Bra Fashion!
May. 12th, 2004 02:10 pmSo, this is going to be a much easier question than the last few, and I expect you all to have an opinion, because in this post I'm going to be talking about fashion!
Yep, I'm under the impression that, unlike most forms of underwear, bras impinge enough on the conscious of society that there are meanings attributed to the various wearing a bra/not wearing a bra choices. But I don't know what the heck those meanings are. I get the impression that bra meanings have changed in the last 50 years, perhaps several times, and I'm not sure what's currently in ascendance.
What is is that you're saying when you don't wear a bra? Is it "I am a skank", or "I am not a skank"? At what point does the plausible deniability engage--is it ok to go braless if people would have to be looking to notice, like if you were wearing a silky shirt that would normally show the bra back when you folded your arms? Is it good, or bad, to wear a bra under one of those tank tops with thin straps that won't hide the bra straps?
Is the purpose of a bra (leaving aside the "holding up boobs" thing) to disguise the fact that you have nipples? I'm confused about how terrible it is to have nipples. I've gotten catalogs that offer fake plastic "always pointy" nipples... On the very same page as nipple-flattening sticky things. On the other hand, I get catalogs that offer underwear with pockets for you to add butt enhancements. I just can't trust the fashion consciousness of the catalogs that come to my zip code.
But I'm sure I can trust you, my wise and perspicacious friends. When is it ok to not wear a bra? Speak, I entreat thee! [hee hee hee hee...]
Yep, I'm under the impression that, unlike most forms of underwear, bras impinge enough on the conscious of society that there are meanings attributed to the various wearing a bra/not wearing a bra choices. But I don't know what the heck those meanings are. I get the impression that bra meanings have changed in the last 50 years, perhaps several times, and I'm not sure what's currently in ascendance.
What is is that you're saying when you don't wear a bra? Is it "I am a skank", or "I am not a skank"? At what point does the plausible deniability engage--is it ok to go braless if people would have to be looking to notice, like if you were wearing a silky shirt that would normally show the bra back when you folded your arms? Is it good, or bad, to wear a bra under one of those tank tops with thin straps that won't hide the bra straps?
Is the purpose of a bra (leaving aside the "holding up boobs" thing) to disguise the fact that you have nipples? I'm confused about how terrible it is to have nipples. I've gotten catalogs that offer fake plastic "always pointy" nipples... On the very same page as nipple-flattening sticky things. On the other hand, I get catalogs that offer underwear with pockets for you to add butt enhancements. I just can't trust the fashion consciousness of the catalogs that come to my zip code.
But I'm sure I can trust you, my wise and perspicacious friends. When is it ok to not wear a bra? Speak, I entreat thee! [hee hee hee hee...]
Dress Codes
Date: 2004-05-13 07:35 pm (UTC)No shirts without collars (buttondown or polo shirts okay).
No jeans -- slacks only (in the hot months, such as late May, Bermuda shorts/walking shorts were okay, but only after the date the administration said it was okay). At the time, the fashion in the rest of the country was short shorts for both genders, btw. The heathens!
No sneakers -- most people wore penny loafers or some such.
And here's the gender-specific kicker: no hair long enough to touch your shirt collar (remembering that we're dealing with real collars, not t-shirts here). Also no beards, mustaches, or sideburns below the ears.
On Fridays (when we had guest speakers), it was mandatory coat and tie. In the hot months, again after specified dates, we could take the coats off after assembly (which was still called "chapel," although no religious services took place).
At my school, we had no hippies, freaks, goths, punks, or any other subculture based on dress.
My senior year, I grew my sideburns so that they reached just below the ears, by about a half-inch, to see if the administration would ding an A student. They didn't, but my fellow students kicked in with lots of peer pressure, calling me "Elvis" and such (which I found rather amusing, actually). I eventually got bored with baiting the administration and shaved them off. Looked better that way, anyway.
But when I got to college, boy did I wear jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers, lemme tell you!