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I'm 31 and live in subtropical asia. I either dress like a country club/yachting enthusiast who may or may not be in town to score a teenage girl, a hippie looking to commune with ancient wisdom, or a socal skater who just sort of ended up here.
I'm turning 49 in eleven days. in the late seventies to around 1987 I had an awesome half pipe in my backyard.
I was quite good if I do say so myself. Handplants, nice and high backside and front side air, etc.
Fast forward to 2015. I own a long board and enjoy it weekly. I wear vans shoes , Bones, Santa Cruz, Kryptonics Independent and Tracker truck company t- shirts.
It's not that I'm trying to relive my youth, it's that skateboarding never left my life.
Having fun on your own or with your buddies is one thing. But going to the store or library dressed like that, and going after women your age who are in formal office attire, or otherwise well-dressed, hoping they'll find you to be a romantic prospect, is a little unrealistic.
I understand what you're saying, but at the same time, I think that chances are good that if a middle aged guy dresses like a skater/cholo/rocker, his outfit is probably a reflection of his lifestyle, and so he is probably less likely to fo for a woman his age in office or formal attire. maybe he's more interested in a middle aged woman who dresses like a skater or chola :x
Also, especially in Socal, that's a style that goes back about forty years and is its own cultural institution. If you're in Venice, Santa Monica, MDR, or the South Bay areas of greater LA (Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, etc), or OC/LB/SD, you will see guys dressed like that who own companies, drive BMW's, own homes, and have successful marriages and families.
I understand what you're saying, but at the same time, I think that chances are good that if a middle aged guy dresses like a skater/cholo/rocker, his outfit is probably a reflection of his lifestyle, and so he is probably less likely to fo for a woman his age in office or formal attire. maybe he's more interested in a middle aged woman who dresses like a skater or chola :x
Also, especially in Socal, that's a style that goes back about forty years and is its own cultural institution. If you're in Venice, Santa Monica, MDR, or the South Bay areas of greater LA (Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, etc), or OC/LB/SD, you will see guys dressed like that who own companies, drive BMW's, own homes, and have successful marriages and families.
Tjhx, maybe it's a SoCal thing transplanted to other regions. But the reason I started the thread was that I have observed guys like that going after well-dressed women. In one case--one who looked like she could be a lawyer or stockbroker. Each time I've seen something like that, the women flee from the guy. It just seems oddly clueless, that's all.
And I've never seen guys in their 40's and even 50's dressed like that at all, until just a few years ago. I was wondering if it was some kind of new thing. The media and analysts talk about how American culture extends adolescence farther and farther into adulthood.Is middle age the new frontier for extended adolescence?
Tjhx, maybe it's a SoCal thing transplanted to other regions. But the reason I started the thread was that I have observed guys like that going after well-dressed women. In one case--one who looked like she could be a lawyer or stockbroker. Each time I've seen something like that, the women flee from the guy. It just seems oddly clueless, that's all.
And I've never seen guys in their 40's and even 50's dressed like that at all, until just a few years ago. I was wondering if it was some kind of new thing. The media and analysts talk about how American culture extends adolescence farther and farther into adulthood.Is middle age the new frontier for extended adolescence?
I'm in my 40s and off work, I wear shorts and t-shirts or slim cut jeans, t-shirts and vans or Sanuks shoes. I've always worked out, run, weigh what I should, no fat gut. I wear what makes me comfortable and fits my personality. I'm not going to start wearing Dockers/button down shirts and boat shoes due to my age. My clothes are a reflection of my personality: active/chill/fun!
Tjhx, maybe it's a SoCal thing transplanted to other regions. But the reason I started the thread was that I have observed guys like that going after well-dressed women. In one case--one who looked like she could be a lawyer or stockbroker. Each time I've seen something like that, the women flee from the guy. It just seems oddly clueless, that's all.
I can imagine that. There are certainly some people who are just totally self-unaware and it's awkward. I recall maybe four years ago in LA, when I was 27, I was in an autozone parking lot doing an oil change on my car, flexing my muscles and looking manly ( ). I had the top down and was using the stereo to listen to music as I worked. I'd just stood up when a lexus pulled in with its windows down, blasting "Forever Young." It was driven by a guy in his maybe mid to late 50's, dressed like it was 1986, and had an extremely-uncomfortable 20-something southeast Asian girl in the passenger seat. I just sort of went half-agape at the spectacle, because it's rare you actually see an embarrassing stereotype lifted straight from the ether and made real right before you. He got out of his car, looked at me apologetically, and "Black Lung" by Left Lane Cruiser started playing from within my S2000. If I ever make a movie, this scene is going in it.
