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Of course, those funded and favored by high society have often been granted exemption. Any deviation from what we perceive to be the defining visual codes of any given category of person will at least be noted in the minds of observers, if not commented upon. A pretty girl puts on a t-shirt for a rock or metal or punk band and some dickhead at the record store gives her a pop quiz to see if she’s a poser. A guy shows up to the club in an expensive yet ill-fitting suit and his friends make fun of him for trying to front. Clumsy attempts to dress above one’s station are likely to be met with mockery from one’s peers or even strangers.
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But even without such legislation, there are unwritten sumptuary laws woven into the fabric of modern society.
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The shogun system of government in feudal Japan came with a detailed dress code much too complicated to get into here, centered entirely around every citizen’s social rank. Anyone could wear fur but only those of title at the level of earldom or higher were allowed to wear the fur of sables. And these were attitudes inherited from England, where the House of Tudor had allowed only the royal family to wear silk fabric, gold jewelry or the color purple. In the colonial United States, it was illegal for any person who didn’t own a certain amount of wealth to wear clothing with silver thread, gold thread, lace or embroidery. Many sumptuary laws were written in plain, contemporary language to prohibit people dressing as if they held more money or status. This is no kind of revolutionary reframing of the past or modern perspective mapped onto history. If his punishment is nothing more than a fine, then this sumptuary law really functions more like a tax, easily paid by the wealthiest members of society while a prohibitive expense to the poor, who would likely rack up some additional punishment if caught breaking a sumptuary law while unable to pay the fine. For example, say it’s technically illegal for any man of any standing to wear whatever is determined to be an excessive amount of jewelry or expensive fabric or certain color dye in their clothing. But the punishment for breaking a sumptuary law was more often some kind of fine, typically applied to everyone in order to give the appearance of equality while actually assigning a dress code to the poor. Sometimes a person could be put to death for even assisting someone else in pretending to belong to a higher caste. Just as it is illegal in the United States to falsely claim you received certain military decorations in order to qualify for money, property or other tangible benefit, there have been various forms of legislation – collectively known as sumptuary laws – established in various places and times to prevent ordinary citizens from dressing above their social station. Throughout history, a primary purpose served by fashion has been to rank the classes with a form of visual identification nearly as blatant and immediate as the uniform decorations which rank military personnel. She rode aristocratic elites around in carrousel parades not simply because it was fun to dress up in lavish couture and get on a horse but to stun the lower classes with unattainable splendor and centuries-old eminence – sort of like a military parade’s demonstration of power, only this was a demonstration of social superiority. It’s certainly the reason Catherine de Medici ramped up the arts and entertainment budget as soon as she came to power in France, then kept it up even after doing so required borrowed money. Their ancient bloodlines and God above made them rich, you poor and that’s the way it would always be because that’s the way it was supposed to be.
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One of the main reasons noble families in Europe spent medieval fortunes on extravagant architecture and other ostentatious displays of wealth was to reinforce the notion they were the ruling class for a reason. The primary sources for this episode can be found on The Main Library and the Season 2 Library pages. Liner Notes – list of featured music, online sources, further commentary.Transcript of Episode – for the readers.Primary Sources – books, documentaries, etc.