| Mirror Uniform Cut [message #22134] |
Di, 26 April 2005 01:52 |
|
Discussing the women's uniforms in the mirror universe,
"Kelly <kelly_oseas [at] usa.net>" asked:
> In an equalist culture, why don't men bare anything? How do we get
> more clothing equality? Inquiring minds want to know!!!
"Jaxtraw <jaxtraw [at] nospamnobigfoot.com>" replied:
> [M]ale clothing is more societally formalised. In an office, men have
> to wear suits, whereas women can wear pretty much what they like...
Some years ago, I read in a newspaper column something that is itself
a mystery, but which cleared up a number of other things that never
made sense to me. For the most part, in western culture, the formality
of a man's clothing has to do with the cut, and the formality of a
woman's clothing has to do with the material.
Consider a standard t-shirt. Add a collar and buttons, call it a polo
shirt, and the man wearing it is now acceptably dressed for many places
he shouldn't wear the t-shirt. Take the same t-shirt, make it out of
satin, and a woman can wear it to the office. A man would be thought
very odd to wear a satin t-shirt to the office, and a woman would be
thought somewhat casual to wear a polo shirt.
Blue jeans are something of an exception to the men's rule, but
illustrate the women's rule pretty well: she may have to wear a gown
to an Inaugural Ball, but a woman can wear pants made of a "formal"
material to many places it would be a faux pas to wear jeans.
So ANYWAY, midriff-baring uniforms made of a "formal" material will work
on a female character because in her case a lot of the formality has to
do with the material. On a male character, formality has more to do
with the cut, so it doesn't work on him.
There's no reason this is how the world has to be set up, of course, and
I don't think the columnist in question (or anybody else, for that
matter) would argue that it "should" be that way. I actually think it's
a bit silly, and would never have figured it out for myself.
But I think she (the columnist, name still forgotten, Patricia somebody)
was right. It is a rarely-seen cultural expectation we carry around in
our heads, which we don't notice until something like the mirror
universe uniforms calls attention to it.
Darren Provine ! kilroy [at] elvis.rowan.edu ! http://www.rowan.edu/~kilroy
"A dress makes no sense unless it inspires men to want to take it off you."
-- Francoise Sagan
|
|
|
| Re: Mirror Uniform Cut [message #22344 ] |
Fr, 29 April 2005 11:05 |
|
huh ?
Cowly the Game player
Please click on my links
http://spacefed.com
http://gc.gamestotal.org
http://uc.gamestotal.org
http://aw.gamestotal.org
http://www.gamestotal.org
http://3700ad.gamestotal.com
http://www.spacefederation.net
http://www.gamestotal.org/news/
http://www.gamestotal.org/corp/
http://ballmonster.gamestotal.com
http://earth.prohosting.com/narutoxp
http://www.spacefederation.net/manual/
http://gc.gamestotal.org/i.cfm?p=aboutgc
http://uc.gamestotal.org/i.cfm?p=aboutgc
http://www.gamestotal.org/strategygames/
http://free.hostdepartment.com/a/afreemanga
http://www.angelfire.com/games5/free_download
|
|
|