I will say though that even though it may seem awkward, it can work. I'm not quite middle aged yet at 31, but have certainly moved into the "old rocker/punker" territory. I managed bars and hotels in LA and was well entrenched in the party scene and have a restaurant and do event and party promotion here, so I have tons of friends who are way younger than me, and have been pursued by women in their late teens and early 20's (though I'm taken, and wouldn't likely date that low if I was single again). There's an attitude that you have life experience and probably have valuable insight and some stability, but still "get it" and have retained a sense of self and individuality, which a lot of young people worry they will lose with age. Both back home and here in the expat circle, I've had a lot of people come to me for life advice and have acted as a sort of mentor, which I'm proud of.
Quote:
And I've never seen guys in their 40's and even 50's dressed like that at all, until just a few years ago. I was wondering if it was some kind of new thing. The media and analysts talk about how American culture extends adolescence farther and farther into adulthood.Is middle age the new frontier for extended adolescence?
Well, gen-x'ers are pushing into their 40's and taking their sensibilities with them. you have a wide swath of that generation who grew up with an anti-corporate, anti-traditionalist attitude, and even if they have moved closer to center and now have kids and 401k's, they aren't filling their wardrobes with Cutter & Buck.
This thread is strange. "skater clothes" are just regular casual clothes these days. That is what you can buy in a mall. There's no mystery as to why a person of any age would be wearing them... that is what is available to buy. Especially in SoCal. In the midwest there's a couple other popular options for men: "Sports Fan" and "Hunter". I have to say I prefer the Tony Hawk look to the Duck Dynasty wannabes.
As to whether or not it is appropriate for a 40 or 50 year old. I don't know how old the OP is, but are you suggesting these clothes are somehow worse than what 40 and 50 year olds wore as casual wear in years past? In the good taste wasteland of Southern California??? There was the hippie era, 70s 'leisure' wear, 80s short shorts and pastel yuppie gear, 90s Seinfeld... American men have always looked horrible. I'd say the skater uniform of vans, slim jeans and a t-shirt is a vast improvement over past styles.
Last edited by Arne Bjornson; 07-11-2015 at 08:26 AM..
This thread is strange. "skater clothes" are just regular casual clothes these days. That is what you can buy in a mall. There's no mystery as to why a person of any age would be wearing them... that is what is available to buy. Especially in SoCal. In the midwest there's a couple other popular options for men: "Sports Fan" and "Hunter". I have to say I prefer the Tony Hawk look to the Duck Dynasty wannabes.
As to whether or not it is appropriate for a 40 or 50 year old. I don't know how old the OP is, but are you suggesting these clothes are somehow worse than what 40 and 50 year olds wore as casual wear in years past? In the good taste wasteland of Southern California??? There was the hippie era, 70s 'leisure' wear, 80s short shorts and pastel yuppie gear, 90s Seinfeld... American men have always looked horrible. I'd say the skater uniform of vans, slim jeans and a t-shirt is a vast improvement over past styles.
american men wore business suits and top hats during the 20s from what i remember. how is that horrible??
i will say this much though. what happened to american women?? see pics from 1920s. i suppose they were more effeminate back then. they wore dresses instead of "hoodies" and jeans like boys do today. they just looked different. i can't pinpoint why.
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). I had the top down and was using the stereo to listen to music as I worked. I'd just stood up when a lexus pulled in with its windows down, blasting "Forever Young." It was driven by a guy in his maybe mid to late 50's, dressed like it was 1986, and had an extremely-uncomfortable 20-something southeast Asian girl in the passenger seat. I just sort of went half-agape at the spectacle, because it's rare you actually see an embarrassing stereotype lifted straight from the ether and made real right before you. He got out of his car, looked at me apologetically, and "Black Lung" by Left Lane Cruiser started playing from within my S2000. If I ever make a movie, this scene is going in it.
