w w VWw W V w w I d :1.11 T An opposing view: fashion is f x rA Q q Q Q A U tA z 0 M w Q F . We at the Daily often whine about one form of oppression or another: racism, s e x i s m, conservatism, etc. But we hardly ever address a from of oppression that afflicts almost everyone, everyday - fashion. Since the first couple donned fig leaves, clothes and fashion have been a symbol of humanity's shame. But clothes don't grow on trees anymore. $100 gym shoes! Clothes cost an arm and a leg these days (leaving you with useless arm and leg sleeves). And even though clothes no longer grow on trees anymore, they still change with the seasons, causing us to needlesslybuy new wardrobes. Fashion is merely a capitalist mechanism to stimulate demand in the over-saturated markets of neo-post-industrial developed economies. Think of all the perfectly serviceable clothes we banish to the collective closet of cultural disfavor just because some Parisian designer discovers that he or she's broke and that those clothes are now passe. Blue jeans are the ultimate example of our faithful forebearance of fashion's ficklesness. First we wore bell bottoms. Then we paid good money to have Gloria Vanderbilt autograph our buns. In recent years, blue jeans have even ceased to be blue. These things may seem odd in retrospect, but they pale in comparison to today's fads. What genius first poured bleach on their new jeans? Probably someone who grabbed the wrong bottle when doing the wash. Probably the same person who finally wore holes in the knees of their favorite jeans. The rationale solution to this person's problems: claim you're just being creative and fashionable. What is irrational is that millions of people bought it - literally in many cases. Enough of this madness! We must shed the layers of our oppression, strip ourselves of these social norms heaped upon us! Strip for sanity! Nudism is the natural fashion. If God had wanted us to wear clothes, would She have given us skin? Of course not. Skin is the perfect covering. It comes in an endless variety of shades and sizes. It stretches, it shrinks to fit. It breathes. It never stains. It's water- resistant. It's absolutely free. It takes years of wear and tear before wrinkling. When people borrow it, they have to give it back. And, best of all, skin never goes out of style. With all these advantages, why has skin remained unseen? The Great Skin Cover-up. The pimps and pushers of fashion have colluded to keep us in the dark about nudity's advantages. Through their great advertising expenditures, the clothing magnates have bribed the media to suppress skin. Look through this issue. In all these pictures, is nudity once presented as an acceptable alternative to artificial packaging? When was the last time you saw a nudist role model presented on television? What is the percentage of nudists at this University? There is obviously a conspiracy here: the Great Skin Cover-up. Think of all the closet space we could save, all those quarters lost to insatiable and ineffective dryers. What about honesty in advertising? ..a AUDITIONS Ann Arbor Civic Theatre JC SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM Directed by Jim Posante Sun. - Mon. October 25,26 at 7:30 p.m. AACT Bldg. Corner of Main & William 1-3 Men 3-6 Women (all singers) Narrator of either sex Be prepared to sing a Sondheim song of your own choosing. Bring your own music for piano accompaniment. No a capella auditions. Women-Please wear skirt or dress to auditions Men-Slacks No denim or corduroy PRODUCTION DATES: December 16-19th at Power Center Information: 662-7282 I. FASHION STARTS WITH FITNESS! Ann Arbor Court Club 0 U O E- 0 rr . .24 HOUR FITNESS! . AEROBICS . RACQUETBALL - NAUTILUS. . WHIRLPOOL - SAUNA . TANNING The Cai Fall with Classic E with color and comc Collected Wor combination of shirts good cottons, silks and on campus come we'd love t . OLYMPIC FREE WEIGHTS . KARATE FITSTOP - CARDIOVASCULAR CENTER + { Open 24 hours from 2875 Mon. 6 am to Fri. 10 pm Saturday 7 am - 7 pm (Near Briarwood) Sunday 9 am - 5 pm 02-0243 OPINION STAFF: Opinion Staffer Gayle Kirshenbaum, Opinion Editor Peter Mooney, Opinion Staffer Josh Levin, Residual Daily Staffer, Opinion Staffer Jeffrey Rutherford. PAGE 14 WEEKEND/OCTOBER 23, 1987 WEEKEND/OCTOBER 23, 1987