I've been working my way through the WAYWT thread from day one, and found this wonderful thread linked from there as a suggested read for new members. So far it's one of the best discussions I've found on this forum.
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On self vs. society – this absolutely brings up the old nature vs. nurture argument. Do we have an inherent personality, or are we entirely products of our environment? No one can dispute that the environment that we are raised and live in has in impact, but to reduce it to its most basic level, we can either go along with or rebel against the external influences that we are exposed to.
Is the choice of which we do that which defines us? If we see someone being hurt (war, poverty, etc.), do we step in and help them, or ignore it and go about our own selfish business? Why?
I'm an idealist about such things: I think that we are inherently helpful, and that selfishness and greed are negative qualities that we learn from our instant and ongoing exposure to a society of consumerism, capitalism, and instant gratification.
I believe that if we all had inherent and immediate access to basic needs (food, water, shelter), and to the resources necessary to pursue our intellectual desires (art, science, etc.), that those qualities would fall out of existence. The basic human desire to create and discover is not motivated by capital. It has merely been commodified by a monetarily-based society.
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On why to wear what – This is a tricky question, and changes for everyone. The visceral reaction that you like something is a tricky thing to base it off of, because that is quite different from knowing that it is right for you.
I'm going to use myself as an example, because I know my reasons better than anyone else. I have an aesthetic that I enjoy. I can look at a piece of art, or listen to a piece of music, and know, but not always be able to immediately explain why, that it fits into that aesthetic. This does not, however, mean that I am unable to appreciate other things outside of that aesthetic, only that it is the one I favor most.
Clothing is much more difficult for me, because the things that I appreciate in my aesthetic are much more difficult for me to elaborate in terms of clothing than in art and music. How do I relate syncopated drums and glitchy bass to cut, draping, texture, and proportion? How can my appreciation for cyberpunk literature and atmosphere be translated into which coat to wear with what shoes?
These are challenges that I welcome, and the reason that my style of dress has evolved over the years. Rather than simply being a utilitarian garment that I use to cover myself (though that can have a unique 1984/Brave New World kind of appeal), I use my clothing and appearance to communicate my aesthetic to the world around me. First impressions (in the real world, that is – on the internet we are able to circumvent this) are based on appearance first, so I wish to convey as much about myself as I possibly can through that appearance.
Again, though, this doesn't mean that I don't appreciate other aesthetics. I've seen some fantastic looks on this forum, and as we all are, I'm able to appreciate them but still know that they're not right for me. The garments are lovely, made with beautiful materials, meticulous detailing, and creative vision, and I appreciate them for that, but the choice of what to wear myself is based entirely on my perception of what the garments I wear communicate, and their relation to and support of my aesthetic.
///
On self vs. society – this absolutely brings up the old nature vs. nurture argument. Do we have an inherent personality, or are we entirely products of our environment? No one can dispute that the environment that we are raised and live in has in impact, but to reduce it to its most basic level, we can either go along with or rebel against the external influences that we are exposed to.
Is the choice of which we do that which defines us? If we see someone being hurt (war, poverty, etc.), do we step in and help them, or ignore it and go about our own selfish business? Why?
I'm an idealist about such things: I think that we are inherently helpful, and that selfishness and greed are negative qualities that we learn from our instant and ongoing exposure to a society of consumerism, capitalism, and instant gratification.
I believe that if we all had inherent and immediate access to basic needs (food, water, shelter), and to the resources necessary to pursue our intellectual desires (art, science, etc.), that those qualities would fall out of existence. The basic human desire to create and discover is not motivated by capital. It has merely been commodified by a monetarily-based society.
///
On why to wear what – This is a tricky question, and changes for everyone. The visceral reaction that you like something is a tricky thing to base it off of, because that is quite different from knowing that it is right for you.
I'm going to use myself as an example, because I know my reasons better than anyone else. I have an aesthetic that I enjoy. I can look at a piece of art, or listen to a piece of music, and know, but not always be able to immediately explain why, that it fits into that aesthetic. This does not, however, mean that I am unable to appreciate other things outside of that aesthetic, only that it is the one I favor most.
Clothing is much more difficult for me, because the things that I appreciate in my aesthetic are much more difficult for me to elaborate in terms of clothing than in art and music. How do I relate syncopated drums and glitchy bass to cut, draping, texture, and proportion? How can my appreciation for cyberpunk literature and atmosphere be translated into which coat to wear with what shoes?
These are challenges that I welcome, and the reason that my style of dress has evolved over the years. Rather than simply being a utilitarian garment that I use to cover myself (though that can have a unique 1984/Brave New World kind of appeal), I use my clothing and appearance to communicate my aesthetic to the world around me. First impressions (in the real world, that is – on the internet we are able to circumvent this) are based on appearance first, so I wish to convey as much about myself as I possibly can through that appearance.
Again, though, this doesn't mean that I don't appreciate other aesthetics. I've seen some fantastic looks on this forum, and as we all are, I'm able to appreciate them but still know that they're not right for me. The garments are lovely, made with beautiful materials, meticulous detailing, and creative vision, and I appreciate them for that, but the choice of what to wear myself is based entirely on my perception of what the garments I wear communicate, and their relation to and support of my aesthetic.
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