I once did a little bit of research on a man named Edward Bernays. He is considered the father of modern public relations. While working on an ad campaign for Macy’s he created and popularized the idea that people should use clothing to define themselves. I think this idea is built in to our society now and people buy clothing to distinguish themselves.
I mention this because CM and I are both having problems reducing our and our children’s clothes and I’m wondering if this might be why. The fact of the matter is that we don’t have enough room for everything. It’s possible we are having a difficult time transitioning from clothing being a statement to clothing being items of utility. It doesn’t help that I keep worrying that I will be wearing the same outfit in all of my photos of this trip which I plan to look at for the rest of my life.
Okay, this is why I love this blog. Once I actually typed that last line out, I realized how stupid it is. It’s not like someone’s going to be looking at my pics saying, “Oh my God, are you wearing the same outfit on Route 66 that you wore in Hawaii??”
Okay, I better go sort through my clothes right now while I’m feeling determined.
July 7th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
If you have a hard time breaking out of the role defined for you by your clothes, try letting your clothes reflect your chosen path… think of your new minimalist wardrobe as a manifestation of your new life. Just remember that the more efficient and more versatile your few outfits are, the more successful you are as a traveling family. That way, the utility of an outfit *is* it’s statement!
July 8th, 2008 at 9:55 am
I’m going to be honest with you. I had to read that a couple of times before I really “got it”, but once I did, I loved it!! Utility as a statement. That’s deep. Thanks so much!