It's a delight not knowing what you're going to cover each week, Kate. (Perhaps I should pay more attention to when you mention what's coming, but I enjoy not knowing 😄)
So glad that you enjoyed the podcast!
Fashion. I've been a bit of a bystander, never quite knowing quite what to wear and what suits…
It's a delight not knowing what you're going to cover each week, Kate. (Perhaps I should pay more attention to when you mention what's coming, but I enjoy not knowing 😄)
So glad that you enjoyed the podcast!
Fashion. I've been a bit of a bystander, never quite knowing quite what to wear and what suits me, having to rely upon girlfriends and ultimately my wife to advise me best haha. I think that stems from a lot of lack of confidence as a teenager and not being in enough with the "it" crowd to either pay attention to fashion or be bold enough to experiment/go with the trends. However, I really really connected with the discussion in the podcast and your words here about fashion as helping you to play a part in a role. It's certainly helped me. Back when I was a working magician, a smart-casual suit helped to put me within the role I was acting out. Same with teaching and lecturing, I usually start smart and gradually slide towards a more relaxed attire as semester moves on and I get to know my students 😆 I used to think that it was because I cared somehow about the appearance, but it's actually more aligned with the clothes helping to reinforce the character and enabling me to step into that role more easily. I'd say that right up until hearing that podcast I thought that being able to play multiple roles throughout a day/week was some kind of inadequacy, that I should just be myself as much as possible, but it was incredibly refreshing to hear that a chameleonic nature can actually be a valuable skill.
And as always, your wonderful post has sent me down a spiral of thinking, and a rambling reply hehe.
OMG Nathan, I read the top quickly and thought I had made a dreaded typo ;)
The podcast was amazing! I never expected it to say something about fashion. I'm eager to continue listening to both Fridman and Bach.
I like the conclusions you made from the podcast. It's so interesting with the teaching role, isn't it? When I started out, I tried to dress 'older' to gain some gravitas, then became more relaxed, then again back toward 'sophisticated' as I went into leadership. In the end, I think it's how you feel in the clothes. Relatedly, I always enjoyed teaching in high schools without uniforms to allow the kids to really let their personalities shine. (I know there are lots of benefits to school uniforms as well, especially for income disparity.) Of course, at university you get this as well. But I wonder from your description of your teen years if this had anything to do with uniform wearing. I'm only assuming you wore a uniform in the UK? I did not. I had a lot of trial and a LOT of error, but maybe it gave me a sort of safe experimental time for clothing choices. There is also safety in numbers when your friends are wearing similar items. This is a big enough tangent for an article, so I'll pause there. :)
Thank you - as always - for comments that are in turn thought provoking!
I wore a school uniform (which everyone hated, of course) but the school both my kids have attended doesn't. It causes a lot of debate amongst parents, but I agree with you that it allows the personalities to come through. The school is a high achieving secondary in the UK, but the governors and staff always pride themselves on welcoming difference and personal expression, so there are some weird and wonderful examples of fashion on awards evenings and such!!
I really think we ought to embrace the experimental teen personas without the need to be cool or succumb to peer pressure. Some people do it very well their whole lives.
My sentiments exactly! :) oh, there are some marvellous hair colours in the school! A work colleague of mine has always had her hair in a rainbow, and I am always amazed by how she does it!
That's interesting. I've always wondered what the proportion of schools that do or don't do this is. I imagine it breeds some bullying, unfortunately, but welcoming difference and personal expression from a young age is likely a good thing.
Hehe sorry I should have included their first names too to make it clear what I had meant ;) Just thought it was an interesting coincidence.
That's fascinating re: your experience, too.
And yes, huh, I'd never thought of that aspect but I *did* have to wear a uniform all through school. There was certainly simplicity in conforming via uniform, but then in A-levels we had freedom to wear what we wanted, and I do remember thinking that I essentially had zero knowledge of what would constitute fashion and I wasn't self-analytical enough at the time to question what it is that I wanted to wear etc.
I can see the comfort of a uniform. I think it’s how I treated “work clothes” for a long time as well. Although not the same every day, it was a kind of uniform for a role - and also with the ease of not choosing all that much. About blending in perhaps.
