. I also think people should have a little more fun with their clothes than a lot of us do, and I try to widen my comfort zone some. Other times I buy one more gray quarter-length sleeve boat necked top, or another black tshirt, and know I'll always have something to go with it.

[ladyofthelog.livejournal.com]

People seem not to understand how clothing drapes on their body at all.

Also, wtf with the pregnant lady tops, really.

I mean, I have wider than average shoulders and barely fill an A cup, and I'm a weird size (the cusp between "average" and plus size). But I am totally confident of my ability to look hot because I know how to shop for my body. For instance, I am not one of those people who look good in Regency clothing, to my sadness.

The moral of the story: know thyself (and a good tailor).

[hangedwoman.livejournal.com]

Only vaguely related because of the funky way my mind works, but I only just recently watched Casino Royale, and that bit about the tailored dinner jacket was pretty much worth the whole movie.

[stupid-drawings.livejournal.com]

Most of my tshirts have been given darts in the lower back region to keep me from looking like a pear. The problem with mass producing is that to fit everyone, it can't truly fit anyone.