Are sweatpants disrespectful?
I went to Cuddly Bear's dad's funeral on Saturday. But this Terrible Tuesday rant is not about the funeral. As funerals go, it was quite lovely actually, and the priest provided a completely bilingual service. No, this rant is about respect. You see, one little fourteen year old girl showed up in a tight t-shirt and even tighter sweat pants with ABERCROMBIE stamped across her ass.
I'm sorry, but I have trouble with this!
I realize that rules for The Proper Way to Dress are becoming quite diluted. I am a manager, but because I don't deal with the public, I could show up for work in jeans every single day, if I wanted. Our workplace environment is quite casual. No rips or stains in your jeans, obviously, and preferably a golf shirt for the gents, and no tanks for the ladies. I have, however, seen regular t's on men, and ladies with quite a bit of flesh showing (read serious cleavage).
People no longer dress up to go to live theatre. I do. I like the opportunity to dress up. Still, it's generally dress pants and a fancy blouse. A really nice dress just seems over the top considering I'll likely be sitting next to someone in Levis.
At weddings it is now acceptable to wear black. And I'm referring to the bride here!
And there is always the big dilemma about what to wear to a job interview. J-Rock (D1's boyfriend) just went through this. He ended up wearing dressier jeans, and a dress shirt open over a nice t-shirt for the written test. For the interview, he wore black dress pants, a shirt and tie (no jacket) for the interview. But the poor boy suffered deciding what was acceptable to wear.
There are pros to this more casual approach to dressing. It's cheaper for one! It is less intimidating for some. The regular joe is more likely to consider a night at live theatre knowing he doesn't need to 'suit up'. And it evens the playing field out between those who can afford a closet full of gowns and suits and those who can't.
Call me old fashioned, but I like to dress up. I do wear jeans to work, but with high heels and a nice blouse or sweater. But I am just as apt to wear dress pants, skirt or dress. To me, it's like putting on a uniform. It differentiates my casual home life from my professional work life.
And I would love to wear fancy dresses when going out for the evening, but it's hard to find events that involve dressing up. I am at a point now, where I dress up anyway, because it makes me feel pretty and feminine.
And I honestly don't care what the person beside me is wearing at the theatre. If showing up in jeans means the person is getting out to live theatre and supporting the arts, that is great. And if you are doing your job well at work, who cares that you are sitting in your cube in jeans.
However!
I draw the line at showing up to a funeral in tight sweat pants!
I asked the Lion if he was as shocked as I, and he said he most definitely was. If he had attempted that at her age, he would have been locked in the car AND would have been extremely uncomfortable sitting for quite awhile.
The problem is, I can't really say why I was shocked. Does it really matter what the teenager was wearing, as long as she was there to support the family, and honour Cuddly Bear's dad's life?
Is it just my WASP-ishness (White Anglo Saxon Protestant) upbringing ringing through?
Do I need to lighten up? Let go of outdated etiquette?
I honestly don't know. All I know is that I still believe that getting out of your everyday attire, and putting on something a little dressier, is a sign of respect. And I was saddened to see that this thought process had not been passed along to the next generation.
Okay, help me out here. Let's get some really good debate going on. I know there is quite an age range in Lair readers (from twenties right on up!). I am really interested to hear the thoughts of everyone to determine if my horror is based on my generation and upbringing. The floor is yours!
That attire was inappropriate, in my opinion, and reflected poorly on the girl AND her parents.
Hi Urban Panther. Definitely not a good thing. But who knows what’s going on behind the scenes. Did the parents not seem to care? I would have not allowed my young daughter to go to a funeral dressed like that.
I absolutely agree. I am wearing trakkie pants (as we Aussies call them) while typing this, but they are totally not appropriate for a funeral - or for anything ouside the house not involving exercise/sport, I reckon.
I recall making similar comments to friends last year after attending a funeral where some people wore jeans and sneakers. I love my jeans and sneakers as much as the next person (perhaps more so) but there is a time and a place.
Unfortunately, I think the boundaries are only going to get fuzzier, perhaps even dissolve altogether Maybe we should just get used to it? (Er…I sound old….)
HORRIBLY inappropriate! It frustrates me how disrespectful and self-centered kids these days (and even people my age and older!) can be.
