Dressing socially acceptably

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I want to engage in activism. Unfortunately unless I tone down my extremely unusual fashion I will not be taken seriously. It sucks but that's reality. The issue is that I do not know what an acceptable look would be that would not change by the trends. I refuse to follow trends. I am planning ot fight consumerism so it would be absurd for me to follow fashion trends. At the same time, if I look messy people will equate anti-consumerism with dressing like a slob. I need to dress in a way that doesn't shock, disgust, or "weird out" people because that will detract from my message. At the same time, I refuse to support sweatshop labor, wear animal products or buy more than I need. I am planning to donate all the clothing I do not need to a thrift store so it's not wasted. Any advice?

Hmmm, you might try shopping at a thrift store, higher end ones, perhaps. Things that are always in style are nice jeans and nice tee-shirt, with nice shoes. Easy, right? That's all it takes. If you want to look fancier, try a nice pair of pants (whatever kind) and a button-down shirt, with oxfords, and maybe some kind of blazer. It sounds like office wear, because it is, but it can be tailored to your taste without being cookie-cutter.
If you choose to shop at a thrift store, no matter what brand you buy, the money'll go back to the store, not the company, so you won't be directly supporting sweat-shop labor.

Could you buy some appropriate clothes at the thrift store? If you buy secondhand, you won't be supporting sweatshop labor. In fact, many thrift stores are associated with various social causes, so you could find one whose position you agree with and support their efforts by spending your money there.

It might seem counterintuitive to look for "nicer" clothing at a thrift store, but many of them have a good variety, depending on what exactly you're looking for. Since you're not planning to follow the latest silly trends and want to avoid wasteful consumerism, I think that shopping at a thrift store is a good option.

Avoiding animal products is easier than it seems, and most cruelty-free products have the added bonus of meeting your "sweatshop-free" criterion. In addition to buying regular, cruelty-free clothes at thrift stores, you might enjoy browsing the Vegan Essentials website:
www.veganessentials.com

Also, not sure if this matters to you or not, but I'll suggest it anyway. I still wear the leather belt and sandals I bought before I became a vegan. I decided that throwing them away and buying new stuff before I really needed it was silly and wasteful. I obviously don't buy new leather products anymore, and when my existing ones wear out, I'll replace them with vegan alternatives, but I thought it was more sustainable to wear stuff I already had rather than consuming unnecessarily. Perhaps if you have some similar things in your wardrobe already, you can keep using them until they wear out and then buy more ethical replacements. I won't be offended if you disagree, because I understand that it probably seems a bit hypocritical.

Good luck. I hope I helped; I'm not sure that this was exactly the kind of answer you sought.

There's dressing acceptably and then there's dressing well. As far as being acceptable/presentable goes I'd say a plain T-shirt (and if necessary, a sweatshirt) and plain blue jeans will suffice, none of which are wearing out or have been ripped and with no strong colours. Also leave out any big logos or novelty messages, and beware jeans that are "pre-worn". A good thrift store or two will be enough for you to find what you want.

If you know exactly what you're looking for, you can even find clothes good enough for formal occasions, but you don't need to do that.

If we did not consume, we would all die. Why would you want to tell people that using products and eating food and wearing clothes is something they should stop doing? Do you really hope to achieve much success in that crusade?


Seems if you really want to be an anti-consumerism activist, you should do it naked.

Thank you. I already shop at thrift stores. I was mostly asking about what items of clothing are normal. I went vegan a LONG time ago so any animal products I have I have probably forgotten they were animal products, with the exception of one wool coat.

Willard, I'm not saying don't consume anything. I'm saying consume far less. The average American buys way too bloody much and most of it is new. They also throw away a lot of perfectly good stuff that they easily could have donated. I believe that the West's dependence on buying so much is what is destroying the environment, supporting cruel practices by dictators and businesses, and destroying our identities. People think of themselves as their products now and are losing touch of the true things that make people happy. I object to all of that, so that's why I am anti-consumerism.

I spent years getting this wrong. Happily my only proper job was in genetics research, where the boss wore a tie-dye T-shirt and socks under his sandals (in defiance of safety regulations), so it didn't matter what I wore under my lab coat. Nowadays I think jeans and a smart jacket does for most occasions, or at a pinch a plain skirt (but skirts rub me up the wrong way). I get a lot of stuff second hand on eBay - always the cheap stuff - then if it doesn't fit I just sell it on or give it to someone. The only things I bought in an actual shop (over a period of about 10 years) were three jackets - formal, casual and comfortable.

Not being a high consumption person and looking like a slob are 2 different things. If you wear a dumpy sweatshirt and jeans with holes and that don't fit are sloppy. A nice T-shirt, plain color with no logo or a dressier tank or shell under a jacket and a nice pair of slacks/docker type pants or jeans would be fine. You don't need fancy shoes, lots of accessories and leather in order not to look like a slob. Decent looking clothes that fit, and aren't full of wrinkles is totally acceptable.

We all have to wear clothes, even though it would be more fun naked. (Willard, you crack me up ) Just don't walk out looking like a designer. Plain and neat, nothing trendy. That's all you really need to be taken seriously.

>I want to engage in activism. Unfortunately unless I tone down my extremely unusual fashion I will not be taken seriously. It sucks but that's reality.

What kind and level of activism?
And I'm curious what your extremely unusual fashion is.

I find activist types will judge you by your words and actions more than your fashion. Public relations is another thing, too, depending on what your public is.

I used to like bizarre clothing, but I go for extremely bland now. Works better for me and it's interesting to see what people project on this blank canvas. Simplifies things.

>Plain and neat, nothing trendy. That's all you really need to be taken seriously.

I agree. Clean, not holey or sloppy. Period.

Either find a non-sweatshop suit, or find a way to make your group uniforms, which could be as simple as a silk-screened Tshirt.

Of course, making you own shirts may be far from looking acceptable. Making your own clothing line will be tedious, so the suit option is very good... and expensive. Then again, I imagine manufacturing shirts and pants is a drain on resources. Whatever you do, uniforms are a great idea - you look unified and powerful.

Best wishes in your activism!

Now, as I am one who regularly buy from charity shops, and done activism in the past - anything casual, but not scruffy will do - as others have advised, clothing from a charity shop /thrift store will do nicely. Also, make sure you avoid leather, and big brands like "Gap" or "Nike" so to prevent confusion.

I'm not at all trying to protest anything, I just buy all my clothes at thrift stores because it's so much cheaper! (Really, once you go salvation army, you'll never go back )

Don't follow fashion trends. They change way too quickly and 90% of the trends are stupid (like ugg boots, for example, and spandex pants. What's up with spandex pants? Who's idea was that?!).
Buy clothes that fit you, and don't buy any patterns that are too crazy, and don't buy a shirt that says something you don't understand or know about (that means nothing in chinese, because they all say stupid things when translated, and don't buy a shirt from some charity event you've never heard of just in case someone asks you about it lol).
Buying clothing that fits is really the #1 rule of looking acceptable. Especially when it comes to pants. When your pants don't fit, the rest of you will look sloppy, no matter what you do. The trick is to try on lots of different sizes and compare them. It takes forever, but it's worth it.

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i only have two looks work cloths and stuff from charlie sheens closet on two and a half men

I'm curious about your extreme fashion, too.

apparently, casual day ast work does not cover sandles and a speedo

^ LOL, Eggman. I hope you don't speak from experience.