Really! I just wanted a cheeseburger!
Go Fug Yourself is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. I mean, c’mon…I’m not a fashionista (although I tried really hard in high school, as some highly-embarassing 1980s-era photos will attest), but some of GFY’s photos show people who beg to be mocked. I’m not above a little mockery. So sue me.
Hugo recently posted about the LA Times’ article on the “Sausage-Casing Girls” (ie, “what was she thinking?!?”). Many of us opined what drives women to criticize and critique others’ clothing choices (and whether it’s acceptable for us to do so — isn’t feminism about choice, after all?). Today, at GFY, Jessica gave one pretty plausible explanation: for the love of god, people…stop making us uncomfortable!
In fact, it reminds me of something I once read on the subject of etiquette, which was that rules for social behavior don’t exist to control people, but rather to make everyone feel comfortable. I think we’ve all been in a situation where, say, you’re eating a cheeseburger at Hamburger Habit and the sun is shining and the birds are singing and the boy you like called you and your skinny jeans fit and all is right in the world. And you look at the table across from you, and a woman is sitting there in too tight low-rise jeans and SERIOUSLY? You can see her entire butt and thong. And I guarantee you what happens next: every girl at your table reaches back to make sure that her own derriere hasn’t made a break for it, everyone then quietly wonders if she can’t feel the draft, and then everyone can’t stop looking at her thong, but not in a hot way. In, like, a “should I TELL her that her thong is hanging out, or is she doing that on purpose?” kind of way. And then she leaves and everyone is relived.
So save us some social angst, ladies who like to flash your panties on purpose, and cut it out. Because of you, none of us know whether or not the girl at Hamburger Habit is thonging it up on purpose or not, and therefore, we are unable to decide if it would be sisterly to hand her a sweater to tie around her waist, or if that would insult her. And all we really wanted was a cheeseburger.
On a side note, the “British Pakistani Celebrity” in question is absolutely stunning, fashion choices aside. But seriously, if she really had to wear that dress, why put white panties on under it? Red for contrast, perhaps. Black for a nice blend. Nude to evoke the “does she, or doesn’t she?” question. But white? I’m perplexed.
July 31st, 2006 at 4:30 am
Not to flog my own blog too much, but this makes us uncomfortable because… it is a failure of the virtue of prudence. Norms of dress and appearance change over time, but they still exist! Violating these norms makes us uncomfortable not just because of ‘too much skin’ (indeed, many hideous gowns cover a lot) but because the failure of prudence literally makes us question the persons good judgment.
July 31st, 2006 at 8:43 am
Hey, thanks for stopping by, Deep Thought. I agree with you completely — the failure of the virtue of prudence is a much more formalized way of saying, “What was she thinking?”
Note, I only offered the GFY column as one possible suggestion for why these folks make us uncomfortable, not as the end-all-be-all explanation for every person who feels ill at ease in their presence. Depending on the social norm violation, I might feel either one of these. If I see a girl wearing jeans that are too low and tight, I might find myself checking to ensure my clothes aren’t like hers. But this example, yes, was certainly one where I’d be more likely to laugh and wonder.
By the way, I still have your post filed away for future pondering — it’s just been a busy weekend, and at least one “deeper” thought (ha) is still in the queue ahead of it. Last night’s posts were all about short and fluffy rather than depth.