Why is the Bum Look Popular? (formally the unemployed look)

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

Better to dress unemployed and have work than to be unemployed and dress otherwise.

Agreed. In fact I was thinking there might be a punchline when I opened this thread, something along the lines of "because that's where we're all headed."

 

[Feraud]

"because that's where we're all headed."

haha, right! lol

 

[Creeping Past]

Spot the unemployed guy at a job interview: he's the only one in the office that day wearing a suit...

 

[Paisley]

I'd call the men's look in the above picture poor but trying. They're wearing suits, but they look scruffy. Nobody's shoes are shined. Their jackets are wrinkled at the elbow. The man at the far right looks like he is just wearing an undershirt under his suit.

I think the question is really, "Why is the scruffy look so popular today?" Clothes reflect the times. In the Golden Era, people were ashamed to be poor and nobody took charity who could help it. A weakness was something to be overcome. People tried to put their best foot forward. Today, what might have been called "warts" is now "authenticity." I think it all comes down to "why bother?" and a general lack of seriousness.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I think the question is really, "Why is the scruffy look so popular today?" Clothes reflect the times. In the Golden Era, people were ashamed to be poor and nobody took charity who could help it. A weakness was something to be overcome. People tried to put their best foot forward. Today, what might have been called "warts" is now "authenticity." I think it all comes down to "why bother?" and a general lack of seriousness.

I think a lot of it too is just the infantilization of modern culture. Five year old boys hate to get dressed up, hate to take baths, hate to comb their hair, hate to do what they're told, and love to roll around in the dirt. Nowadays it's thirty-five year olds who act that way.

 

[Lauren]

I also am somewhat offended at the term "unemployed". Half the year I'm employed by an employer and half the year I'm not- I think there's a big difference in unemployed and homeless, as other users have pointed out.

I don't really see an issue in the photo, and to be honest, the second guy I thought looked more like a merchant seaman than homeless... but that's cause I see a lot of homeless people downtown looking a LOT worse off than people with the "distressed" clothing look.

Distressed clothing, though not really my cup of tea anymore (yes, anymore, I used to think I was an Indie rocker, where I think a lot of this look derived from some five years ago or so) has a certain following. There are some pieces of clothing that purely from a construction standpoint are fascinating to me- how to make a piece of clothing LOOK like it's "distressed" but be foundationally as strong as any other well made piece of clothing. Diesel is the company that springs to mind with me. Their clothing is extremely well made, and though I have not checked their line in several years, I know they were following the distressed clothing look.

Like any other clothing phase, it will pass... just like, unfortunately, the 1950s spring dresses of two years ago.

(p.s. most of my clothing comes from thrift stores and estate sales or resale shops or *gasp* vintage shops which are essentially ridiculously overpriced and dressed up versions of the preceding shops I mentioned. Have you noticed we're part of the green movement, and completely unintentionally, are just as much following trends as Mr Macgregor there?)

 

[Lone_Ranger]

What's the difference? Hmmmmm.

After reading all the posts here in this thread, I've come to the conclusion that there are actually two subtly different, "looks," that are vastly different in their implications.

There's the "rugged adventure look," as exemplified by Ewen in that first photo. Kind of the Indiana Jones, out looking for the Lost City, and I didn't have time to shave, though I can clean up nice, look. Think also, Sonny Crockett, in Miami Vice. (Though that look was more fad, than timeless style, that's a different issue)

The other look is the "I've been sleeping in a cardboard box, in the alley, for a week, and buddy can you spare some change look."

There are also some sub-variants of that second look. There's the "Ivy league trust fund" which is more of a "I partied late, slept in my clothes, and am late for class, but it doesn't matter because I'll run the company when dad retires look."

Then there is the look that I like to call the "Compton." Which involves facial tattoos, gold chains, pants that don't fit, track suits, etc. Or shall we call this the "entrepreneur" look? Because while a person that affects this look may appear as though they have no visible means of support, they are often quite resourceful in running what we would call the "import-export business."

 

[Tomasso]

Ewan paid a few thousand for his "new" worn-out machine-made, designer-label outfit .

I'm truly astounded by the prices some of that stuff sells for. :eusa_doh:

 

[i_am_the_scruff]

*cough*

*cough* x3.

What about this question.. why is wearing dead people's clothes and making yourself look like you're living 60 years ago when in actual fact you weren't even born in that time period so popular?

It's a fashion trend, just like the vintage look, just like the rocker look, just like the goth look, just like the indie look, just like every single look out there.

Don't look down on it because it's not YOUR taste. That's SO close minded. I guarentee alot of people who post here don't feel good when people give you dirty looks or look down on you because of how you all dress?

Calling it the employed look.. that's just.. I don't even know what to say

Does the vintage look mean you're going for the "I'm a wannabe that's pretending to live in an era i've never lived in and i'm trying to dress like an old person" look?

 

[Kifaru]

I have to admit that I'm a little surprised at the vehemence of the counter arguement to the initial question. Maybe I'm just an old school military man but, I'm with MK on this one.

I raised my sons to wash their face (later, to shave) and comb their hair before they went out. To dress like they did it on purpose. That is was good to be scruffy from a hard days work or play, but you cleaned up before you went out after.
After all, its a matter of pride.

Just my 'tuppence worth...

 

[PrettySquareGal]

"How do you know that she is poor?" I asked my eighth grade teacher.

"Because she wears ironed clothing and is always very well put together. Rich people don't have to try so hard."

