Clothes Make The Man

Do you remember the Rodney Dangerfield movie Easy Money from the early 80's? There was a scene where Rodney's snooty brother-in-law was out to embarrass him and his out of date fashions. Therefore, he made Rodney the creative designer for a line of clothes which they called "The Regular Guy," based on what Rodney called what he wanted; clothes for regular guys. The fashion show turned out to be a bit humbling for him, but the clothes turned out to be a big success to the chagrin of the snooty brother-in-law.

In Sunday's Journal Star, columnist Jerry Klein reveals a shopping problem for his wife as she cannot find any clothes for what he called "mature" women. While I'm a middle-aged man, I find no problem in finding new clothes, but I can totally understand Mrs. Klein's dilemma and Mr. Klein's reasoning behind the problem is dead on. Today's society is totally fixated on the younger generation and leaves less and less room for us more "seasoned" citizens.

Mr. Klein points to Hollywood, which is a big part of it. However, the music industry plays a big roll as well. Look at how many teenage girls are trying to be Brittany Spears, Jessica Simpson, etc. As for the boys, look how many try to emulate their favorite gangsta rapper. Sports can play a role as well. Mr. Klein points out baggy pants that the boys wear, particularly in basketball. Take note of what players were wearing a generation ago and what they are today.

Older folks tend to keep the same styles and fashions over longer periods. This is a contrast to what the teenagers and younger people do as their sense of fashion and tastes change as often as the wind changes direction.

Common Sense of it All: I'm afraid this is one of those pains that comes from getting older. Unlike beauty, clothes aren't even skin deep.