Is Fashion What Makes Us Uniquely Human?
We humans have been trying to figure out why we’re different from other animals ever since we lost most of our body hair. We seem to take a lot of pride in what we consider to be our unique characteristics. We think our complex language makes us unique, but linguists have pointed out that humpback whales have a far more sophisticated language system than we do. Our endless wars prove that we are not morally superior. What does make us different, really?
The answer is right in front of our faces. We are the only animals on earth that wear clothes! That’s what sets us apart. Can you name another animal that goes hiking in brown boots? You might argue that they don’t need to, but neither do we. We feel the need to explore and in order to explore new and potentially hostile territory, we needed to use our creativity and make footwear. If we didn’t need to leave our home turf, we could do perfectly well barefooted in warmer climates.
While it may or may not be necessity that originally drove us to wander the earth and explore, the fact that we found a way to adapt and survive by wearing clothes is certainly interesting. After all, we’re the only animals who have done so.
The most fascinating thing about clothes is that we don’t just throw on anything, but pick and choose our clothes depending on our personal tastes. We need something to cover our bodies at night, but does it really have to be nautica sleepwear?
Fashion is pure indulgence. Those anthropologists who cling to the Darwinian ’survival’ model just don’t have a fashion sense! Other animals do things to attract a mate, but they don’t spend hours choosing their outfits just to turn around and go to sleep! We like fashion because it satisfies needs that go beyond survival.
Now let’s consider sports and recreation. Some people would argue that we’re the only animals that enjoy sports and games, but that’s nonsense. Polar bears, for example go sliding down snow slopes on their bellies just for the thrill of it. They’re not trying to get anywhere in a hurry - otherwise they wouldn’t turn around and do it again! Enjoying the thrill of winter sports doesn’t make us different, but alpine skiing equipment does!
At first glance, all the above illustrations seem laughable. What is the connection between a pair of boots of a particular color, nightwear that has a theme and ski equipment? They are all creative inventions. Fashion springs from no other source than our unique human creativity. Let’s celebrate our humanness with fashion!
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