Vulgar Clothes, According To Emily Post

I was skimming through Emily Posts's Etiquette online, mainly the section on dress, and came across this bit on what she considers "vulgar dress".

Vulgar clothes are those which, no matter what the fashion of the moment may be, are always too elaborate for the occasion; too exaggerated in style, or have accessories out of proportion. People of uncultivated taste are apt to fancy distortions; to exaggerate rather than modify the prevailing fashions.

For example: A conspicuous evidence of bad style that has persisted through numberless changes in fashion, is the over-dressed and over-trimmed head. The woman of uncultivated taste has no more sense of moderation than the Queen of the Cannibals. She will elaborate her hairdressing to start with (this is all right, if elaboration really suits her type) and then she will “decorate” it with everything in the way of millinery and jewelry that she can lay her hands on. Or, in the daytime, she fancies equally over-weighted hats, and rich-looking fur coats and the latest edition in the most conspicuous possible foot-wear. And she much prefers wearing rings to gloves. Maybe she thinks they do not go together? She despises sensible clothing; she also despises plain fabrics and untrimmed models.

Hmm... now who can we think of that loves to be over-dressed and decorates themselves with all sorts of fancy and over-the-top junk? Why, Lolitas of course! I just thought this was interesting because the ideological Lolita is incredibly polite and well mannered and yet Emily Post goes on to say all sorts of nasty things about what she thinks of people who dress funny. My favorite being "to see her often is like nothing so much as being forced to eat a large amount of butter—plain." suggesting that dressing strangely offends everyone who catches a glimpse of you.

Miss Post also exclaims "Rather be frumpy than vulgar!" I don't know about the rest of you, but being a Vulgar Cannibal Queen sounds a thousand times more thrilling than being frumpy or an uptight bitch who can't enjoy an evening if the salad fork is on the wrong side of the plate. Fuck you, Emily Post.