Miho and I discussed about her daily clothes in her life, and the reason why she wears the clothes; her typical routine in the morning about wardrobe; what she thinks about her dress; and any special garment to her; and her wish to change her closet. Miho is a friend who I first came to the USA together after studying in the Philippines school. We are not living together as a roommate, but I already visited her apartment many times, so it did not make me surprised when she showed me her messy wardrobe this time. Before the interview, I thought I would not hear anything that I did not know of because we ask each other what to wear and even shop together. However, the interview, the closet, which I thought it was full of stories that I already knew, had much more stories behind. These questions also made her look back at her own self through her daily part of her life. New York allows her to be more creative and freer, as Japan could judge her by what she wears. She said gender also seemed to be a subject position that unconsciously made her be aware of. However, I have never worn the clothes that she loves to wear such as a tank top. I also care of other’s eyes; what they think of my fashion. So I always try to be blended to people. But for me, she seems like she does not really care of other. She always chooses the clothes and wear it whatever she wants to wear. She has totally different thought and perspective of clothes as compared to my perspective. According to the book, “Dress is a ubiquitous aspect of our social embodiment, a basic fact of all social life.” The relationship between clothing and the body is that no matter what cultures and life experiences we have, fashion is a ubiquitous aspect, and it is everywhere. Fashion is just a basic fact of our life, so we can present who we are through the clothes that we wear. Some people like my friend, Miho, we can overcome the thing that we hate in the culture through the fashion.. everything could be the fact of human being.
Evans, Mary, and Ellie Lee. Real Bodies: A Sociological Introduction. Hampshire, England: Palgrave, 2002.