The Casualization of America

Today is a day when I'm just generally bummed (mostly about recent events in my home state), so I feel like railing on a familiar topic, one that I've preached about and gotten red in the face about before. I actually thought about not posting anything, because it just seems a bit frivolous in the face of everything that is going on in Virginia, but I wanted to keep it real for all of the sane English majors out there. And then, of course, I found a picture of these beauties:

Those shoes are from Hell. That has to be the most hideous thing that I've ever seen. I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit just seeing it here, gracing my blog with its hideousness. Those of you who know me on Myspace (and if I don't know you on Myspace, let's be friends. I love friends!) have seen my crazy rantings regarding Crocs in the past, but this is just beyond the pale. I mean, lace up Crocs? Have we really sunk to that level? Seriously?

I really feel like Crocs are just a symptom of the disease. A recent fashion blog entry that I read
mentioned how on a recent trip to Canada, the blogger's boyfriend remarked that Canadians are better looking and more fit than Americans. While the more fit thing is probably true (damn you, American cheese and Anheuser Busch!), the blogger felt that folks look worse in America because they are dressed shoddier. I couldn't agree more. I look around at my fellow Americans and see us as the culture of the Elastic Waist. And no, I'm not telling you you should be cleaning your toilet in a Prada gown. But if you are going to be out, where people can see you, shouldn't you dare to put on something that fastens at the waist?

It also strikes me as odd that we are all comfortable at just looking "acceptable." I am a What Not to Wear addict, and when I watch the shows, it always comes out that the person being made over (who usually resembles The Creature from The Black Lagoon) mentions that she looked "acceptable" and thought that was ok. Is it really ok for us? Is it ok to be just acceptable at our jobs, at parenting, at our relationships? No, it's not ok. So it's not ok for us to look just acceptable either.

I think it is high time that as Americans we really started trying to change some things. We are plagued with barbaric gun laws (and a group of barbarians who keep these laws in place), obesity as a national epidemic and Crocs as a sign of our laziness and inability to slip real shoes on our feet. Obviously, the gun law thing isn't going to be overhauled overnight. But can't we get together and look like something?

Dear God people, let's do it for the children:

*Yes, folks, this is what you get when you Google Image Search "Sean Preston Federline."