"Don't Cut Your Fabric to This Year's Fashion..."
Horace has some interesting entries going on lately, but that's true anytime he's posting regularly. I've been wanting to write for months about his entires on the male body that have been popping up since he start in seriously at the gym a few months ago, about the time I started up at the gym, too. I'm probably way too tired to write an entry about something so thoughtful, but his recent entries on the male body and academia kinda hit home in an odd way. (And I just want to write another entry with flickr photos.)

When I started putting together the gay/lesbian lit class, I started to think about previous classes I'd taken. In graduate school, it became something of a joke that the best dresse women on campus were also the strongest feminists. They had a personal style where they seemed to embrace their ages and sizes and stood proud and tall in class in the most fabulous outfits and with the best hairstyles. Then, a new gay man came onto campus who had the best suits and great socks, of all things.

In the past few years, I've been conscious of how I dress, mainly because I've been gaining weight and have reached a number higher than any before. I'll be honest. When I was 220, I thought I was huge. Then I hit 240 this year and had to laugh. The number can always get higher! Plus, the last year was so bad that my body was the last thing I really cared about. I wanted to be at a smaller weight and buy new clothes when the year began.

But as September got closer, I didn't weigh less, but I wanted to look a certain way. I'm not saying I wanted to go all GQ or something. I wasn't thinking fashion in the traditional sense. But I was thinking about dressing consciously. I'm already a little known on campus by some people for being the guy who wears color. I love my bright purple shirt and always get comments on it. But this year, I've pulled out the things I never wear, like the two sports coats, the ties, the shirts in back of the closet.

The photo in black is what I wore last Thursday. I bought the tie last year and never wore it. I should have put the jacket on because it did look pretty snazzy. Yesterday, I bought the striped shirt on sale at Macy's when I couldn't get the nano case. I decided to forgo the tie because doing that ever day can look routine, too.

It is unique around here to dress up like this. Someone asked last Thursday why I was dressed up. I said it was because I was teaching. That's not a real reason, though, considering that I often wore jeans and plain shirts like most men around here. Actually, I've always like that the men and women feel comfortable not putting on a show with clothes. But I've felt the need to do something different. Maybe it's because of all the bad this past year; I want to put on a new face, so to speak. Maybe it is teaching this new class and thinking of those who taught such tings as when I was a student. I'm too tired to get too thoughtful about this, but I guess for now, I'm just saying that I'm trying to be more thoughtful about what I wear and how I present my body to the class.

I will probably write more later. Like Horace, the gym has got me doing some thinking (even if I'm losing no weight in the process). For now, I'm going to dress down and get to bed. In the dark, where no one can see.
- posted by Nels @ 11:18 PM | | | Link |