WESTERN FASHION CULTURE

Now, considering the fact that I have grown up surrounded by Western Fashion I'll probably miss a few things that seem incredibly weird to people outside of America and Europe.

So there are a few things that seem completely normal to us here but when you begin to think about it...

It's used daily by some people I know and then by others just for special occasions. Tanning your skin became popular in the 1920s when Coco Chanel returned from her holidays abroad brown as a nut the old fashion for pale skin was thrown out the window and suddenly people were on a mission to kill there skin cells slowly for the sake of fashion.

 Then some genius realised that there was a gap in the market for people who

a) didn't tan

and

b) didn't live in a country where you can get tanned (eg. Scotland... trust me I know)

 They probably didn't come up with the idea completely out of the blue. In fact during WW2 women wiped tea bags on their legs to bring out a lovely dark and streaky brownish colour. So, a genius, thought that somebody must want to buy an orange paste that smells awful and leaves you looking like an oompa loompa... and they were right.

After scientists proved that UV rays from the sun were incredibly harmful and had links to skin cancer as well as hordes of other diseases fake tan became even more popular... and it still is.

 

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TOE-SHOE-THINGS

Ugh... I can't even explain - here-

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Those things. Technically they're called Vibram Five Fingers. The science behind it was that it feels like barefooted running and improves balance, strength, etc. These statements turned out to be a lie however. a lawsuit was made, and though Vibram admits no wrongdoing, they agree to pay back everybody who bought a pair $90.

Apart from looking weird in themselves, looking at someone wearing them made you feel weird and indeed question their sanity, or at least fashion sense. Thankfully the popularity of these is in decline now and I haven't seen anyone wear them for at least a month.:)

MAKNINIS

It's a bikini...for a man!

I'm not uploading a photo of that look it up if you really want to but I definitely wouldn't recommend it.

PLATFORM SHOES

Now these types of platform shoes are entirely acceptable -

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And then there's...

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what

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WHAT

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HEELESS SHOES

(Shoes with no heels) It's kinda hard to explain why anyone would wear such a thing. Lady Gaga once wore them in an airport and tripped in front of paparazzi.

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BLEACHING HAIR

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To bleach hair you literally use bleach. Blonde is a highly sought after colour in Western Culture and many with dark hair need to bleach their hair white before they can dye it blonde or a light colour.

Apart from actually making the hair harder to hold colour it also kills it or damages it beyond repair...

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EAR STRECHERS

People have mixed feelings about these, some people think they're nice, others plain weird, others if they're small they're okay but the big holes freak them out.

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A bit big maybe?

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You can make up your own mind. I would put in other photos but frankly they would scare you.

Frankly, I could go on forever about weird fashion trends but, as Oscar Wilde said, "Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable it needs to be changed every six months"

Maybe not every fashion trend is ugly but it does change, constantly and I'm slightly frightened of what the future will bring.

LA SAPE

 SAPE, the Congolese Society of Ambianceurs and Elegant Persons. Members of this society are called Sapeurs. Their origins began in Brazzaville, the Capital of The Republic of Congo, which has seen its fair share of war, poverty and violence. Sapeurs are men that are highly respected in the community. They wear clothes that embody their creativity and flair. 

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These men have normal jobs during the day, bricklayer, carpenter, anything. However, once they get home they take out their clothes, which they take huge pride in, and show off their outfits to each other. They also  have friendly dance competitions with rival Sapeur groups.
As well as having impressive clothes Sapeurs are polite, non-violent and are important in their community by being an inspiration to others through their attitude.
They also convene regularly and talk about "life,their family, and getting people back on track".

The Sapeurs find their style inspiration from 1920s formerly French Colonists but each adds their own unique twist to their outfits.
The Sapeurs are a group of men determined to rise above their circumstances and express who they really are.

This is  short documentary by Guinness on the Sape.

EYES  

When somebody says "Eye Fashion", You generally think of makeup like this -

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When somebody says "Extreme Eye Fashion" you think of this-

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You definitely don't think of Eye Jewellery...

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Technically they are called extraocular implants. A surgery pioneered in the Netherlands in 2002, and given the name JewelEye. They are an implant to the top layer of the eye. The surgery is done under local anaesthetic and cost anywhere between €1000 and €2000. And no, it's not just you that thinks this is weird. Though perhaps not as weird as eye tattoos...

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Nope they're not contact lenses. This is an eyeball tattoo- well technically its not really a tattoo as you cant really draw anything on it but it is an injection of ink into the white of an eye.

Of course, who are we to judge? It's just another thing right? Maybe it's another step and 50 years from now everybody will be wearing JewelEye or tattooing their corneas. Or maybe not.