Regardless of heat, humidity and drippin’ sweat down here in the Caribbean, women love to wear jeans. We are orbiting very close to the heat engine of the solar system, the Sun. Because of Earth’s 23.44* tilt; those living within 23* North or South of the Equator tilt are forever in some form of a MN August day. The Sun shines directly overhead for most of the year.
Many of these unique female inhabitants simply love wearing jeans most of the time. True, it may seem odd for the pragmatic Scandinavian; but down here, form outweighs function, substance takes a backseat to style, each and every day. Since you Minnesotans may not have the high temperatures right now, pop your head into a 450 degree Fahrenheit oven for awhile, feel the blast of heat - only then will you agree it’s impossible to wear jeans, a second layer of skin when its flippin‘ roastin‘ outside.
And it doesn’t matter if you have ohhhh, say, 80 pounds to shed, and some fashionistas might say you should be wearing a size 16 -- buy the size 10 and make ‘em fit is the rule of thumb down here. If you can FIT into skinny jeans, you are, indeed, by definition, skinny. Don’t mind the cellulose that is cascading over the top… you ARE skinny, swanky and men love you -- ‘nuf said.
Since Minnesotans consider minus 2 degrees Fahrenheit, “a little chilly”, I know you will understand my denim dilemma. Heck, many of us have worn shorts and a parka on the same day; perhaps with Sorel boots. As a budding Minnesotan, I get this. Keep the core and toes warm and the legs will be fine. Those that perhaps mock Minnesotans often bring up this apparent lack of fashion; but I think this ‘look‘ displays a great amount of expression …and nerve.
If you’re gaunt, tight jeans. If you’re portly, tight jeans. And to compliment the tight jean craze, it is essential to wear sandals with 5 inch heels. Even if you’re 6’3”, you just gotta slap on the heals and duck when you enter restaurants. My husband says that it reminds him of the uncomfortable tight jean craze of the mid 70s and how awful those pants made you feel, until the holey / ragged jean craze broke the mold.
I haven’t found one Puerto Rican who worries about being 10,000 times thinner than a cat’s whisker. They just laugh it off when we speak of diet and exercise for ourselves. No matter what shape and size; the jeans will be worn …with confidence…with 5 inch heels. That’s their secret! Neat, huh?
Despite knowing that they are hot stuff with a burning desire to show off confidently their curves -- the tight jeans have to add 20 or more degrees to the body. That’s hardship & I consider the natives courageous, just like Levi Strauss.
In the 1840’s, Levi Strauss, a 24 year old German immigrant arrived in San Francisco to make his fortune. He sold clothing, bed sheets, ribbons and fabrics. It was the time of the Gold Rush when thousands of treasure-hunters went searching for gold in the California hills. Most of the gold diggers needed tough outdoor clothes for the hard, dirty work of finding their treasures.
A prospector named Jacob Davis used Strauss’s fabric to make overalls and he invited Strauss to join him in business. They patented the denim design of Davis‘, using rivets to hold the fabric together. The rivets stopped the pants from falling apart with heavy use. Blue and brown denim were made. Blue denim were an instant hit with the diggers. Folks from all over the American West were wearing denim by 1880.
Americans wore jeans to work and then for leisure. Soon Hollywood movie stars made them popular and during the Second World War, servicemen sported blue denim pants. It became a world wide commodity.
By the 1950’s, blue denim became known as “jeans” since the first denim pants were made in Genoa or Genes, Italy. And “denim” got its name from the French town of Nimes, where it was first created. It became known as “serge de Nimes”. But in English, this was shortened to “denim”.
You know what? Appearances can be deceiving - I love and admire the Puerto Rican women. Many are beautiful. But even those that have, perhaps, lost track of their fitness regiment and are now 40 pounds past their fighting weight -- they still trot down the promenade feeling and acting confident.
In this country there are 500 festivals and there are only 365 days a year. According to a study done by HayBrown Orlando Sentinel, “This US territory of sandy beaches and lush rain forests, close-knit families and endless celebrations is home to the happiest people in the world”.
All the more reason to be full of confidence and proud of whatever they may be a shakin’. I’m not sure whether to be full of envy, curiosity or just decidedly against this tight jeans craze. But it certainly makes me want to find air conditioning and a pool -- fast!