I may be considered old fashioned compared to the rest of my generation, but I definitely dress up to go to the theatre. For an off-Broadway show or a professional ballet, absolutely a nice dress and heels. For a very small, local show maybe I’ll wear a nice pair of jeans, but I’ll still dress it up with heels and a nice blouse or sweater. I can’t imagine wearing shorts and a t-shirt to the theater like some people do (unless that’s the costume for a show I’m in!)
Maybe it’s because I’ve been a performer for most of my life, but it just seems a bit disrespectful to me to NOT dress up for the theatre. Also, parents yelling at their kid from the audience to “look over here!” so they can get the kid on video. Ugh. Not to mention stage parents who think *their* kid is the best thing since sliced bread and should get all the leading parts… they’re the worst.
Oops, sorry, that turned into a bit of a rant… what was I saying? Oh yes, I completely agree with you. Sweatpants at a funeral - completely disrespectful.
Being a childless person who teaches kids, I put the blame squarely on the parents. It’s attitude, it’s attire, it’s a complete lack of awareness outside of themselves. And who teaches them that? The parents.
Call it a lack of time/energy/will due to working hard, competing against other families who are slack or whatever, but really, children should never be in charge in families and far too often I see that’s the case because the parents want to make things happy for the kids.
I remember one person telling me after I explained about setting up rules for keeping the house organized that in her home there were no rules. Everyone was free to express themselves as they wanted to. “Oh, so you do it all, do you?” I answered. The next time I saw her she told me that they had started to implement rules in the house.
(I like Ranting Tuesdays!)
You may get a kick out of Mary Ann Winkowski’s different experiences at funerals. She began attending them for reasons unknown to many of the human guests. I wrote a blog about her here : http://blog.dreambuilders.com.au/journal/2008/10/16/mary-ann-winkowski-3-truths-about-ghosts.html
Definitely inappropriate - I do believe it starts with the parents.
When did we lose our way? It’s like I said the other day on your post, about how the people on the city bus in New Zealand greeted the driver when boarding and exiting the bus - never happens here in Canada!
When did we lose our way…
I work for a company that is supposedly comprised of professionals, and I am in the minority sometimes even wearing business casual attire. I have never once worn jeans and a t-shirt to work, but somehow, this is okay now.
I’ve always tried to look at it this way - what if I go out in public and meet my future boss? How do I want to present myself to the world?
It never ceases to astonish me when women especially, seem to care so much about looks. In a society where so many women are judged on how they look as opposed to how the work, think, act, they are among the first to call down the gods of outdated fashion on others. If you pay very special attention to the news you will be thrilled to see a bunch of suited, shirted, and tied, middle aged white men who dressed for all the respect in the world have brought you the latest financial mess.
Give me someone who does the job instead of looking like they do the job.
@Bandobras,
You do have a point - to a point. Given people of equal ability, many people would be more likely to trust someone in business attire than someone with ripped jeans and purple hair.
That’s just the way the world works right now. It may change, but I’m not sure when.
And there are limits, too. I don’t care how good you are at the job, if you can’t take basic personal hygiene into consideration when you show up for work, you’ll never work for me.
It is all about respect - I gave you the opportunity to work for me, I expect something in return.
It is possible to do the job *and* look like you do the job simultaneously, and there are lots of folks out there who can do that.
No, it has nothing to do with being WASP. Trust me, I’m no WASP myself and I still find that wholly inapropiate for a funeral.
Relax, you are normal.
I saw the title of this post over at She-Power and had to follow and see what this was about.
I’m a very casual dresser - I don’t know if I would take a job where I had to spend a lot of money on clothes or look a certain way. I live in jeans, t-shirts and sweatshirts. But I agree that sweatpants are inappropriate for a funeral - maybe black ones if the person wearing them was ill. But never, never ones with something written across the butt. Personally, I don’t think anyone should ever wear those. It seems like the people who do don’t exactly have a bottom that they want to be drawing attention to in the first place.
I would not buy a dress to wear to a funeral but would wear black pants.
Ah so now we’re talking about personal hygiene instead of fashion choices.
You are of course correct about the work. You give an opportunity to work and have every right to expect something in return. That would be the performance of whatever work it was you are paying for.
If you require me to look or dress a certain way when I perform the work we better discuss that before hand because it could affect the price I would charge for doing the job.
I presume you still wear Elizabethan collars etc because surely the first person to show up without one at a dignified occasion was bringing about the destruction of civilization as we know/ knew it.
