omats and Conservative MPs dress in specially tailored suits. Yet how they dress is wholly unrepresentative of whole society. In general the British are comparatively uninterested in clothes. It all depends on whether a person is playing a public role or a private role. When people are "On duty" they have to obey some quite rigid rules. A male bank employee, for example, is expected to wear a suit with a tie, even if he can not afford a very smart one. On the other hand, when people are not playing a public role- when they are just being themselves - there seem to be no rules at all. You may find, for example, the same bank employee, on his lunch break in hot weather, walking through the streets with his tie round his waist and his collar unbuttoned. He is no longer "at work" and for his employers to criticize him for his appearance would be seen as a gross breach of privacy.
Perhaps because of the clothing formalities that many people have to follow during the week, the British, unlike the people of many other countries, like to "dress down "on Sundays. They can't wait to take off their respectable working clothes and slip into something really scruffy. Lots of men and women who wear suits during the week can then be seen in old sweaters and jeans, sometimes with holes in them.
The British spend a lower proportion of their income on clothing than people in most other European countries do. Many people buy second hand clothes and are not at all embarrassed to admit it. There can be few countries where people who can afford new clothes deliberately choose to buy the "cast-offs" of others. It is true that many who buy their clothes from charity shops are genuinely needy. But equally, many are not. They choose to buy their clothes in these shops because they are cheap and because they sometimes find wonderful bargains, almost new high-quality items that cost next to nothing. Sir Paul McCartney, one, of the richest men in the UK, boasts of such purchases. David McDowall, the author of "Britain in Close-Up" writes, "There is a tolerance, shabbiness and inventiveness in the way some, particularly the young, dress. "
We have touched upon shabbiness and tolerance, now we are going to focus on inventiveness. Since the 1960ies the British and not the French or Italians have set fashion for young rebels all over Europe. It is not accidental that a mini skirt which made not only a fashion revolution but a revolution in our minds was designed by a British designer Mary Quant. It is not accidental either that she was awarded the OBE (Order of the British Empire) given by the Queen, which she collected in Buckingham Palace dressed in a many skirt.
It may seem astonishing at first sight but in fact there is nothing odd in it. The British have always been known for their individualism and independence. One can find the freakiest freaks, Freaks with the capital letter, even among the characters of Charles Dickens. So those who sold and bought clothes in Carnaby street in the 60ies (Freddy Mercury was among those who frequented it) simply followed the tradition.
Thus love of second hand clothes can be explained not only by traditional British thrift but by a strong desire of the most dress-conscious young people to find astonishing apparel and look sensational, almost unique.
Thus slowly but surely London is becoming the fashion capital of the world and St Martin's school has already become the fashion mecca. The label "Made in UK" does not mean only high quality and traditional cut. It also means the latest fashion and revolutionary design.
At the beginning of the chapter we mentioned the image of a typical British woman that resembles the Queen, Lady Thatcher and Miss Marple at one and the same time. The only thing Vivienne Westwood, a famous British designer, has in common with the above mentioned ladies is her age. But in spite of her age this red-haired woman always dressed in clothes of her own design and accompanied by a very young boyfriend represents a new, more sophisticated attitude of the British to fashion. May be soon their reputation for being the worst dressed people in Europe will cease to exist. p> 4. Food and Eating Habits
Perhaps, there is no other area, where stereotypes and change can be traced more vividly than that related to food. In their book "Managing Cultural Differences" Harris and Moran state, "The manner in which food is selected, prepared, presented, and eaten often differs by culture. One man's pet is another person's delicacy ...
Feeding habits also differ ... Even when cultures use a utensil such as a fork, one can distinguish a European from an American by which hand holds the implement ".
However, as it has been mentioned before, societies change over time and food and eating habits are not an exception. If we compare traditional ...
