Classy?

Weeks ago the wife a rather famous basketball player made a seemingly innocent comment via twitter resulting in an unexpected firestorm of polarizing opinions. I won’t beat a dead horse on that subject but I’d like to discuss an issue it happened to raise. Throughout the mess of amateur debates there were numerous mentions of class and it got me to thinking about what exactly class is? In several social media “debates” many seemed to associate class with appearance but the fact is class has many definitions as it is not only a noun but a verb and adjective. In these particular “debates” is was solely used as an adjective or a word that describes something. So by definition class in terms of describing someone’s clothing means  showing stylish excellence, synonyms: classy, decent, gracious, respectable, noble.

  So if you’re a fellow non-conformist such as myself you might understand why several women took exception to the notion that decency, graciousness, nobility and most importantly respectability were being equated to one’s attire. To further explore let’s consider the word class as a noun or a set/category of things having some property or attribute in common and differentiated from others by kind, type, or quality. As well as the system of ordering a society in which people are divided into sets based on perceived social or economic status Do we not tell our children to be individuals and not judge others based solely on appearance? If so why do we classify people based on their physical qualities and attributes above all else.  No one wants to be put in a box or categorized. We are people not shoes.

  Don’t get me wrong. I do not support the idea of people wearing obscene or inappropriate clothing in the wrong setting. For example a kindergarten teacher should not show up to work in a short skirt, fishnet stockings, break neck high heels and a halter top. But if that same teacher wants got out for drinks on Friday in that same outfit then let a bitch live. So if we must classify people based on any attributes let them be that person’s compassion, kindness, generosity, and human decency as opposed to what they wear. If you haven’t guess by now I’ve been known to show a little (actually a lot) cleavage on occasion because I’m grown. If you happen to be the sort of women who does not than more power to you but just as you don’t want to be consider, prudish, elitist or stuck up or boring based on your attire others don’t want to be considered loose amoral or lower class for their clothing.

  Finally let’s look at class as a verb or to assign or regard as belonging to a particular category, bingo. There is no definition of class that does not seek to categorize people which is only problem if you seek to categorize people you don’t know. If you’re categorizing someone based solely on their attire then you don’t know them. I do not accuse Mrs. Curry of doing so and to clarify this article is in no way about her opinion on fashion today. Yet as a non-conformist I vehemently disagree that class is even remotely related to what someone wears. If you disagree you might want to consider how many people have been swindled out of their life savings by an apparently respectable business man in well-cut expensive suit in conjunction with how many random accident victims have been saved by a doctor riding by on his motorcycle and wearing a leather jacket and bandana. So keep judging people by what they wear and keep being a sucker.