I think your right. It seems that people say that appearance doesn’t matter. They say don’t judge a book by the cover and that it is ONLY the inside that matters.
Their wrong. Have you gone to a movie store and looked at the cover? You can know 90% what the movie is about by looking at it. Sure their are a few exceptions.
It’s pretty silly, when you think of it. Here we are, hairless apes, slightly more advanced than gorillas or chimps.
Yet we’re the only species on the planet that gets upset by how we cover ourselves with scraps of cloth or fur.
I think the problem is that when we start to get to be 40-something, we become our parents, and therefore we dislike what today’s kids are wearing.
Today, it’s sweatpants and torn clothing that’s unacceptable to the “grown-ups”.
The miniskirt caused an uproar in the 1960’s. So did hair longer than a brushcut in the 1950’s.
Before Kennedy, it was unthinkable to go out in public without a hat.
T-shirts were not commonplace until the post-war 40’s.
Slacks on women were unthinkable in the 1910’s.
So were bloomers in the 1800’s.
The just goes on and on…..
I think the African Bushman have it right. They just run around naked, and nobody gives a shit.
(That’s what I wish we’d do…if our climate would allow it).
I find it disrespectful. And although we aren’t supposed to judge a book by its cover, I think dressing appropriately for a setting is a little different then how you may appear when you are walking down the street.
@Bandobras,
I guess I just consider the clothing you choose to be part of the personal hygiene rather than fashion - I think (and it is only my opinion, of course) what you wear can be as important as being clean etc.
Sorry - and I’m not an “old person” - I just think a t-shirt and sweatpants screams “I don’t give a crap because I’m too damned lazy to put on something else”. It would be almost like wearing your PJ’s.
You may choose to disagree, of course.
And certainly I don’t wear Elizabethan collars to work. I wear clothing that is considered “the norm” to my station.
I am paid as a professional, and I dress the part. I could wear a Slayer t-shirt to work and no one would likely say anything, but somehow it just wouldn’t feel ‘appropriate’.
That’s just the way it works sometimes, depending on where you work and what you do.
If you work from home or whatever, you can of course feel free to wear what you wish.
But you cannot change the fact that you *will* be judged by what you wear when you interact with other people.
And no matter how good your work is, if your fashion choices offend me, I will hire someone else, even if they are not quite as good as you.
Sorry. That’s life.
My point being that such adherence to the “norm” is generally counterproductive.
A generation ago it would have been outside the norm for you to be hired for a professional position. You would then I guess be dressing as a secretary or maid.
Two generations ago it would be outside the norm for you to be working outside the home at all. You would then of course be clad in the norm for the women who belonged to your husband’s class.
If you hire an inferior worker because of how they dress then the job performance suffers. I am well aware that that is the way the world works but it is a great pity.
I think what you wear says a lot about you as a person. Are you casual? Formal? Uptight? Sporty? That’s how you normally dress then. HOWEVER, there are times when you have to step out of your normal comfort zone and put on something that respects the occasion. I am most comfortable in jeans and that’s what I usually wear to work - black, brown, green or blue and with a business-like top or blouse, maybe even a blazer. But if I’m going to a job interview, I’ll wear a suit. If I’m going to a funeral I will dress up, though in something subdued. If I’m going to a wedding I’ll dress up in something a bit festive. It just shows that you appreciate that something special is going on and you’ve made a bit more of an effort as a result.
Adherence to the “norm” being counterproductive depends on what we are considering.
When trying to solve a problem, you are right, sometimes we need to think outside of the box.
When trying to get a job for a large engineering firm or a bank, for instance, it is generally the best thing to do if you hope to work for them - adhere to the norm and dress the part.
The right tool for the job, I guess.
I’m not sure what I would have been doing a generation or two ago - probably what I’m doing now. I am a man, so I wouldn’t be a secretary or a maid (not that I am looking down on either of these professions).
No, I’d likely be doing what I do now, working as a chemical engineer at a nuclear research facility, working with some of the most dangerous and interesting materials known to humankind.
And to get there, I’d have to adhere to the norm, in many ways, including dressing the part. Just like I had to do in the current world.
I agree - if you hire an inferior worker because of how they dress, then you will have inferior work.
Problem is this - it is a big workplace now, and there are plenty of people who do perform at a world-beating level *and* who dress well.
So is it really smart to “dress different” just because you feel like it?
