# Prejudices about clothing - automatic reactions to styles and items of clothing. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 17, 2008, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prejudices-about-clothing-automatic-reactions-to-styles-and-items-of-clothing/453189 "2008-06-17T04:02:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prejudices-about-clothing-automatic-reactions-to-styles-and-items-of-clothing/453189/21 "2008-06-17T11:58:57Z")
Those winter hats, with tie-down earflaps: wearing these is grounds for commitment (TO A MENTAL HOSPITAL) in 34 states! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prejudices-about-clothing-automatic-reactions-to-styles-and-items-of-clothing/453189/22 "2008-06-17T12:53:40Z")
[QUOTE=Alice The Goon] To me, anyone wearing a fannypack loses 35 IQ points, and 80 Cool points, in my head. It just looks so _stupid_. My apologies to anyone here that wears one- of course, I didn’t mean you. [/QUOTE] No, you mean them, because it’s true. My personal vendetta is against Crocs, though. I simply cannot shake the feeling that people who wear Crocs in public are slovenly and lazy. Frankly, though, there’s too many to list. I’ve said this before and I may as well say it again: \*\*this is the worst-dressed period in the history of the English-speaking world \*\* and parts of the rest of Western civilization. I say that not as a grumpy old man who likes things the way they were in the old days; for the most part, I think MOST things are much better now. But there are nadirs in every period of style; I think many will agree that the 70s were a pretty bad time in terms of interior design, for instance. There have been periods were music and film were better or worse than others. Baseball was pretty dull in the 50s. Today is, I think, the worst we’ve ever dressed. Good clothing is out there but I am unsure there has ever been a time when fewer people made use of it. Wife beaters, Crocs, flip-flops, baseball caps in restaurants, girls wearing three T-shirts at the same time. I think people will look at this decade’s clothing exactly the way we look at the furniture and wall treatments of the 1970s. And they’ll laugh. And wince. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prejudices-about-clothing-automatic-reactions-to-styles-and-items-of-clothing/453189/23 "2008-06-17T13:40:13Z")
You are all 100% correct. I’d just like to add flip-flops to the list. Flip-flops are just ugly, and so are everyone’s nasty feet. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prejudices-about-clothing-automatic-reactions-to-styles-and-items-of-clothing/453189/24 "2008-06-17T13:48:56Z")
[QUOTE=Audrey Levins] Guys who wear their socks pulled all the way up. This is Instant Dork. Men don’t wear stockings for a reason. Stop it. [/QUOTE] So we _always_ have to scrunch our socks? Even when dressed up? _Should_ we ever dress up? I wear argyles sometimes, which I suppose is Dork Concentrate, Just Add Human. > [@Dung Beetle](#): > > Flip-flops are just ugly, and so are everyone’s nasty feet. True for values of “everyone” not including attractive women under 50. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prejudices-about-clothing-automatic-reactions-to-styles-and-items-of-clothing/453189/25 "2008-06-17T13:54:47Z")
[QUOTE=Beware of Doug] True for values of “everyone” not including attractive women under 50. [/QUOTE] Possibly, but I’m willing to give up the sight of even such gloriousness in order to stamp out (ha!) the greater evil. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prejudices-about-clothing-automatic-reactions-to-styles-and-items-of-clothing/453189/26 "2008-06-17T13:55:18Z")
[QUOTE=bouv] If you “pop” your collar, you’re a douchebag, plain and simple. [/QUOTE] Even if you have [four](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t177/briskith10/lolasshat.jpg) shirts on ? ---
**Author:** ![myskepticsight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@myskepticsight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myskepticsight)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prejudices-about-clothing-automatic-reactions-to-styles-and-items-of-clothing/453189/27 "2008-06-17T14:08:06Z")
Crocs. Unless you are a small child, in the garden working, or in a hospital or similar working, you look like a weirdo. Long socks with shorts, scrunched or pulled up. Look like a six-year-old nerd. They make short socks for a reason. Also socks and sandals - what is the point? Those all-over patterned shirts 15 year olds that tend to shop at Hot Topic and Pac Sun wear - stars or skulls etc pattern all over the whole shirt. Look like evil kid’s pajamas. People that wear their clothes too big or too small. You are either a slob or delusional, respectively. In general, people that don’t give a crap about how they present themselves in public - makes me think you are lazy or clueless on first impression. People wearing pajamas in public, jeans/t-shirts to a nice wedding or event, ill fitting clothes, colors/patterns not matching, etc. It’s not that hard to dress yourself and you can even get nice looking clothes at every discount retailer. And everyone can look good in clothes that flatter and fit them - find me someone unextraordinary that can’t look good in well-fitting jeans and a t-shirt. ---
