Comments on: Body Image and Second-Hand Pants for Big Men

By: Skylark

Skylark — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:27:26 +0000

Hmm. I guess this is one of the few times when fat women have it easier than fat men. I only rarely have trouble finding functional clothing I like from thrift stores and garage sales. I don’t consciously choose clothing that fits with a certain subculture, but I still often get comments that I look stylish–or like a stylish hippie, depending on the day.

You might be able to raid the fabric section of your local thrift stores to get the material for the clothing ST suggested you make yourself.

If the ethics of the thrift stores bothers you, check out FreeCycle. http://www.freecycle.org/ You can get stuff for free if people in your area will give it to you. And, you can give away your stuff to people who might need it. If ordinarily you would trash unwanted stuff or give it to a sketchy thrift store, this might be better. But then, researching the ethics of individual people can be kind of hard when you don’t know them and they’re not public figures or companies.

By: ST

ST — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 01:07:13 +0000

Thanks for sharing. Thinking about who we are and how we are as we do the “work” is so crucial.

I for one want to say that the heart of rebelling to the fashion machine is to express YOURSELF and wear things that are FUNCTIONAL, not what others say you should be or should look like. Feeling obligated to do that defeats the whole purpose.

I think some of the strain comes from the current Western fashions in general. The tight stuff. Tight stuff makes sense for the winter, since it can assist in keeping your body heat close to you. In the summer however, fashionable or not…my tight stuff goes back in its box to be saved for winter (so I don’t wear it out in a year) and out comes the loose stuff. Since I live in a place that is not air conditioned, the BEST stuff to wear is loose stuff. But that’s not the bread and butter of Western fashion for summer. So I look Eastward and Southward.

Men’s galebeeyas (spelled different in different Arabic speaking regions) are sweet and look and feel amazing on big guys. A long cotton tunic with pants that go underneath. They are regal, and simple, flexible and beautiful.

And the best part about them…and my overall advice to you in dealing with clothes and justice: YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN. It is so fun to learn and it makes you appreciate everything so much more. And many times it’s just as practical. Sewing is a great intergenerational activity, one can learn many good stories as one learns to stitch at the machine.

On another note…another fun thing about internet forums…you can’t see what anybody is wearing. I’ve appreciated your contributions a lot, folknotions, and I haven’t thought twice about what your clothing style is. :)

It is neat your experience with Jesus did inspire you to become a healthier person. As Zenobia Bianchi stated in her address to the African American Mennonite Association last month: Jesus saved all of you…mind body and soul…don’t neglect any part.

By: Sajia Kabir

Sajia Kabir — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 20:04:09 +0000

I only saw this website today and I’m already in love.
I ought to do a post in response relating your post to the expectations of liberals and conservatives in the West (both Christian, atheist, and Muslim) as to how Muslim women and non-white women are expected to dress. I’m a Muslim feminist singer-songwriter, but I like dressing in salwar kameez, and might even keep hijab if I could keep the damn scarf from falling off my head.
In my opinion, the biggest foe of people of color in North America is not poor white culture, but hipster conformity. Some of the most Islamophobic and misogynistic comments I have ever seen (admittedly I refuse to patronize LGF) have been at the atheist-dominated comments sections of Crooked Timber and 3QuarksDaily. Ignorance is easier to cure than intellectual arrogance.

By: Mark Van Steenwyk

Mark Van Steenwyk — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 16:59:57 +0000

I loved this. Thank you for taking some of my thoughts and running with them into your own life.

I can relate to what you write. I am a chubby guy. I weigh about 290 lbs, though most folks are surprised by that since I have broad shoulders and carry my weight pretty well. In radical circles and new monastic circles, I am constantly being confronted by a sort of fashion that I simply cannot pull off. I buy stuff at thrift stores out of necesity rather than style, and often have to get the sort of clothes my father would wear. But I try to put my own spin on things. Nevertheless, I often feel like an old fart. I have resigned myself to being more like Friar Tuck than St. Francis in this whole new monastic and/or radical intentional community thing.