Fridman and Friedman in one article :D
It's a delight not knowing what you're going to cover each week, Kate. (Perhaps I should pay more attention to when you mention what's coming, but I enjoy not knowing 😄)
So glad that you enjoyed the podcast!
Fashion. I've been a bit of a bystander, never quite knowing quite what to wear and what suits me, having to rely upon girlfriends and ultimately my wife to advise me best haha. I think that stems from a lot of lack of confidence as a teenager and not being in enough with the "it" crowd to either pay attention to fashion or be bold enough to experiment/go with the trends. However, I really really connected with the discussion in the podcast and your words here about fashion as helping you to play a part in a role. It's certainly helped me. Back when I was a working magician, a smart-casual suit helped to put me within the role I was acting out. Same with teaching and lecturing, I usually start smart and gradually slide towards a more relaxed attire as semester moves on and I get to know my students 😆 I used to think that it was because I cared somehow about the appearance, but it's actually more aligned with the clothes helping to reinforce the character and enabling me to step into that role more easily. I'd say that right up until hearing that podcast I thought that being able to play multiple roles throughout a day/week was some kind of inadequacy, that I should just be myself as much as possible, but it was incredibly refreshing to hear that a chameleonic nature can actually be a valuable skill.
And as always, your wonderful post has sent me down a spiral of thinking, and a rambling reply hehe.
OMG Nathan, I read the top quickly and thought I had made a dreaded typo ;)
The podcast was amazing! I never expected it to say something about fashion. I'm eager to continue listening to both Fridman and Bach.
I like the conclusions you made from the podcast. It's so interesting with the teaching role, isn't it? When I started out, I tried to dress 'older' to gain some gravitas, then became more relaxed, then again back toward 'sophisticated' as I went into leadership. In the end, I think it's how you feel in the clothes. Relatedly, I always enjoyed teaching in high schools without uniforms to allow the kids to really let their personalities shine. (I know there are lots of benefits to school uniforms as well, especially for income disparity.) Of course, at university you get this as well. But I wonder from your description of your teen years if this had anything to do with uniform wearing. I'm only assuming you wore a uniform in the UK? I did not. I had a lot of trial and a LOT of error, but maybe it gave me a sort of safe experimental time for clothing choices. There is also safety in numbers when your friends are wearing similar items. This is a big enough tangent for an article, so I'll pause there. :)
Thank you - as always - for comments that are in turn thought provoking!
I wore a school uniform (which everyone hated, of course) but the school both my kids have attended doesn't. It causes a lot of debate amongst parents, but I agree with you that it allows the personalities to come through. The school is a high achieving secondary in the UK, but the governors and staff always pride themselves on welcoming difference and personal expression, so there are some weird and wonderful examples of fashion on awards evenings and such!!
So interesting!
I also love colorful hair in high schools.
I really think we ought to embrace the experimental teen personas without the need to be cool or succumb to peer pressure. Some people do it very well their whole lives.
My sentiments exactly! :) oh, there are some marvellous hair colours in the school! A work colleague of mine has always had her hair in a rainbow, and I am always amazed by how she does it!
That's interesting. I've always wondered what the proportion of schools that do or don't do this is. I imagine it breeds some bullying, unfortunately, but welcoming difference and personal expression from a young age is likely a good thing.
Hehe sorry I should have included their first names too to make it clear what I had meant ;) Just thought it was an interesting coincidence.
That's fascinating re: your experience, too.
And yes, huh, I'd never thought of that aspect but I *did* have to wear a uniform all through school. There was certainly simplicity in conforming via uniform, but then in A-levels we had freedom to wear what we wanted, and I do remember thinking that I essentially had zero knowledge of what would constitute fashion and I wasn't self-analytical enough at the time to question what it is that I wanted to wear etc.
Ha no I was kidding, all good :)
I can see the comfort of a uniform. I think it’s how I treated “work clothes” for a long time as well. Although not the same every day, it was a kind of uniform for a role - and also with the ease of not choosing all that much. About blending in perhaps.
I think you are right about a uniform helping to align or reinforce the 'role' you are playing at the time is spot on, Nathan!