Clothes

I was amused by a little bit of radio phone-in that I heard yesterday, prompted by a few cases of schools/job centres/supermarkets banning people from arriving in their pyjamas. "Why shouldn't people wear pyjamas outside," one of the guests said, "since it doesn't harm anyone?" "No!" thundered the other. "Wearing pyjamas outside is Wrong!" "Why is it wrong?" asked the first person, "since it doesn't hurt anyone." "It's wrong because it's wrong," the second person effectively said. This little cycle went on for quite some time. It seemed to me that they were both demonstrating the same thing, which is that rules on correct clothing are indeed completely irrational and silly, but are still adhered to by most people. There is nothing rational in the rule that it's fine for a woman to wear a very skimpy bikini on the seafront promenade, but not to wear much more substantial bra and knickers to the local supermarket a hundred miles from the beach. There's nothing rational in the rule that pyjamas aren't work to the shops, but elasticated jogging trousers, which might look well nigh identical, are fine. I'm always amused by people who pronounce so earnestly that such and such a clothing combination Is Wrong, when these rules are so dependent on class, country and year. The other day, my boss spent a while going on about how tasteless and awful "we all were" in the 70s. I argued that "taste" is a purely subjective thing, and what we are now taught is tasteless could well end up being the pinnacle of good taste in ten years' time, but he wouldn't have it. All these people who cite their rules of acceptable clothing are doubtless wearing things that would have horrified people 50 years ago or 100 years ago. There is indeed no rational reason why wearing pyjamas outside is Wrong. Except, of course, because we do currently live in a society in which the vast majority of people consider it wrong, and might be offended by it, and will at the very least judge you harshly for doing so. Conventions may be irrational... but people still need to be prepared for the consequences if they flout them. Hmm... Maybe I should have phoned in. :-)

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Sorry for not replying to comments on my earlier post. I was at work all day and am now in a hotel in portsmouth. We thought we were getting free wireless, but it turns out it's actually ridiculously expensive wireless, and there's a limit to how much typing I can bear to do on my phone. So no internet... but tapas (which autocorrect initially rendered as rapacious. "Autocorrect itself it rendered as "autocrat") fishless sushi (which it renders as "disgust"), board games, historic ships, and castles.

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