In World 204, it is the cultural norm in the UK to compliment strangers on what they are wearing. When meeting someone for the first time, instead of remarking on the weather, you comment on their outfit in a friendly manner. For example, the colour, silhouette, or print.
This world embraces individuality through words of affirmation and a shared appreciation of the unique qualities of clothes. The origins of this culture can be traced back to the actions of a small group of activists in 1968, which sought to teach people to rethink how we make judgements based on appearance.
What if …
we encouraged individuality and self expression through appreciation of clothes?
Issue targeted:
Emotional durability – we would care for our clothes better if we felt happy and confident in them. We may also consume less if we felt more attached to our garments, too.
Inspiration:
The idea of ‘polite catcalling.’ Recently it has become a trend on social media and I actually had an interaction where a group of guys complimented my cardigan as I passed.
This World was contributed by Beatriz Gyuricza (located in Nottingham, UK) using a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence which allows others to share and adapt the work in any medium and for any purpose, providing that they credit the author and share their material using the same Creative Commons licence.
Does this World remind you of something?
I am keen to hear about any historical or contemporary real-world examples – whether individual practices, subcultures or mainstream activities – that this fiction brings to mind.
Please share any such examples using this form. Thank you!