I think of MK's examples as more of a Trust Fund look. For men this tends to be unkempt and disinterested. For contemporary women it's more of the Spoiled Heiress look which involves a perpetual whiny I partied all night voice and disdain for anything involving effort. It's the whole it's not cool to care thing, too. That's what I think, anyway.

 

[MK]

To clarify...

Being unemployed is not the same as looking unemployed. The former is just being between jobs. That happens to us all from time to time. When we are unemployed we are actively looking for work....but we don't look unemployed.

The latter is to let yourself go. I am referring to those that don't shave, don't bother to comb their hair or get a hair cut on a regular basis. Their wrinkled clothes don't fit nor are they kept up.

I wear clothes from thrift stores. I think that was a poor choice of words on my part. Perhaps a better description would be....they look like they are wearing clothes not their size that someone threw away because they were worn out.

Here is a variation: The unemployed, but independently wealthy look:

He is scruffy...but you can tell he is not homeless because of his clean clothes.....but mostly because he will be wearing very expensive jewelry.

 

[shortbow]

Very well said, I am the scruff.

Some people march to the beat of their own drummers, and some people do not.

As to the unemployed and homeless, may God bless them and keep them safe. May He also open the hearts of those who judge them.

 

[MK]

.

I think you are taking this too seriously.

 

[carter]

...
As to the unemployed and homeless, may God bless them and keep them safe. May He also open the hearts of those who judge them.

AMEN.

I wear clothes from thrift stores.

I appreciate MK's clarification. If people were judged simply by the source of their clothing purchases, a number of us would fare poorly. So many excellent quality and hard-to-find vintage (and not so vintage) items are found in thrift stores. They are an ongoing source of items celebrated in this forum.

 

[donCarlos]

*cough* x3.

What about this question.. why is wearing dead people's clothes and making yourself look like you're living 60 years ago when in actual fact you weren't even born in that time period so popular?

It's a fashion trend, just like the vintage look, just like the rocker look, just like the goth look, just like the indie look, just like every single look out there.

Don't look down on it because it's not YOUR taste. That's SO close minded. I guarentee alot of people who post here don't feel good when people give you dirty looks or look down on you because of how you all dress?

Calling it the employed look.. that's just.. I don't even know what to say

Does the vintage look mean you're going for the "I'm a wannabe that's pretending to live in an era i've never lived in and i'm trying to dress like an old person" look?

There are some good points.
However, I´ve noticed that many people here don´t really need to wear vintage clothes, they just try to look their best with vintage inspiration. Many people here are trying to revive the good manners, which goes hand to hand with good clothes.

You write about looking down on people - There is no reason why not to look down on people who are badly or inappropriately dressed. I do it all the time I agree that Ewan McGregor on the first photo is well dressed, even though I don´t like that style. I would´t look down on someone dressed like that.

And as we are talking about "unemployed" look - The man who´s looking for a job shall look the best he can. It´s not expensive, with all these thrift stores etc. around. I wouldn´t employ a man who wants a job and is not wearing a tie for the interview...(I admit that this is strongly affected by my personal dislike of the "tieless" trend) There are some things that shall be independent of time. And it´s not about the vintage look - formal (and semi-formal) clothes are nearly the same as 80 years ago. That´s why "our" style is timeless.

Whew, that was long.. I hope you can get my point from this post.

 

[John in Covina]

I am at times bewildered by what passes as fashion in the casual sense.

One thing is men's hair, where did the the idea come from that "if my hair looks like I just got out of bed" that's a good thing? I have struggled to keep my hair neat. I have baby fine hair and it tends to get messy quickly to my chagrin. These guys try to turn a detriment into a positive, where i just see un-kempt.

I have clothes that are not the stay pressed type but I usually don't iron much. (Actually I haven't found where the iron has been hidden in this house!) I tend to relegate those clothes to very casual days, as in not going out to meet people but simply the work a day, little interaction with others day.

One step up is also to move from t-shirts and henleys to actual collared shirts, whether dress type or even golf shirts. That step tends to take it to a bit more polished level. People that live in t-shirts maybe very casual but it sends a message of not caring much, unless they are into political activism.

I can understand the need for certain styles of dress to conform to a group. We see examples saying what rock genre you are really into and by your dress advertise it to others, it makes for a pass into your in-group and signifies the out-group as a social dynamic. However to move out of that style even for a day of morning to some then creates an under current of suspician as to your commitment to the scene. Similar dress codes can be seen when it comes to youthful support of political ideals and organizations. (The continued romanticizing of Che Guevarra as folk lore hero is one aspect you can see frequently.) As the actions become more militant, one often see a correlation with the participents dress as statements of commitment.

There is a bit more conformity today, I think that say in the 80's, when it comes to public dress. Though the drive is still the same, youth follows the famous in film, and TV, especially MTV. Hair, clothes and accesories for the MTV viewers is a marketing person's field of dreams. It was not so long ago inner city youth killed each other over Nike sneakers.

America is a child of the media and derives all sense of satifaction from it.
Anybody remember the stampede for Davy Crockett coonskin caps?
Only now childhood for many has extended further into adulthood than before and with it, fashion values.

(Of course this doesn't mean everyone but it sure means a high percentage.)

 

[funneman]

What's the difference?

One has a full set of teeth and the other doesn't?

 

[MK]

.

Then there's these guys:

They do great work....but I don't get their race to see who can look the most disheveled. Apathy is not an attractive look to me.

 

[i_am_the_scruff]

It's their taste. Who cares?

Maybe they care more about raising that child than dressing up for no reason?
You can't look immaculate all the time.

Atleast she's warm and isn't going to trip over in 5 inch heels.