CLOTHING

Welcome back to another discussion on the differences between the United States and Italy. This week, I will talk about how our peers dress daily. 




When I came to the U.S., I could not believe my eyes. People would go to the cafeteria, gym, or class in pajamas, wearing flip-flops, and even wearing accessories on their heads that I thought people only used at home. The second thing I noticed was that no one was as shocked as I was. No one really cared or looked at people who dressed a certain way, and the reason is that, in Italy, people would have stared at that person (and not in a positive way). Back home, no one wears Crocs; in fact, they are usually worn only by kids younger than 10 years old. Therefore, when I saw the number of people wearing them in the U.S., even to work out, play basketball, and go to class, it was unbelievable to me. 

However, what’s even funnier is that even though I could not believe my eyes, it did not take me long to adapt to the new environment I was in. I bought myself Crocs (from Walmart) and started wearing them all day, every day; so much that I did not even remember if I had brought actual shoes from home when I came. I stopped dressing “properly” after the first week of school and started wearing sweatpants and hoodies most days. 

This is very different from home. When you start middle school in Italy, there are no more uniforms that need to be worn. So, you already start dressing nicely, and by the time you get to high school, it becomes a big deal. The reason is that everyone looks elegant, pretty, and somewhat stylish, so you do not want to be any less than others. People judge how an individual looks, and you can “sense” and “feel” people’s eyes on you whenever you do not dress appropriately. This is why you always want to look presentable, no matter where you are. I have never seen anyone wearing pajamas outside of the home (especially boys). We don’t really have pajamas; we just use whatever we feel like wearing for the night. 

As I mentioned before, it did not take me long to adapt to how Americans dress. But the last time I went home and came back here, I stopped wearing Crocs everywhere all the time and kept dressing the same way I did at home because, at the end of the day, I like it, and it feels good to look good!

Don’t get me wrong, I think that Americans can and do dress really stylish in a way that I personally love; and I also like the fact that they do not care that much about how others dress because, on a bad day or during a rough period, you can wear whatever you want without feeling judged by anyone. I also understand that we have cultural differences. So, just like I find it crazy that in America, people go grocery shopping in Crocs, I can understand that you might find it crazy that I still want to look “presentable” even when I go buy some food.


Thank you for you time.

See you next week! 

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