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Hello, all. I am a DC Culturejammer relocated to NY. This is a broadside I've been distributing in the subway as of today. These words were handwritten and illustrated with a fountain pen, then photocopied onto yellow double-sided A4 paper, folded into enveloppes, and handed to persons who seemed aware/receptive/intelligent/down-to-earth. Let me know what you think!
-Geneviève
May 2006
Manhattan
Dear Sir or Madam:
Hi there!
You don't look like you've put much effort into your appearance.
It's funny, in American society today, this kind of comment tends to be taken as an insult (think makeover shows on TV, glossy magazines, red-carpet-obsessed tabloids, etc.) but I mean it as a compliment!
Yey you!!! (Really.)
As a female who grew up in Paris, France, I know what it's like to be swept up in fashion culture—as a teenager, every outfit I wore was planned head to toe, I was afraid to go out without makeup…sad, isn't it? Though clothing can be used as an artistic means of self-expression, Fashion Culture, more often than not, is as unhealthy as air pollution.
Fashion Culture is what tells teenagers that they have to have a "look" and identify themselves by that look (I'm a skater; I'm preppy; I'm a hippie; I'm a jock, etc). It's what persuades even the most intelligent individuals that they have to look like a sex toy in order to find a life-partner/soul-mate. It's what tells women in work environments that they don't look professional if they're not dressed/made-up like Catherine Zeta-Jones in Intolerable Cruelty. It's what drains our bank accounts and takes little jabs at our self-esteem on a daily basis, especially in New York, where there is always someone more attractive/better dressed than you nearby.
I lived in New York a full three months before I realized how silly it was that I, someone who values intellect and creativity and authenticity, was spending half an hour or more in front of the mirror every day and feeling intimidated in the streets by those better dressed/better groomed than I.
"ENOUGH!!!!!" I said to myself. I packed away my "nice" clothes and makeup and went on my last shopping spree: I bought some men's grey Champion shorts and some simple boy's black/white/grey Hanes undershirts, and a generic grey sweatshirt, and decided to wear only these with few exceptions (weddings, etc—I don't want to alienate my family!).
IMMEDIATELY I noticed several changes for the better:
1.) I didn’t have to wonder "How do I look?" or "What should I wear?" or "Does this go with this?" any more. Only "Is it raining?" and "Is it cold?" So I found myself with lots of EXTRA TIME to think about the things I actually wanted to think about!
2.) I felt physically comfortable all the time. This made me HAPPIER, FRIENDLIER, and MORE PRODUCTIVE!
3.) Laundry became much EASIER and cheaper! (No brights, fancy delicate fabrics to worry about, and no dry cleaning bills!)
4.) I broke my cycle of peer-pressure induced compulsive buying ("I need new makeup, clothes, shoes…" –No, I really don't. (!!!)) This SAVED me MONEY and time.
5.) Most importantly: the people I began attracting (in cafés, in parks, at parties) were always the most intelligent, genuine, no B.S., free-thinking people around—the people I wanted to meet anyway! My outfit was so neutral that no one could form socio-economic/cultural prejudices against me, and the asexuality of my grey garb caused people to treat me first and foremost as a person, not as a "pretty girl" or, worse, a "hot chick."
Then I did some internet browsing one night and I discovered:
www.thegreysweatsuitrevolution.com These kids in Montréal have a great idea: if all those people who have gotten over fashion or (hear my applause) were never into it anyway TRADE IN their "WHATEVER" CLOTHES FOR A GREY SWEAT-SUIT, then we would, together, make a strong and identifiable VISIBLE STATEMENT to the world at large that says:
"Let's get over our vanity, and EARN RESPECT from others FOR WHO WE REALLY ARE."
Because you looked to me like you might be up to this sort of challenge, I have personally handed you a photocopy of this letter to ask you to consider adopting the grey sweat-suit uniform yourself--however, whenever, to whatever extent you can.
It's not political, it's not anarchist, it's simply human. It's not anti-fashion so much as pro-humanity. Common sense distinguishing itself from the sheep mentality that permeates our culture. And you don't have to go all or nothing: you can start gradually, say, wearing the grey sweat-suit only on weekends at first. But know that any time you go out in public wearing a grey sweat-suit, you will be taking a step towards saving the self-esteem and integrity of future generations!
Some very "cool" and "classy" and "venerable" people are already adopting the grey sweat-suit uniform in New York right now: artists, writers, musicians, actors, elected officials, academics… Even a few brave souls in the corporate world, whom I want to congratulate especially, have started grey sweat-suit trends in their offices!
(The Scandinavians are way ahead of us on this: they've realized that workers are much more productive when they are physically comfortable and traditional suit/tie pumps/lipstick business attire is finally being modernized, meaning, got rid of. If you work in the corporate world, try speaking candidly to your boss about the psychological effects of wearing constricting clothing in the workplace. If you get fired, sue me, but it simply hasn't occurred to most executives that there are other better options for business attire, and many have been receptive to an optional grey sweat-suit uniform for their employees.)
Please check out www.thegreysweatuitrevolution.com and feel free to contact me with questions/thoughts/concerns on the matter: I'd love to hear from you!
Sincerely,
Geneviève Galvani
email: yeygreynyc@yahoo.com
ps. according to Wikipedia: Manual of Style (spelling), "grey" is the most common (worldwide) spelling of the word in English. Only USA and Canada use "gray" as an alternate spelling. So I'm going with "grey", for the purpose of universality.
pps. Again, thanks for looking like a real person in New York! It's why I handed you this letter. Ask your friends what they think of the grey sweat-suit idea, and get your grandmother in on it! The more we are, and the more diverse we are, the more powerful our collective statement will be.