**Author:** ![freekalette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@freekalette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freekalette)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prejudices-about-clothing-automatic-reactions-to-styles-and-items-of-clothing/453189/28 "2008-06-17T14:10:41Z")
Well, I’m guilty of wearing wife beaters and flip-flops (although NOT at the same time, ew!) so I guess my Dork Card will have to be upgraded to Gold status or something. My contribution is those little jacket shirts women wear that only come down to the bottom of the ribcage, like they’re trying to rock their kid’s clothes. My whole life, it’s driven me crazy if the tiniest hint of my shirt hangs down past the bottom of my jacket, and now it’s considered fashionable?? Yucky. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prejudices-about-clothing-automatic-reactions-to-styles-and-items-of-clothing/453189/29 "2008-06-17T14:14:45Z")
No one wearing a t-shirt bearing a rock bands name or design should be older than 14. Any older than that and you just look like a 14 year old. ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prejudices-about-clothing-automatic-reactions-to-styles-and-items-of-clothing/453189/30 "2008-06-17T14:16:02Z")
[QUOTE=NinetyWt] Even if you have [four](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t177/briskith10/lolasshat.jpg) shirts on ? [/QUOTE] ESPECIALLY if you have four shirts on (..and your eyes are way too close together, seriously, what’s wrong with that guy, were his parents related?) I can’t stand the track pants for toddlers with words like Juicy or Sexy on the ass. It’s just so wrong. ---
**Author:** ![nashiitashii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7c8e57/32.png) [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prejudices-about-clothing-automatic-reactions-to-styles-and-items-of-clothing/453189/31 "2008-06-17T14:31:53Z")
[QUOTE=freekalette] My contribution is those little jacket shirts women wear that only come down to the bottom of the ribcage, like they’re trying to rock their kid’s clothes. My whole life, it’s driven me crazy if the tiniest hint of my shirt hangs down past the bottom of my jacket, and now it’s considered fashionable?? Yucky. [/QUOTE] I’ll add crop tops of any sort; I wasn’t fond of seeing large expanses of midriff from my peers when I was a teen, and I’m now at the point where I don’t really want to see it on anyone outside of a dance club or the beach. The tiny jackets look stupid on just about everyone, but the knitted shrugs look a bit better, if only for the fact that it’s supposed to imitate a regular [bolero](http://images.google.com/images?q=bolero&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi). The worst of the cropped jacket variety are the [denim cropped jackets](http://content.next.co.uk/co-uk/items/G33/Search/128/393-630-G33s.jpg). Pants/shorts with writing on the butt: For the majority of people who wear this-- nobody wants to be given an extra reason to stare at your ass, and if you’re under the age of 16, I don’t want to see “sexy,” “juicy,” “hot,” or anything that denotes that you’re a sexual object on the butt of your clothes. I saw this the other day and it was kind of disturbing: knee length leggings under tiny denim shorts. I’m more forgiving of the “leggings/skinny pants under skirts/dresses” look, but this was too absurd. ---
**Author:** ![NoLAFIN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e9bcb4/32.png) [@NoLAFIN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoLAFIN)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prejudices-about-clothing-automatic-reactions-to-styles-and-items-of-clothing/453189/32 "2008-06-17T14:47:34Z")
[QUOTE=Dung Beetle] You are all 100% correct. I’d just like to add flip-flops to the list. Flip-flops are just ugly, and so are everyone’s nasty feet. [/QUOTE] I generally love flip-flops, but there are limits to when and where one wears them. Dinner at Emeril’s Delmonico is NOT one of those times. These weren’t teens either, two adult women who should’ve known better. ---
**Author:** ![freekalette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@freekalette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freekalette)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prejudices-about-clothing-automatic-reactions-to-styles-and-items-of-clothing/453189/33 "2008-06-17T15:12:08Z")
[QUOTE=plnnr] No one wearing a t-shirt bearing a rock bands name or design should be older than 14. Any older than that and you just look like a 14 year old. [/QUOTE] :dubious: Say wha-?? I regularly sport a Floyd shirt that I got at my first show, way back when I was a wee lass. (Yep, it still fits. They didn’t have kiddy sizes back then.) Hell, my dad is pushing 60, and he still wears the shirts he got at the same show. What’s wrong with taking pride in remembering such an awesome\* experience? \*FTR, I’m using the word “awesome” here not as a synonym for “cool”, but as “awe-inspiring.” The other usage makes folks _sound_ like 14-year-olds. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prejudices-about-clothing-automatic-reactions-to-styles-and-items-of-clothing/453189/34 "2008-06-17T15:14:25Z")
