Clothes Make the Man
So, most people know that I rarely wear a suit. Most people know I rarely tuck in my shirts. Most people know that I do, at least, wear clothes. Most people also are aware that I believe people put way too much significance on what one wears.
This morning, while consuming an amazingly large breakfast at some dive in Ft. Wayne, I read a paragraph in Chuck Klosterman’s book IV that caused me to laugh out loud a little. The first sentence is really the one that stood out.
“People like to say ‘clothes make the man,’ but nobody smart honestly believes this to be true. I mean, why would they? Fabric is merely fabric; wool is simply wool. I think a better (but perhaps less practical) cliche would be, ‘clothes make the mannequin,’ which is more accurate; mannequins don’t have much inherent charisma, generally speaking. But what happens when a man becomes a mannequin? Does this alter his understanding of self? Does this detach him from corporeal reality? Does it deconstruct one’s identity and reconstruct it as commentary?”
Isn’t that great? I, too, believe that “nobody smart” would believe that “clothes make the man.”
Of course, I believe that “nobody smart” would order a breakfast that includes 3 eggs, 2 huge pancakes, a plateful of hasbrowns, and a whole bunch of sausage. But, that’s what this man ordered for breakfast this morning…I guess that just might make me a mannequin.
That may not make you a maniquine, but it might make your pants tight
But it sure sounds yummy! I cannot say much on either topic. I love food and love to eat & I love clothes. I don’t purchse much but I do what I can with what I’ve got in either case…
Comment by rachel — November 6, 2007 @ 4:24 pm