On Class by Deborah Dundas

Author:Deborah Dundas
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Biblioasis
Published: 2023-04-26T00:00:00+00:00

When I went to my first job interview at a television station, I overdressed. The women interviewing me dressed much more casually, some wearing jeans, while I looked like I was pretending to be a banker. A familiar sinking feeling settled in my gut: “Oh, no, I got it wrong. I should have worn something else.” So I did something strange. I crossed my legs and slouched—trying to send out signals that I was really much more down-to-earth than I looked. I simply didn’t know how to act. Second-guessing plagues. You miss the nuance of the rules and so don’t feel confident enough to interpret them—it’s tough to know when you’re doing the right thing when you haven’t had a hand in making the rules and there’s no one to guide you.

It wasn’t the first time I’d overdressed. At university I’d brought a briefcase to class. I wanted to look as if I belonged to the future I hoped for. The only other person who dressed the way I did was from a small town; she was determined, too, to look as if she had a right to a more prosperous future.

I’d look at rich girls with envy, in their ripped jeans and their casual clothing, and wonder how they pulled it off. I didn’t envy their money; I envied their confidence. It wouldn’t have dawned on me to wear torn or dirty clothes in an effort to simulate street-cred; it reminded me too much of my own experience wearing unclean or damaged clothing—growing up I only had one or two outfits because there was no money—an experience that shaped my instincts, which were now drawn to tailored, neat, professional clothes. Besides, their clothes were never the real thing: they lacked authenticity, no matter how hard they tried.

As Amanda Mull points out in a recent article in the Atlantic, clothing has always been used to indicate status, going all the way back at least to ancient Egypt. These days, being able to buy a small item, a pair of earrings or a small wallet, redolent of the European elite, something perhaps with a “Made in France” label (whether or not it was actually made in China) “encourage[s] consumers to think of a new purchase as part of a centuries-long elite fashion lineage—and to feel as if they themselves are part of that lineage too, if only briefly.”63

When I was younger, it was hard to give the finger to fashion. Instead, I would try to figure out ways to look as if I had more money than I did. I frequented factory outlets, charity shops, and used clothing emporia and looked for better quality clothing. A trick for thrifting: look for cashmere sweaters. A nice one over a shirt and a decent pair of pants or a skirt can get you through a business meeting without the need for a jacket, or it can take you to an academic soiree. When you look as if you fit in, it gives you one less thing to feel self-conscious about.

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