I have never been a complete rebel. I value social stability and the rules and customs that maintain it. Being polite, the golden rule, obeying the law all seem sane and correct. But pursuing rules into a forest of fashions and styles always seemed ridiculous. That tables should be set “just so”, that hair must be cut this way, that this color does not go with that seem very silly. Possibly because those guidelines change so often, possibly because there are always counter examples. Possibly, just because I didn’t like the cliques of people who follow them as a signal to each other.
The problem only got worse with the arrival of industrial abundance, and the runaway consumer economy. It is not enough to eat well, one must eat just so. The tiniest differences are scrutinized to determine if something is correct or not. Tolerance grows less and less.
Fashion, of course, has always been the curse of the affluent elite. The poor never had time, energy, nor _ especially _ money to be snobbish. They made do with religious signaling, which was usually within their means
Today life is largely unhinged. Like some of those old aristocrats, the only thing we have to define ourselves is fashion and the hope that it will be noticed for fitting us. Sad, but true. The tiniest things are the most important
Avoiding the tides of miniscule fashion undoubtedly can lead to a more contemplated and contented life. But, of course, being unfashionable brings its own set of problems.
HuntingtonHarborThoughts 