The Clothing Manifesto

The Clothing Manifesto: Armor or Costume

In high school, I knew a kid who wore a shirt that said, "Clothes Are Armor". He also wore shirts that said "Drop your girlfriend/Party like a rockstar" but his first shirt is what we're going to focus on.

Clothes are physical armor. They keep us warm. They keep us from being sunburned or stop burrs from getting stuck in our skin while hiking. hey keep the vinyl bus seats from chaffing in uncomfortable places. And frankly, I would never sit down on public seating if everyone was naked and putting their naked bits on chairs and benches.

Many people say that clothes are a psychological or emotional armor. "Dress up and you'll feel better," people say. "Put on a business suit and you'll feel like a professional."

I don't quite buy that. It's like saying that to make it, you gotta fake it.

Clothing is dressing up as who you want to be. Clothes just bring out in you what you had all along. Putting on that business suit allows you to draw out all those professional type qualities that you have a hard time using at home: organization, severity, being responsible.

Fashion is costume and everyday is Halloween.