According to Merriam Webster a "faux pas" is a "blunder, esp. a social blunder". I spotted the term on a web page recently that was trashing movie stars' fashions. Okay, I'm not the person to be giving fashion advice. It's been decades since I cared about style or fashion or trends or anything along those lines. If I'm comfortable I'm happy. However, I do know that in order to commit a "faux pas" there has to be some rule one has broken, some standard that one has ignored. Believe me, our society HAS NO STANDARDS when it comes to fashion.
I remember trying to learn the rules of fashion that applied to my generation. Don't wear white after Labor Day. Don't forget your gloves- short ones for church, long ones for parties. Always, always wear a girdle and hose. Wear a hat with a suit. Pearls with...I forget. Then the mini-skirt became popular and all the rules seemed to go out the window. Each generation has gotten a little more casual and some of our current "fashion" is downright frightening. But the more important point is- who cares? Really. Why does it matter? What are we trying to prove?
I suppose fashion matters to us because it is the first thing other people see. Try watching a crowd at the mall or an airport. You'll notice someone's attire before you notice their face or hair. And in the thirty seconds or so that it takes you to assess their appearance, you've also made several assumptions about them. That's why we care. That's what scares us. We're afraid someone will get the wrong idea about us. We're afraid we'll be labeled as trashy or sloppy or stupid or old or something derogatory. Well, I've decided that if my clothes matter to someone, then we probably aren't going to become best friends anyway. Better to know that up front and get it over with quickly! LOL
And as women, we are also afraid someone will think we don't know the latest trends. We've been trained since birth to care about what everyone else is wearing. We've been expected to watch and listen and read about what "everyone will be wearing this season". I witnessed so much of that when I worked for Macy's. Otherwise well-adjusted, intelligent women would literally give themselves an ulcer trying to keep up with the latest fashion trends. Well, I haven't worried about that in years and I haven't suffered a bit. I like what I like. I buy what I want. I wear what makes me happy. And if I make a fashion faux pas, at least I'm in good company. Even the movie stars do it!
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