I have been seeing a lot on the internet lately about how we of the alternate religions and beliefs should dress, act and talk more like 'normal' people in order to appear more acceptable to the mainstream. We should become clones so 'they' won't think we're crazies.
No more Goth, no more hippies, no more NewAgers No more diversity. Just good normal everyday average citzens.
"Hey, you don't have to be scared of us! See! We're not crazy! We're just like you!"
Personally, I don't wanna be a Clone, but It seems like this is becoming a big thing among the pagan, and witchcraft communities
What do you think? Clones or Crazies?
Think about it, if we all dress and act alike then what happens to self expression? Some may think this could bring out the artistic side of people, forcing them to express themselves through art or poetry, but how can anyone expect someone to do that if the person's imagination is slaughtered?
We are each our own unique individual selves and we should remain as such. That is what is normal and natural.
No More Hippies?!
Hey they did not get rid of us in the 70's.think they are gonna start now-don't think so. I shudder to think what Asheville would look like with a bunch of clones walking about instead of all the cool hippies it has now.
It has nothing to do with being clones. It has to do with how you present yourself and how others treat you. Would you go to a job interview with a cloak, pointy hat on? Then what is wrong with getting dressed in everyday clothes, instead of the Hot Topic shock of the week (and hey if your gonna go on about clones the same applies to various fashion fads in Goth, Newagey or hippie wear)?
Moonwolf, I think what you wear to a job interview depends on the job. If I were a female and going to a job interview for a restaurant called "The Witch's Cauldron" or something like that I may dress like a Hollywood witch for the job, especially if I know the employer likes that kind of attitude. As a male, which I am, I would probably go dressed more like a Hollywood wizard instead.
I tend to dress for the occasion. I enjoy putting on a suit for a date, I admit to being the kind of guy who may just wear a suit for the heck of it, but sometimes I also just like wearing my sweats and a t-shirt. I dress according to how I feel when there is no occasion to be dressing for. Lately I've been more casual, as we get further into Winter I'll probably be more emo/goth(at least I make it look cool and you can deny it all you want, but the eyes of the ladies agree with me), when we get into Spring I'll probably dress more old western, and back into Summer/Autumn means back into casual or suits if I have a new suit by then.
So far as I'm concerned, if people don't like me for what I wear then they don't deserve to know me for who I am.
Morion dae no one says you can't wear what you want. However your point illustrates the point that you are judged on how you dress. Tell me what does a frumpy house wife look like? How bout an anal retentive business person?
All of this is the point of the Pagans saying we should dress normally when we introduce ourselves to other non Pagans. It deemphasizes the crazy fad type thing and enforces seriousness and normality and your not scary looking.
What a house wife or a business man looks like depends on who they are, where they live, what all they do or are doing that day, etc.
I don't think people should try to be scary looking and in some cases perhaps they could tone it down a little, but if the people they are meeting did not call for some special occasion(such as to meet at a fancy restaurant or even just to their house for dinner) I don't think people should go to far out of their way to look different then they would normally look. But it also depends on why people dress the way they do. I generally dress to how I feel or to what would reflect how my personality seems to be, so if I were meeting people for the first time who had a problem with people who dress the way I do it should be within their maturity level to get over it. :)
And again word "pagan" is used in a "rebel-ultra-cool-they-can't-touch-us-and-we-are-angry-at-the-world" way. How do pagans dress? Since pagans are members of different religions, I'd say they dress like any other person.
People dress as they wish. If you want to look all halloween just do so but no one is going to take you seriously.
How do witches dress? Capes and pointy hats? Haha.
People wore fur and stuff to survive the cold... Over the years we evolved socially and now we wear fine textile.