Some of this stuff is practical. I don’t own crocs and won’t, but they are practical garden shoes. Hats with ear flaps are wonderfully practical in Minnesota winters. Fanny packs are wonderful practical for short hikes, trips to the zoo - anywhere you don’t want to haul a purse over your shoulder. Yeah, they all LOOK horrid, but they have a practical purpose - and as long as they are used in their appropriate spot, I’m willing to let practicality overrule fashion. I’m not sure what the purpose of a popped collar is. Or my favorite (which seems to be dying out) low rider jeans with your thong sticking out. Those things are just done to broadcast something about yourself, and I don’t have a positive association with that something. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prejudices-about-clothing-automatic-reactions-to-styles-and-items-of-clothing/453189/35 "2008-06-17T15:16:19Z")
[QUOTE=NinetyWt] Even if you have [four](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t177/briskith10/lolasshat.jpg) shirts on ? [/QUOTE] **Five** , if you count the tshirt. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prejudices-about-clothing-automatic-reactions-to-styles-and-items-of-clothing/453189/36 "2008-06-17T15:21:13Z")
Well, home-abouts when someone wears a single-popped collar we ask them whether they’re searching for a SO (as it’s something that indicates “I need a caretaker”), but really, what would someone with a fully-popped collar be looking for? Two SO’s? Isn’t a single one complication enough? ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prejudices-about-clothing-automatic-reactions-to-styles-and-items-of-clothing/453189/37 "2008-06-17T15:22:02Z")
[QUOTE=myskepticsight] Crocs. Unless you are a small child, in the garden working, or in a hospital or similar working, you look like a weirdo. [/QUOTE] No, if you’re in a hospital and wearing crocs, you look like a _moron._ What the hell happens when you drop a sharp or some dangerous liquid? For some bizarre reason, my mother’s hospital has had to take the express step of banning crocs, apparently for the benefit of those who made it through medical/nursing school and still don’t have the sense God gave cauliflower. Of course, this is the same hospital that used to have carpeting everywhere, so whatever. (This is a favourite ranting subject of **dr\_mom\_mcl** ’s. And yes, she owns crocs, which she does not wear to the hospital, because she _does_ have the sense God gave cauliflower.) CLOSED SHOES IN THE HOSPITAL, idiots. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prejudices-about-clothing-automatic-reactions-to-styles-and-items-of-clothing/453189/38 "2008-06-17T15:22:44Z")
[QUOTE=freekalette] :dubious: Say wha-?? I regularly sport a Floyd shirt that I got at my first show, way back when I was a wee lass. (Yep, it still fits. They didn’t have kiddy sizes back then.) Hell, my dad is pushing 60, and he still wears the shirts he got at the same show. What’s wrong with taking pride in remembering such an awesome\* experience? \*FTR, I’m using the word “awesome” here not as a synonym for “cool”, but as “awe-inspiring.” The other usage makes folks _sound_ like 14-year-olds. [/QUOTE] You’re certainly free to wear whatever you want. The thread is about automatic reactions to styles and articles of clothing. When I see anyone older than 14 years old wearing a t-shirt with a band’s name or design I automatically think “They look like they’re 14 years old.” The reaction is even more pronounced for someone pushing 60. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prejudices-about-clothing-automatic-reactions-to-styles-and-items-of-clothing/453189/39 "2008-06-17T15:32:34Z")
[QUOTE=NinetyWt] Even if you have [four](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t177/briskith10/lolasshat.jpg) shirts on ? [/QUOTE] That guy needs to be punched. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2008, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prejudices-about-clothing-automatic-reactions-to-styles-and-items-of-clothing/453189/40 "2008-06-17T15:55:55Z")
[QUOTE=NinetyWt] Even if you have [four](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t177/briskith10/lolasshat.jpg) shirts on ? [/QUOTE] Wooow…that guy is totally pulling off the [Cabbage Patch Kids](http://www.cabbagepatchkids.com/Cart_Pages/images/header.gif) look. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prejudices-about-clothing-automatic-reactions-to-styles-and-items-of-clothing/453189.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prejudices-about-clothing-automatic-reactions-to-styles-and-items-of-clothing/453189.md?page=3)