Stranger's Reactions to your Clothes?

[guardimp]

What defines a low degree of judgement? Thinking something looks good or bad, or thinking something looks homosexual? These aren't innate thoughts, to link a style to a sexuality. Society as a whole might judge individuals but I don't understand how this is a thing that everyone does. Can you explain?

[DamageX]

What do gay looking guys look like?

[Faust]

Well-noted and agreed for the most part. And yet, and yet - clothing does have signifiers and these signifiers are meant to be read by others, whether you are signifying that you are rich or a hooker or simply "I'm cool," (whatever that means). So, making a judgement on someone's dress is not entirely unwarranted. It becomes more problematic when the style of certain groups gets co-opted and its meaning decoupled from its form - then things get harder.

In the less liberal times gay men did wear certain things to signify their sexuality in order to attract partners, because they were often married and had to have a veneer of regular life in order not to be ostracized by society. Then came the revolution and extremes of styles that has become fossilized in our minds and turned into stereotypes. Today, though, I, personally would be hard pressed to tell a gay man apart from a straight one by his dress alone. Most look just like anyone else, many like the whole preppy thing that Thom Browne helped inaugurate. Even the Chelsea boys kinda dress like bros.

[Dorje]

What defines a low degree of judgement? Thinking something looks good or bad, or thinking something looks homosexual? These aren't innate thoughts, to link a style to a sexuality. Society as a whole might judge individuals but I don't understand how this is a thing that everyone does. Can you explain?

I think a low degree of judgement would come from many of the things that fit magna pointed out in his post, which was a great response. While we may all judge others automatically in certain ways, if you are aware of it then you can decide if that thought or emotion serves you, and your awareness will eventually change your beliefs, which changes your set of automatic reactions.

OTOH, a high degree of judgement would be to see someone who looks a certain way, and this causes a reaction, which is completely normal. But instead of being aware of the reaction and where it's coming from, it is taken at face value as the truth, and the person speaks and acts on that "truth", which is probably just another set of learned responses.

@fit magna, great post and I agree.

It is easier said than done to identify our most deeply held beliefs... they don't necessarily manifest consciously, and often must be deduced from the kind of thoughts and emotions that come up. Of course it is better to act consciously and with full understanding and intent behind our every word and action, it is a good aspiration but we should not fool ourselves into thinking we are truly capable of it. I believe fully evolved humans are capable of it, but these are few and far between.

[messenoire]

i swear some of these stories are entirely fictitious.

[radio-aktivität]

…went into a bar to get a coffee to go, 2PM and bright sunshine; the german christmas fair (=hell) close by. next to the bartender sits a man with maybe a few beers too much and looks up:
- Depeche Mode? Is it you, Dave?
- Yes!
- oh my! to the bartender: - Look! Dave Gahan’s here! Buy that man a drink!

Now I feel a little guilty (but only a little)

[Faust]

/\ That's a good one!

[shah]

Am often asked if I'm Jewish :-)
I guess it's the long black flowing yohji and the black Reinhard hat that influences assumptions

[tellure]

I was wearing my KK Attachment leather jacket at a Home Depot type store. The lady at checkout commented on it:

"Did you make that jacket yourself?"
"No. Does it look homemade?"
"It looks... (pause).. natural. I like it."

Pic of the jacket, for reference:

[Wolfmechanic]

Yesterday I was wearing some drops, a long knomadik sweater and some nikes. I was walking with a friend to get some lunch and a couple drunk guys a girl noticed me walking..did a double take and then busted out laughing. Normally it wouldn't bother me but it then turned to them laughing hysterically and yelling at me as I continued to walk away "This guy looks like fuckin' batman or some shit" and "What a fucking loser!!!" It was a huge scene and probably the first time since High School I had been disrespected. It was uncomfortable to say the least.

[schuur]

i swear, every time i wear my bbs tee at least one person pulls on the tags. anyone else get this?

[cjbreed]

I really dislike it when consideration of someone's clothes/fit transfers into judgement on the person themselves. Pointless. Often cruel. Even if that judgement isn't negative, but is just a forcing into categories, like the assumption that someone is gay/straight/whatever, it's still pointless. These categories are largely artificial to begin with, an image we try to live up to rather than an essence lying within us*.

....

quick question. are you a college student? studying philosophy or something, maybe?

[Resonkuken]

i swear, every time i wear my bbs tee at least one person pulls on the tags. anyone else get this?

this never happens to me and I´m wearing a bbs tee, tank or hoodie almost every day.

[Faust]

quick question. are you a college student? studying philosophy or something, maybe?

more like teaching it.

[Faust]

i swear, every time i wear my bbs tee at least one person pulls on the tags. anyone else get this?

Flip a few pages back for the best BBS tag story ever.