Depends on the job. If you’re an artistic type, perhaps - if you hope to make a living in the corporate world, perhaps not.
PS - I realize, of course, that you might have been inferring that it is a good thing that women stepped outside the “norm” a couple of generations ago, thereby allowing them to take on newer professions.
And I agree that this was a good thing.
Though I think they did it by wearing garb that was appropriate to the profession, not by wearing sweatpants and tees.
@Brett
Well, for those Tortured intellectuals kids with multiple face-piercings, purple mohawk hair and crummy tattoos…they can always find employment at an independent record store.
And don’t forget, there’s always Tim Horton’s.
(Make mine a double-double, please!)
@Friar,
Exactly - I mean, yes, we are a bunch of hairless apes (I always love it when you write that!).
And you know, I’d love to go to work with a full beard and Viking garb (you know I’d do it too), but sometimes we have to ‘play the game’…
Thursday nights are for unwinding and drinking mead
I think there is something a little disrespectful about turning up to a funeral in your sport gear for a funeral. Like you couldn’t be bothered to make an effort and show a little courtesy.
@Brett
I admit, I HATE dressing up!! I’m happiest in a T-shirt and shorts.
But I agree, we all have to follow the game, to some extent. There are times and places where you HAVE to dress up.
My little rebellion is that I’ll dress according to the minimum requirements as to what I’m allowed to get away with (just enough so that I appear “adequate” and not like a slob.)
But at least I’m adhering to SOME standards.
As for the tatooed Teeny Boppers with bare asses showing and and slutty clothing…
Yeah, I’ll have 6 chocolate Tim Bits, 3 strawberry ones….two plain Tim Bits…
Mike - I think so. Although I had great challenges with my son in his teens. For ocassions where dressier attire was required, he did wear dress pants and shirt, but the pants hung down around his knees, and his shirt hung out. Battle half won, and trust me, there were many battles. This little girl didn’t look like gave her parents grief, but who knows.
Davina - see my comment to Mike above on what was potentially going on behind the scenes. However, the younger sister was better dressed and the boys were in black pants and a nice shirt. As a whole the family seemed quite relaxed (as funerals go). Trust me, by the time we got to an event with my son, NONE of us were relaxed. By the way, he dresses appropriately now and even comments on younger teens who don’t (which makes me giggle)
Frisky Librarian (btw, I like your name change) - I have even given up on ‘trakkie pants’ at home unless I am about to go out for a run. Only because the elastic waistband on them is dangerous for determining when you have had enough to eat. *smile*
Allison - *chuckle* well you went off on a little tangent there, but it’s interesting to get the perspective of a performer. It never occured to me that the performers would look out at the audience and be offended that people didn’t put in a little more effort into the attire. But that makes total sense. You worked hard to present a class act and the audience should be classy themselves. Don’t get me started on stage or sports parents. That would be a rant for another Tuesday.
Alex - good comeback to the parent you were talking to! And I am impressed that she actually made changes because of it. Was my example though a case of the child being in charge or the parent not thinking it important for her to dress up? Rhetorical question, because we’ll never know.
Liara - thanks, I’ll read up on her.
Brett
and
Bandobras - will I asked for a debate and I got one! Sorry, but right, wrong or indifferent I have to lean towards Brett’s arguments (although I question him throwing in personal hygiene because I think that is a different category). The realities of our North American culture is that we do judge a book by its cover. And if my workplace norm is that you adhere to a certain dress code, and you don’t, then as a manager I am going to wonder what other norms and rules you are going to buck, and how much of a pain in the ass you are going to be. I’ve managed enough pain in the asses in the last ten years, that I am not about to deliberately take on a potential new one.
Miguel - whew! Although I am sure there are many who would question whether I am normal, but at least in this instance I am *grin*
Kim - welcome! No, I wouldn’t buy a dress for a funeral, nor do I think a dress is required. I think everyone (men and women) should have basic black dress pants and a nice shirt in their wardrobe. Comes in handy when something other than casual attire is expected.
Orlund - or wine! I buy wine by its label! (Shhhhh … don’t tell the Urbane Lion!)
Friar - when the Lion and I show up for the bonfire in the New Year, feel free to dance around naked. The Lion will likely join you.
Rc - yes, I think different occasions call for something a little extra. Something that says that you know this isn’t just a normal day.
