Jo Sasota: Fashion overload

Because appearance plays such a big role when forming an
impression, students will either consciously or unconsciously go
about their morning routine in a certain way to optimize their
physical appearance. They do this by taking into account what they
think others believe is the best way for them to look. In effect,
fashion is vital in maximizing physical countenance.

Fashionable clothing is used by traditional students to enhance
their desirable physical characteristics. Notice those Juicy
Couture sweats and their imitations being worn by campus females?
This is a distracting item for guys because these particular pants
intensify the beauty of the woman. They are snug-fitting to give an
outline of the form. The velour emphasizes the softness of women
that most guys are not aware of.

However, the current state of men’s fashion does nothing
to enhance characteristic male traits. Masculine characteristics
include being confident, strong and assertive. Currently,
men’s popular fashion reflects women’s desire for men
to be hygienic, distinguished, understanding and sensitive. One of
my friends and I once joked that when we’re older and
teaching, we’ll both be wearing wool blazers and jeans to
make our students erupt in laughter, breaking the ice. Now, guys
actually do it. A good exercise in observance would involve finding
other inane combinations.

I moan because I feel contemporary men’s fashion is
parallel to doll clothing. I believe it is now more common for a
girl to compliment a guy on a fashionable piece of clothing rather
than for the girl to be curious as to what is underneath it. If we
want to be desirable, we are traveling an indirect route by trying
to be fashionable. When maintaining relationships of any
consequence (and maintaining relationships is the goal), being
trendy has never been a necessary condition and is rarely a
sufficient one.

Guys sell themselves short when they think girls want a guy who
is attentive or en vogue and dressy in such a way to try to reflect
the possession of those characteristics. The reason a girl has
other girlfriends is because they are infinitely more in tune with
how other girls feel. Generally, there is no point for a guy to be
fashionable because men’s fashion reflects what girls like in
their friends, not what they generally want in guys.

What girls want in guys is an open question. I believe that
while girls may value sensitivity or good fashion taste, they would
hold an Cadillac Escalade at a higher value. I’d venture to
say girls at this age value stature over sensitivity and fashion
sense — even politeness. Girls may want a lot of certain
traits, but typically they value the conventionally shallow ones.
This is the reason rich jackasses are always with the most
attractive girls. With this in mind, there is no need to explain
the paradox of the “nice guy” with meager earnings.

Regardless of what guys wear, to establish relations with girls
it is best that it starts off with common courtesy, like opening
doors for them or walking them to class. Often times, smiling and
eye contact is ordinarily considered a sleazy gesture, unless you
possess an unusually pleasant smile or smoldering eyes, because
girls may think you’re trying to picture them naked.

The question guys have to ask themselves is do they really want
girls complimenting them on the color of their v-neck? While a
direct positive comment on how you look is rewarding, it does
nothing to bring about a foundation on which any type of meaningful
relationship can be built on. The process of foundation building
involves asking and responding to questions, giving thoughtful
answers and occasionally revealing pieces of information about
ourselves others may find interesting and endearing.

For most guys, it is best they save their money and compensate
for their failings in other ways because it makes no sense and is
too expensive to be fashionable.

 

Join Jo as he ventures out to pick up a new pair of overalls. He
can be reached at
“mailto:sasota@umich.edu”>sasota@umich.edu.