I've had the misfortune of having to attend several funerals in the last few years, and I've noticed a trend that disturbs me. Maybe I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, but I really think that the world has taken casual culture a bit too far.
Case in point- what does one wear to a funeral? Different cultures have their own traditions- for example, I think that the Chinese consider white to be the color for death- but for a long time, black- or at the very least, a muted dark color- has been the the color most often worn to funerary services in the Western world. People generally wore their 'good' clothes. Not these days.
I understand that in cases of poverty, one wears what one has, and that will have to do. I can accept that. (not trying to sound like some kind of snob here- I've been down that road, and have friends/family who are still struggling to get off it) Some people don't want their loved ones to wear colors traditionally associated with mourning and request colorful, cheery garb to be worn if possible. I can relate to that too. What I *don't* understand is the thought process of people who wear clothing that is better suited for the Las Vegas Strip or a quick trip to the gym when you CAN wear something more fitting for the occasion.
These are a few of the things I have seen at funerals the last few years:
*A torn, dirty Megadeath t-shirt and floral board shorts (on an approximately 20 y.o. male accompanied by his suit-wearing father)
*Tracksuits in assorted colors (both sexes and all ages)
*Blue jeans and a bikini top (seriously)
*A dress with cleavage cut down to an area that the hem barely covered (accompanying the bikini top wearer)
*An "I'm With Stupid" t-shirt (clearly worn by the wrong person, at the wrong time, in that party)
*Sweatsuits (again, all sexes & ages)
*A heavily pregnant girl wearing hot pants and a shirt with the belly cut out and the words "foxy mama" in sequins on the back.
Maybe I'm old fashioned. None of these seem particularly appropriate to me. What do you think?
P.S. For the record- I lifted my moratorium on solid black for Aunt Lora's funeral a few weeks back. I wore a dark purple sweater with a purple/black/white floral patterned skirt and black boots. My cleavage was not hanging out, and both my hoo-ha & rear end were completely covered AND stayed that way.
You never fail to give me a good belly laugh on Mondays! I, too, have seen some quite odd things at funerals of late. One person I saw in February at my father-in-laws visitation was clearly drunk.
ReplyDeleteI passed a lot of the time during those two days of visitation playing "how many exes can we count" with a niece. There are nine siblings, and between them they have 23 marriages, so that works out to 16 exes.