Dress and social change is the topic of the day. Interesting idea. I guess that I'm like the Hmong who moved to the United States.
I am an adult, a non-traditional student who has been working in the "real world" for 25 years. I am now no longer among adults my own age, I am among teenagers. In case no one has noticed, I am different from them. I behave differently, I talk differently, I use my time differently, have different ideas, and when I came here, I dressed differently. (Oops, I don't want to give it away too soon.) Good grief, I'm even older than most of my professors. That's just wrong.
The point is, I come from a different social class, culture, whatever you want to call it.
Now, we read that after being in the United States for a period of time, the Hmong began to modify or abandon their traditional dress. I have begun to do that, as well, suffering from acculturation. I'm internalizing some values, behavioral patterns, and dress habits of the other students. This is not necessarily a good thing, but it's happening. I should have expected it.
The Jews were acculturated to the Hellenist lifestyle, which presented itself as a problem to Jewish leaders. Nudity in the gymnasium drew attention to the Jewish practice of circumcision, and prompted the subsequent ignoring of the ritual, in order to make Jewish youths appear as their Greek comrades. I have read that in addition to this change in custom, nudity was also adopted by a portion of the Jewish community, again to promote the inclusion of the Jews into Hellenistic greek society.
Well, I'm sure that it won't go this far with me. I don't see myself participating in midnight panty raids, beer busts, or other equally juvenile practices. I won't be walking down the hall from the showers to my dorm room in a towel, while heavenly creatures ask me if I want help with my anatomy homework. (I hope you make the association with the television commercial for men's cologne, after that comment.) I'm trying to remain true to my values of modesty and practicality in dress, though I broke down and wore knee-length utility shorts and sandals to school, today.
I have to be careful. I can hear my youngest daughter telling me, regarding some form of youthful dress, "That's just WRONG, Dad!
