The exchange students’ class prior to mine had run over time today. The teacher had been working with them on their hopes and fears for their stay here. They had made a list of their observations of the locals, which included “fat people” and “unfashionable”. Their list of fears included “getting fat”. Or was it “gaining weight”? I was too busy straightening the cardigan that was once my grandmother’s to notice.
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Posterous
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I have heard similar observations from European couchsurfers. I try to tell them that the obese unfashionable people in Auckland are mostly British tourists from the cruise ships, but they won’t believe me.
Paul Litterick’s last post was Social networking for dummies
Thanks goodness I wasn’t there!
Art and my Life’s last post was Maudlin
For some students I’ve taught, teachers’ dress styles can be a real barrier to learning. It varies a lot from individual learner to individual learner, but for a student who defines his or her value and the value of others by adherence to particular style, or who infers the personal qualities of their teachers based on this, it can be a perceptible obstacle.
They are correct. We are ugly, and our mothers dress us funny.
There may be the germ of a lesson here – fashion is local. Within the broad category that is “Western” dress, there are many subdivisions.
Stephen’s last post was ACT Justice spokesman advocates rape as punishment
Your comment clarifies what I’ve been trying to pinpoint in my thinking for the last few days: that context determines something like value or cultural weight. I don’t know these students well enough to try and find out a little more about what “fashion” means to them, and they don’t yet have enough confidence in our version of English to explain whether they mean their version of “fashion” or some other universal (to them) measure.