clarere audere gaudere

 Today is a little odd. I feel a bit "disconnected" and washed out. I hope it clears up soon, because I cancelled plans for today, since I didn't feel normal. I don't feel sick, exactly, just bleh. For the record, my O2 stats were at 99% today, so no worries there! I didn't need to use the oxygen concentrator. I didn't want to eat, so that continues to be an issue. I'm sure that it will clear up soon. 

So schools are in the process of reopening now. The news is full of stories about vaccination and masks and other such items. I'm not commenting on that, because it's covered exhaustively elsewhere. No, I'm more concerned about back to school "fashions." I know that I'm old, staid, and my sense of style is not contemporary with teenagers, but I need to express my thoughts.

Now, for full disclosure, I wore uniforms all through my school life. I've heard all sorts of arguments on the benefits or otherwise of uniforms at school and I'm still in favour of wearing them. For myself, uniforms eliminate the issues around selecting an outfit; it is not possible to determine economic or social standing of others; it strengthens team spirit, when teams wear uniforms it's easy to identify who you support, and it helps with ensuring order. The photo in today's paper shows a group of students gathered around a school bus. Almost half of them were wearing ragged, cut off, shorts.. Most of the others wore "distressed" jeans.. I was annoyed by the dishevelled appearance of the students, not anything else Wearing ragged, untidy shorts, and misshapen clothes at school communicates a lack of respect for others and for yourself.

I find it irritating, not entertaining, when morning shows host their annual segments on back to school “fashion”  They then showcase the children wearing styles that, IMO, are better suited to a party than a classroom, along with some elaborate hairstyles, so I really have to question the intent.  I’ve heard people complain that the costs of new clothes at the start of the year can be extremely expensive, whereas with uniforms, the clothes only need to be updated once they’re outgrown.

I know that I belong to a different fashion era. But clothing is one of those things where we could show a little flexibility and let people see how styles adapt over time. It's possible to see how hemlines have bounced up and down in the last 50 years, for example. I know how I've changed in. that time, and how some things that I love have altered so much in that time that it's hard to recognize a lot of things.