XUP - I feel my sexiest in jeans, a tank and a blazer. But a funeral isn’t about being sexy. It’s about respect for the deceased and the family. And the societal norm is NOT sweatpants. For one hour, I don’t think it would have killed Miss Chickie to put on nice pants and nice shirt.
Tara - I think that’s what it boiled down to in my mind. She just couldn’t be bothered to do something a little extra. It all seems rather blasé.
Panther (and to Bandobras, too),
I guess hygiene seemed a bit of a strong word, so I am glad that you challenged me on it - I should have elaborated, as I was kind of thinking of extremes when I used it.
My personal example actually happened in our town, at the local coffee shop. A group of hunters “fresh” from the bush came in and sat down - smelling of a week or two of no showers, and fairly fresh blood and entrails from the moose that was half-hanging out of one of their trucks.
Not really appropriate, in my opinion (maybe someone, somewhere would disagree with me, but if someone went to work like this…)
Or something simpler, perhaps we have run across the guys who wear a whole bottle of cologne to work - enough to make the eyes bleed.
That’s kind of what I meant.
Yes, it is personal choice, but maybe too far removed from “the norm”.
If Lion & Friar want to dance naked around the bonfire, I’ve got some orange paint…
I guest we all have the right to choose of what clothes to wear. But me I dress depends on the occasion or the situation. One can see how sincere and respectful we our in how we dress.
Oops, yeah, I did go off on a bit of a tangent.
I’m generally not offended when someone shows up to one of *my* performances in shorts and a t-shirt because I’m no professional ballerina, but if you show up to ABT’s Swan Lake in your pjs, you can be sure I’ll not have a very high opinion of you.
Hmm. I’d put one more comment here but it seemed to have been eaten or something.
I had said perhaps hygiene seemed a strong word, so thank you to Panther and Bandobras for calling me on it.
There were two examples I had in mind when I used that word, and I didn’t elaborate - so since you can’t read my mind (if you could, you’d be scarred forever…), here was what I meant by it.
The first example really happened - a group of hunters came into our local coffee shop and sat down for a coffee.
They had obviously been in the bush for a couple of weeks, so they smelled like guys who hadn’t showered in two weeks - but that wasn’t the worst of it.
They also smelled of death, for you see, they had been successful at bagging a moose, and had obviously gutted it out in the field. You could actually see blood on the clothes of some of the men.
I am not kidding. That is totally inappropriate. So obviously you wouldn’t show up for work like that, either.
And the second example would be the people (usually men) who insist on wearing a whole can of deodorant body spray to work. Enough to make the eyes bleed. I don’t think that’s cool either.
I mean, it is personal choice, but it’s not going to leave a good impression with a lot of people.
Oh yes my wheels are a spinning!
Have a fantastic Thanksgiving! YOU DESERVE IT!
The way the girl was dressed I would feel was inappropriate, but the important thing was that she was there. When I was 14 I wouldn’t go to funerals if at all possible, fortunately that’s a phase that I grew out of.
Sweatpants are fine if you have a heath condition that doesn’t allow you to wear other things. Such as my brother got burnt on his legs and he can’t stand to wear blue jeans if they rub him. Jeans, and even nice overalls (generally older men), are fine where I’m from. My county is still mostly a farming one so no one pays attention to those too much. Though most people do dress up, it depends mostly on who the person was that died.
As far as dressing up for theater, I don’t know. I don’t go to them enough to know. Movie theater is usually best to go in something nice, but old, especially for the later shows. As there’s no way to know for sure what you’re going sit in.
I find the sweats at a funeral disrespectful and in poor taste. I think we can all “clean up” a bit when it’s a funeral we’re going to.
I’m old school and old fashioned too. Um, I tend not to blame the kid, but the parents. No way my kid can walk out of my house without a mom/dad approved outfit.
Interview - suits. Period for both genders. I know it’s a casual world, but I don’t care. Everyone can be casual, but I will always suit up.
You go to church - suit up. Show some respect.
Funeral - suit up.
People ask me all the time why am I dressed up, I’m not freaking dressed up, I wear these clothes all the time. I wear jeans and I like to be comfy, but I like to look nice too.
It feels good to “dress up”, to me it does anyway.
It’s about respect. Respect for your self, respect for someone else, even for the situation. People who are self-involved, who have no real understanding of the world outside their ears, have no respect for themselves and cannot, by definition, have respect for others. When you finally realize as a human that you are not alone and are connected with everyone else, then you can have (and show) respect for others. It’s why I don’t litter — I am showing respect for the planet with which I have a great connexion. It’s also related to the “do unto others” golden rule.