Have a nice day!
-Geneviève
May 2006
Manhattan
Dear Sir or Madam:
Hi there!
You don't look like you've put much effort into your appearance.
It's funny, in American society today, this kind of comment tends to be taken as an insult (think makeover shows on TV, glossy magazines, red-carpet-obsessed tabloids, etc.) but I mean it as a compliment!
Yey you!!! (Really.)
As a female who grew up in Paris, France, I know what it's like to be swept up in fashion culture—as a teenager, every outfit I wore was planned head to toe, I was afraid to go out without makeup…sad, isn't it? Though clothing can be used as an artistic means of self-expression, Fashion Culture, more often than not, is as unhealthy as air pollution.
Fashion Culture is what tells teenagers that they have to have a "look" and identify themselves by that look (I'm a skater; I'm preppy; I'm a hippie; I'm a jock, etc). It's what persuades even the most intelligent individuals that they have to look like a sex toy in order to find a life-partner/soul-mate. It's what tells women in work environments that they don't look professional if they're not dressed/made-up like Catherine Zeta-Jones in Intolerable Cruelty. It's what drains our bank accounts and takes little jabs at our self-esteem on a daily basis, especially in New York, where there is always someone more attractive/better dressed than you nearby.
I lived in New York a full three months before I realized how silly it was that I, someone who values intellect and creativity and authenticity, was spending half an hour or more in front of the mirror every day and feeling intimidated in the streets by those better dressed/better groomed than I.
"ENOUGH!!!!!" I said to myself. I packed away my "nice" clothes and makeup and went on my last shopping spree: I bought some men's grey Champion shorts and some simple boy's black/white/grey Hanes undershirts, and a generic grey sweatshirt, and decided to wear only these with few exceptions (weddings, etc—I don't want to alienate my family!).
IMMEDIATELY I noticed several changes for the better:
1.) I didn’t have to wonder "How do I look?" or "What should I wear?" or "Does this go with this?" any more. Only "Is it raining?" and "Is it cold?" So I found myself with lots of EXTRA TIME to think about the things I actually wanted to think about!
2.) I felt physically comfortable all the time. This made me HAPPIER, FRIENDLIER, and MORE PRODUCTIVE!
3.) Laundry became much EASIER and cheaper! (No brights, fancy delicate fabrics to worry about, and no dry cleaning bills!)
4.) I broke my cycle of peer-pressure induced compulsive buying ("I need new makeup, clothes, shoes…" –No, I really don't. (!!!)) This SAVED me MONEY and time.
5.) Most importantly: the people I began attracting (in cafés, in parks, at parties) were always the most intelligent, genuine, no B.S., free-thinking people around—the people I wanted to meet anyway! My outfit was so neutral that no one could form socio-economic/cultural prejudices against me, and the asexuality of my grey garb caused people to treat me first and foremost as a person, not as a "pretty girl" or, worse, a "hot chick."
Then I did some internet browsing one night and I discovered:
www.thegreysweatsuitrevolution.com These kids in Montréal have a great idea: if all those people who have gotten over fashion or (hear my applause) were never into it anyway TRADE IN their "WHATEVER" CLOTHES FOR A GREY SWEAT-SUIT, then we would, together, make a strong and identifiable VISIBLE STATEMENT to the world at large that says:
"Let's get over our vanity, and EARN RESPECT from others FOR WHO WE REALLY ARE."
Because you looked to me like you might be up to this sort of challenge, I have personally handed you a photocopy of this letter to ask you to consider adopting the grey sweat-suit uniform yourself--however, whenever, to whatever extent you can.
It's not political, it's not anarchist, it's simply human. It's not anti-fashion so much as pro-humanity. Common sense distinguishing itself from the sheep mentality that permeates our culture. And you don't have to go all or nothing: you can start gradually, say, wearing the grey sweat-suit only on weekends at first. But know that any time you go out in public wearing a grey sweat-suit, you will be taking a step towards saving the self-esteem and integrity of future generations!
Some very "cool" and "classy" and "venerable" people are already adopting the grey sweat-suit uniform in New York right now: artists, writers, musicians, actors, elected officials, academics… Even a few brave souls in the corporate world, whom I want to congratulate especially, have started grey sweat-suit trends in their offices!
(The Scandinavians are way ahead of us on this: they've realized that workers are much more productive when they are physically comfortable and traditional suit/tie pumps/lipstick business attire is finally being modernized, meaning, got rid of. If you work in the corporate world, try speaking candidly to your boss about the psychological effects of wearing constricting clothing in the workplace. If you get fired, sue me, but it simply hasn't occurred to most executives that there are other better options for business attire, and many have been receptive to an optional grey sweat-suit uniform for their employees.)
Please check out www.thegreysweatuitrevolution.com and feel free to contact me with questions/thoughts/concerns on the matter: I'd love to hear from you!
Sincerely,
Geneviève Galvani
email: yeygreynyc@yahoo.com
ps. according to Wikipedia: Manual of Style (spelling), "grey" is the most common (worldwide) spelling of the word in English. Only USA and Canada use "gray" as an alternate spelling. So I'm going with "grey", for the purpose of universality.
pps. Again, thanks for looking like a real person in New York! It's why I handed you this letter. Ask your friends what they think of the grey sweat-suit idea, and get your grandmother in on it! The more we are, and the more diverse we are, the more powerful our collective statement will be.
Have a nice day!
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