Franz Boas on Fashion Deviation
Franz Boas believes that, "any action that differs from those performed by us habitually strikes us immediately as ridiculous or objectionable (Jacobus, 606)." This is true, particularly when it comes to deviations from the implied dress code of society. Boas uses examples such as: formal dress worn in casual places, and "out of style" clothes from past centuries worn today. When we see this, we automatically think the person wearing these things is outlandish. Culture in San Antonio, Texas is very diverse and there are many different opinions of what is acceptable to wear and what is unacceptable. In some communities, people are dressed in exceedingly baggy pants and t-shirts. In other areas the dress is more traditional: nice pants, shirts and classy dresses. In each region, if someone strays from these guidelines, they are immediately thought to be abnormal.
Although some people view those who are individualistic to be bizarre, the opinion of the general public is becoming more receptive. People are becoming more accepting and willing to look past appearances and see the person inside. an indication of sanity, but people often treat it like it is. They label those who dress differently as "weird" and treat them crudely, unjustifiably. In most cases, when someone strays from the normal code of dress, the person is simply trying to express him/herself. They feel the need to be independent and individual, so they do something different from what everyone else conforms to. They like and accept who they are, and they show it through their clothing. They aren't trying to make a scene, or cause a stir, they do it for themselves. Reactions to unique dress vary from person to person, depending upon what he is used to. For someone who grew up in the past, in a pleasant town
Some common words found in the essay are:
Antonio Texas, Franz Boas, people dressed, normal code dress, normal code, code dress, franz boas, society boas,
Approximate Word count = 624
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)
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