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I feel attacked This feels a bit like arguing the illiterate and innumerate are that way to piss off the literate and numerate by not participating in the positive externalities of those things
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Yeah i can see that analogy with literacy/numeracy - one could maybe also argue that those also have externalities that tech platforms exploit in various ways. Clothing interested me here because it's physical/visual/tactile + more literally projected onto shared public space
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The counter argument is that fashion is just sumptuary laws at their other extreme and a means of coercive control by a social elite. Not a commons. A burden imposed in certain (usually not public) contexts. The Met gala is hardly the public square. More like a Versailles.
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I gave away my 2 cheap suits after the last time I interviewed for a job 15y ago, and outside of weddings and funerals, I view dress codes as an imposition and basically don’t go to things that demand fashion/formals. I’m happy to dress presentably but that’s it.
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I get the signal-and-ceremony thing and would wear a suit for Congress testimony or something that’s both unavoidable and serious (as tech leaders tend to do) but for general optional social life, ignoring fashion and refusing invites that require it is legit IMO, not antisocial
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i'd argue that stuff like Met Gala/high fashion has an ability to trickle down into culture that is worthwhile - there are collective benefits even if not everyone is interested in participating (like how literature has societal benefits even if many don't read books)
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