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This isn’t just about budgets, but how some people have been online lately. I realize many people don’t like the current Ontario government – especially the man who was sworn in as premier just a month or so ago – but many of the comments, especially from mainstream media, are just politically correct and Toronto-centric. I’m sorry, but even as a Torontonian, a true, blue Toronto gal, I can’t believe how many people I know only think from a Toronto perspective. Or from the perspective of wherever they live. Take the whole provincial cabinet thing for example. Sure, it’s not as diverse as it could be – ethnically speaking – but considering WHO the premiere is, having SEVEN women is, well, better than one would have expected? And as for ethnicity, can we please stop living in a bubble? Ontario isn’t just Toronto and Ottawa. We also need to look at discrimination within individual cultural groups and other culture/ethnic-based issues that are NOT addressed all in the name of diversity/sensitivity (i.e. we don’t want to “meddle” with other people’s businesses/cultures because we don’t want to be seen as “ignorant.” Well, you’re BEING ignorant just by being too politically correct. You want people to integrate and feel comfortable here? Well, make it easier. Learn about their cultures and find ways to help them or encourage/be allies and ensure they feel they belong – it sometimes takes time to get used to, but most people DO – if they aren’t constantly . We talk about being allies to the LGBTQ communities, but what about newcomers? #justsayin).
Lately, I have had to not just unfollow, but unfriend SEVERAL people on Facebook as they were beginning to get on my nerves. They used to have some kind of reasoning skills, but have somehow become a little more…radical. I get that the world is changing, and not necessarily for the better – there are more and more extreme groups on both sides of the spectrum (more right than left, but I won’t be surprised if that changes) – but I feel like both sides need to put more effort in research. And to look at both sides without killing each other. It only increases stress and anxiety and makes everyone look like they’re in Grade 7. Can we please grow up and do this maturely? There’s a reason why I’ve written posts like “Politics, Determination Stories, Diversity and Privilege,” “On Feminism: Am I Being Shamed?” and others. Of course, this is just a small, personal blog rather than, say, Time or Macleans, so it isn’t like it’s going to get high traffic. And to be honest, many of my peers are too busy being radical to really think or care.
Image by Artur Szczybylo/Shutterstock
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]]>The post Old Post from DelectablyChic!: Casualization of the Wardrobe and Apologizing for What I Wear appeared first on Cynthia C. Mintz.
]]>When I was in my early 20s, people would often ask why I was “so dressed up” and it got really annoying. As if it’s really weird to wear dresses and heels on a weekend. It still happens once in a while now that I’m in my 30s, but never in my area – I live in a part of Toronto where people tend to look “nice” – and the sloppy/over-casual people are probably tourists. I liked dressing up then and still do, especially in the summer and really, I blame the questioning on the so-called “casualization” of society. It’s part of that package where young children are addressing their parents’ friends by first name (sorry, kids under 12, you have to call me Mrs. Mintz, Ms. Cheng Mintz, Ms. Cynthia or Auntie Cynthia until I say that it is okay to call me just plain Cynthia. Actually, PARENTS, please introduce me as one of the four), the world of slouchy pants on males over 25 and so forth. I really shouldn’t have to apologize for this!
A typical Saturday outfit
For young people, it’s only getting worse (I mean, take a look at this article from the Huffington Post – sensationalist, perhaps, but someone MUST believe in this). I wore a uniform in high school which included a button down blouse that had to be worn tucked in to my skirt (pants were later implemented as an option), a tie, tights or knee socks and black oxfords. Because so many of us didn’t tuck in our shirts, more recently, the school changed the tops to something that didn’t require tucking and was shorter. Many other schools did the same thing – except they went from dress shirts to polo/golf shirts. When worn with pants or kilts, it can look AWFUL. The kids look like complete slobs and would have been given a talking to in the 90s. I’m not the only one who has complaint. I once volunteered with an organization where a guy said that the kids at his high school alma mater look significantly sloppier than they did when he was there. All because of the more casual uniform. Oh well, I guess it’s welcome to the 21st century, sadly.
So this brings me back to the original topic. Because people are so brainwashed to wearing casual clothing (thanks to people like Mark Zuckerberg, known to wear hoodies to work), wearing anything neater than a sloppy t-shirt with jeans, muscle shirts, crop tops, etc… is considered “dressed up.” And it is sad. It does nothing to prepare young people for the “real world” – especially if they aspire to work in a professional, office setting. And because they’re so exposed to looking like they’ve just rolled out of bed (or heading to the club – that is the OTHER extreme), they will be in for a shock. And no one is preparing them for ANYTHING. How sad.
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