It’s fashion. Ever heard of it?

The purpose of clothing is not only to protect us from the elements.

It’s also to inform others about what kind of person you are.

If we make things easier for each other (by explaining ourselves with our outfit) people like us more.

No one likes to be confused. We like to feel smart.

When we make others feel good, everyone has fun!

(In case you are blind, this is a picture of some sorority sisters all wearing the same outfit. The caption says “TWINNING!! <3”)

We can easily see what kind of people these are, because they all match. If we know what one of them is like, and then meet another one, we know what to expect. Our brain needs to work less hard this time.

Individuality

A lot of talk about fashion is about individuality and personal style.

This is a scam to get you to buy more shit. Don’t fall for it.

None of us are independent. None of us are individual. We are interdependent.

Humans work in groups. We are like bees.

Uniforms make life easy. Easy is better than hard.

Face paint

This is tribal face paint:

So is this:

Both communicate group membership, conformity, beliefs, beauty, and status.

They tell the in-group “don’t worry about me. I won’t cause any problems.” They fit in. They’re “basic”.

That message gives us freedom. You think you’re dressed for comfort? Wrong. You’re dressed so strangers don’t call the cops. You’re wearing your normal-person disguise for whatever “normal” is in your situation. So are the Crips. So am I. We’re all in costumes! The question isn’t ‘who are you?’ It’s ‘what game are we playing?’