My rule of thumb is to dress as the hosts will. The families of the deceased would never show in jeans or track pants. the person interviewing you for the job is not likely to be in a tank top or shorts. And naturally, the groom and bride are dressed up because it’s a special occasion. For weddings, I dress one step lower than the bridal party.
And I totally agree that it’s all about respect. For the event and for the people who are grieving, or celebrating, or interviewing you, or whatever the case may be. I’ve had to attend four wakes and funerals in the last couple of months, and I found that almost everyone was dressed appropriately.
PS. Brett: Having started to ride the bus for work, I’ve found the same thing. I’m always shocked that people walk on and off without saying anything. I ALWAYS say good morning getting on, and then thank you when getting off! I mean, it’s common courtesy in my mind, but people tend to treat it as though it’s their right, rather than a privilege, to have that service, and then treat the driver as though he or she is their bitch. It seriously pisses me off how some people can’t even make the effort to be simply polite.
Diana - yes, we do all have the right to dress as we wish. Unless a certain uniform is a condition of employment. I, personally, think that how we dress shows our respect for the ocassion and situation, but I know several people who would argue strenuously that it is not the case.
Allison - you are a ballerina? Awesome!
Mark - thank you! However, I celebrated my Thanksgiving a month ago (Canadian) *grin* However, I truly appreciate the sentiments and a very Happy Thanksgiving to you!
Crystal - yes, I think it was great that she showed up. I was very fortunate, in that I honestly had zero funerals to attend when I was a teenager, but I know I would have been horrified if I had to have gone. Interesting about the farming community, and therefore the dress code. I was wondering if my attitudes were cultural (I live in a city, and was raised in a city). I know the farming community in the Ottawa Valley has a much more ‘casual’ dress code than I am used to. But then again, they likely put on their finest cowboy boots, dressiest jeans, and finest Stetson. And I’m not trying to make fun at all. It’s all relative.
Lance - as a parent, how would you handle a teenager announcing they simply are not putting on dress pants for a great-uncle’s funeral?
Natural - I loved Toronto on a Sunday, when all the Baptists got dressed up for church. The ladies have the brightest dresses, then fanciest hairdo’s and the most amazing hats. They are off to celebrate their Lord! Makes me want to join them … almost.
Julia - well, she was about 14, and that is a pretty self-absorbed age. In her own mind, she probably doesn’t see a connection between saying good-bye to a loved one, and the clothes she’s wearing. Fair enough. By the time she’s in her twenties, she will probably dress appropriately. I just hope her parents had a discussion about showing respect.
Steph - very good rule. When J-Rock was wondering what to wear to his interview, my daughter told him to err on the side of dressing up. When he got the job, he could see what the dress culture is. (He got the job, btw!) I ALWAYS say thank you to bus drivers and taxi drivers. It totally amazes me that people don’t.
I love rant tuesdays, and I love Alex’s story.
@Orlund - “Never judge a book by it’s cover” is a pile of (insert own choice of excretory expletives).
ALWAYS judge a book by it’s cover, a film by it’s poster and a person by what they wear & how they smell. But never let your first impressions stop you from being open to learning more.
@XUP - What you wear represents who you are. Absolutely, and what you wear when asked to conform does too.
@Brett, Friar & Bandobras - You kinda got me going so I wrote a blog post. It’s not perfect, but I hope it makes a point about why we wear clothes of some kind.
@UP - thanks for another post that got me going! I managed to write a follow up this time rather than just rant all through your comments!
I missed some of the comments somehow so I wanted to add my tuppence to some extra points:
* Theatre or Cinema, I’ll wear what I feel comfortable sitting for a few hours in thanks, and anyone who doesn’t like what I’m wearing is welcome to look at the stage/screen rather than me
* Buses and taxis, hurrah for ‘thank you’s! Heck, a nice bus or taxi driver makes a big difference, so recognising that is a great way of letting them know you appreciate it.
@James - oh, I don’t know, I quite enjoy you ranting *grin* So, as a performer, you don’t care what the audience is wearing as long as they showed up?
I tend not to look at the audience, so they could be naked and I wouldn’t mind (though I’d probably be more tempted to look if they were!)
That they pay attention and not disrupt with noise and camera flashes is much more important to me.