Journal Interrobang's Journal: Life In Daguerrotype: Garb and Global Warming
I get the feeling that even if the mildest predictions about global warming come true, not the least of the changes in human lifestyle and behaviour will be sartorial, and probably tonsorial as well. Western civilization's people's outfits and hairstyles may come to resemble, eerily, the outfits worn by our earlier and more pragmatic ancestors, probably (for practicality's sake) those between about 1800 and 1900 or so. I refer, of course, to the outfits and hairstyles of middle-class and working-class people of that era, and not the ostentatious fripperies the upper class and the well-to-do wore.
In a hypothetical future when skin cancer (or the risk of it) could become a daily fact of life, and water supplies diminish, we may see the return of:
The Cult of Pale: Many societies, including the medieval Chinese and Japanese, and our own up until relatively recently, valued pale, non-suntanned skin. In fact, pale skin was a high-class marker in these societies, because pale skin meant that you didn't have to go out and work (outside) and get tanned, you could stay indoors and be idle.
Long Everything: Up until relatively recently (the last 80-100 years or so), people protected themselves with lots of clothing. Granted, they didn't have (yucky) chemical sunscreens like we do, but who wants to smear themselves with expensive (and possibly dangerous?) sunblocking chemicals several times a day (you have to reapply if you wash, swim, or sweat) every day for the rest of their lives? It's far easier and cheaper just to wear long everything. I predict a possible year-round return to
long sleeves
long pants (or skirts)
long socks
tall (ankle minimum) boots
and long hair (facial or head)
Layers: Since even thick black denim has an imperfect SPF, we may also see a return to the quaint practice of wearing layers. As the summers get hotter (and the winters colder), layering could be a boon to the average person. People from hot (and cold) countries consistently wear layers; in fact, once you're used to it, layers are in many ways cooler than monolayer clothing. Could global warming bring the return of the undershirt and chemise?
Cover Your Ass, And Your Head!: People long ago wore hats. All the time. If they weren't wearing hats, they were wearing veils, coifs, or other forms of practical/decorative headgear. Hats and other headgear protect your head from the sun, help keep you cool in summer and warm in winter, and often look nice, too. As anyone who's spent any time at all wearing a veil will tell you, they're way cooler than just having a bare head, as counterintuitive as that may sound (you can also wet down the coif you wear inside your hat/veil/headscarf too!). Plus, the other added Vanity Side Bonus is, when you wear hats all the time, no more bad hair days !
The Return of Natural Fibres: Ok, let me say this straight up: This one is not an unbiased commentary. I am a natural fibres freak, and a syntho-fabric bigot. Polyester is the Cloth of the Beast. But seriously, folks, natural fibres breathe better, are cooler in summer and warmer in winter than synthetics, and don't trap icky sweat next to your skin. I recommend cotton, hemp, silk, linen, and wool. Cotton's cheap, but none of the others are. On the other hand, hemp and silk wear like iron and can be washed in water (get raw silk; it's stronger than that ultrathin "sand-washed" garbage), and you won't be disappointed.
Now, if some of the more extreme predictions come true, some more extreme changes could happen, and a lot of us could find ourselves enjoying (ahem) the same sort of lifestyle as our ancestors lived: dirt, vermin, disease, poverty, and death.
I hope something good happens to prevent this future, because as I keep saying, the Middle Ages are a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.
