Clothes maketh the man

My shoes just arrived. Which sent me into this crazy, irrational (in a good way) sort of thought cycle. You know how Mark Twain once said that 'clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.' I kinda agree, maybe not in the way he meant. but certainly, what you wear definitely have alot to do with who you are.

Take me, (Warning: Beginning of what some, or most, may consider as nonsense) for example. I would like to think that my love, or lust, for leather is not only due to the fact that it looks nice, or that i think i feel comfortable in them. When i put on my leather jacket, i would like to think of myself as wearing a material that has stood the stand of time. The single unifying thing of man through the ages, from the caveman who discovered fire, to the roman legion, to the mongolian riders, to the cowboys of the wild west, to the pilots of the world wars, to the rockstars on stage. It is this material that has kept mankind from freezing out, kept the warrior from being pierced by an arrow, for the first sails to billow in the wind and spread mankind across the planet. And I would like to carry on that. The spirit of freedom, of independence, of unwavering strength through hardships, of being part of a greater cause, to being a rebel without a cause. To being a dragon slaying mythical knight, to being the humble hunter of the forests. That is the meaning of wearing leather.

And my denim Jeans, Evolved rather recently, celebrating the ingenuity of mankind, and our ability to adapt. From their ancient use as rough shipwear to the first pair of riveted levi's, it showcases man's ability to adapt and use what we have to better ourselves. For without such invention, we would have never come this far. But more than that, denim celebrates a way of life, of the freedom of the pursuit of happiness, of that spirit found in the gold miners of old. To me it means that i suscribe to that, to the fact that with hard work, freedom, belief and a little bit of luck, i could make something out of myself. Sure i can pull on a hoodie and wear some track pants, and suscribe to the culture of today. But i would like to think of myself of something more, sort of fighting my little war against the waves of pop. And unless someone rips it off me, i'd hold on to my leather and denim.

But even i know that it isn't always possible to hold on to such ideals, which is why underneath my jacket, normally lies a t-shirt. with perhaps one of the icons of today, or yesterday, The Beatles, Oscar the Grouch, or just a slogan. The T-shirt, the product of capitalism and commercialisation, like a flag across my chest. Forcing me to submit to this cruel, 'meritocratic' world. To the pragmatism of today, and making me forget about the ideals i once held. And even though i may hide it under layers of clothing. Of jackets, scarves and pullovers. But deep itside i know, that as much as i hold on to my ideals, there may come a time where i would have to admit that they are but ideals. But till then. I'm holding on to my clothes.

I'm wierd. But I like being wierd in my own way. Its kinda fun actually.

Till next time then.