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indi_timberpathThis week, me and Dad agreed that a good thing to talk about is another topic that apparently can be pretty different on Rheos from how things are in other worlds: Clothing, specifically what we wear (or don’t) and why (or why not)
The thing to start with, that is apparently different from other places (as my dad explained it) is that a lot of the time, especially in hot months like now, a lot of people don’t wear clothes. Plenty of folks have thick-enough fur that adding clothes onto it can be pretty overwhelming in the summer. Not everyone lives in the places where their form was originally most adapted to, after all, and a polar bear in the tropics is gonna get heat stroke pretty quickly, to use an extreme example. On an average day in the summer in Whitewaters, for instance, probably only half of folks are going to be covering their body, and a lot of those who do will likely only be wearing something pretty light, that only covers for instance their top or bottom half. As it gets cold, people will cover up a lot more, but in pretty much any weather other than a heavy storm, it won’t be hard to find folks going out in nothing but fur.
This leads to the question then of why do people wear what they wear, when they wear it. Like I sorta said above, part of it is definitely weather. Not everyone’s body is suited to their environment, and not everyone likes every season. Personally, I don’t really mind getting wet (part-otter) so I’m not the sort who worries about covering up when it’s raining, but my dad does. On the other paw, I really don’t like the cold, but it doesn’t seem to bother Dad, so lots of times in the winter, I’ll be bundled up and he’ll be shirtless.
Another reason worth mentioning is privacy. Obviously, going naked shows off a lot more of someone’s body than wearing clothes, and not everyone feels the same way about that. This isn’t just about body image; lots of people don’t like how they look when they’re shedding or molting, but sometimes they have to interact with the world anyway. There’s also… what’s the right way to say this… certain attributes of certain folks that might be more or less obvious at certain times that they might not want to have on display for everyone. That one gets especially complicated in some areas that have different ideas about what is and isn’t “proper” for other people to see at all, though in most cases that’s not a big deal where we live.
I saved the fun answer for last: People wear clothes for decoration! Whether that’s a cool t-shirt or a super-elaborate designer suit, clothes are a way to help express yourself. Really, most folks who go out without much covering clothing on still often wear jewelry or other smaller adornments. A lot of this can be very personal, whether it’s a style someone put together for themself, or something that expresses something about their culture. It’s also a helpful way for people to recognize folks that they might have something in common with, everything from a geeky slogan to a scarf that’s traditional to a specific biome on the other side of the planet.
Getting a bit personal, I tend to not wear too much clothes, especially in the summer and especially especially when I’m not going out anywhere. If it’s warm and there’s no one else to see, it feels a lot more cozy and free for me to especially not have to worry about pants. Still, pretty often I will wear a colorful t-shirt, or just a bandana around my neck, because I figure I can never have too much color. Last week, me and my dad and a friend visited a waterpark, and I went without swim trunks (you can slide faster that way!) but with a cool rainbow bandana that I just got that week. I was in pretty good company too; this is one of those situations where way less than half of the folks were really wearing anything notable at all. Sometimes I felt a little overdressed just in my bandana, but I still really liked the style.
The thing to start with, that is apparently different from other places (as my dad explained it) is that a lot of the time, especially in hot months like now, a lot of people don’t wear clothes. Plenty of folks have thick-enough fur that adding clothes onto it can be pretty overwhelming in the summer. Not everyone lives in the places where their form was originally most adapted to, after all, and a polar bear in the tropics is gonna get heat stroke pretty quickly, to use an extreme example. On an average day in the summer in Whitewaters, for instance, probably only half of folks are going to be covering their body, and a lot of those who do will likely only be wearing something pretty light, that only covers for instance their top or bottom half. As it gets cold, people will cover up a lot more, but in pretty much any weather other than a heavy storm, it won’t be hard to find folks going out in nothing but fur.
This leads to the question then of why do people wear what they wear, when they wear it. Like I sorta said above, part of it is definitely weather. Not everyone’s body is suited to their environment, and not everyone likes every season. Personally, I don’t really mind getting wet (part-otter) so I’m not the sort who worries about covering up when it’s raining, but my dad does. On the other paw, I really don’t like the cold, but it doesn’t seem to bother Dad, so lots of times in the winter, I’ll be bundled up and he’ll be shirtless.
Another reason worth mentioning is privacy. Obviously, going naked shows off a lot more of someone’s body than wearing clothes, and not everyone feels the same way about that. This isn’t just about body image; lots of people don’t like how they look when they’re shedding or molting, but sometimes they have to interact with the world anyway. There’s also… what’s the right way to say this… certain attributes of certain folks that might be more or less obvious at certain times that they might not want to have on display for everyone. That one gets especially complicated in some areas that have different ideas about what is and isn’t “proper” for other people to see at all, though in most cases that’s not a big deal where we live.
I saved the fun answer for last: People wear clothes for decoration! Whether that’s a cool t-shirt or a super-elaborate designer suit, clothes are a way to help express yourself. Really, most folks who go out without much covering clothing on still often wear jewelry or other smaller adornments. A lot of this can be very personal, whether it’s a style someone put together for themself, or something that expresses something about their culture. It’s also a helpful way for people to recognize folks that they might have something in common with, everything from a geeky slogan to a scarf that’s traditional to a specific biome on the other side of the planet.
Getting a bit personal, I tend to not wear too much clothes, especially in the summer and especially especially when I’m not going out anywhere. If it’s warm and there’s no one else to see, it feels a lot more cozy and free for me to especially not have to worry about pants. Still, pretty often I will wear a colorful t-shirt, or just a bandana around my neck, because I figure I can never have too much color. Last week, me and my dad and a friend visited a waterpark, and I went without swim trunks (you can slide faster that way!) but with a cool rainbow bandana that I just got that week. I was in pretty good company too; this is one of those situations where way less than half of the folks were really wearing anything notable at all. Sometimes I felt a little overdressed just in my bandana, but I still really liked the style.
