When you think about France, the first thing that comes to mind is often the food and the fashion. As I was packing for my trip what I was going to wear was a big question. Shorts and t-shirts? Dresses? Pants and tanks? I went through so many pictures online trying to figure that out. Turns out, I was kind of right to be worried. My shorts+t-shirts, dresses, and pants+tanks were all okay to wear, but to a point. Like most places with a strong history of christianity, ideas of modesty are commonly shared within the group. When I went to class on a hot day in shorter shorts, my shorts got me a lot of negative attention, it was either those or the large visible tattoo on my thigh. After running to Carrefour with my roommate, Katie, in sweats and flip-flops, I learned that those were also unacceptable out wear, even to the local walmart. These speculations were confirmed after talking with the aformentioned Thomas who told me to never where flip flops or baggy pants outside the house. It was quite intersting, and shocking, to hear that. When thinking about dress and different dressing practices before going to France, I always thought about places like Asia and the Middle East. I guess I should have known considering that France is the fashion capital of the world (I think), and presentation is very important. After learning this, I went out of my way to dress more like the people I was living amongst. I wore more dresses, tucked my shorts away, stopped wearing my baggy sweats and sweaters, and went shopping. I got a new coat, new shoes, new shirts and made more of an effort to fit in. This experience has been kind of hard to think about. You don't really think about the minor differences in European Countries like dress codes unless it's a super prominent cultural focus. Contries that are considered 'white' usually have the same general ideas of appearance, so my confusion and shock was probably a result of my own prejudice, as in I thought that all 'white' countries would be the same.
