Kiwi Shorts

Since the weather has warmed up, I have frequently been quite surprised by the shorts people wear. And by people, I mean men. Women/girls here wear very, very short shorts, just like in the States, and while I find this rather crazy, I'm already used to it. What I am not used to, however, is the men wearing short shorts, too. Here, it is totally socially appropriate (as far as I can figure out) for strong, manly men to wear rather tight, cut-off jean shorts, at the mid-thigh or slightly above. They also often wear exercise shorts that are above mid-thigh length. Much as I try to be culturally open and understanding, I have a bit of a hard time not staring and/or laughing when I see it, because it is just so very different from the image that I have of how a man typically dresses. I don't have a problem with it at all, and I think they should wear whatever they want, but I just find it so funny.

The other day at the mall, we saw a tall, muscular man wearing a big, thick, camouflage hunting jacket, and... nothing on the bottom! I did a rather embarrassingly obvious double take, before just barely catching a glimpse of short black shorts underneath. While that made me feel better, I still had to avert my eyes every time we passed him in the aisles of the grocery store, and J could barely contain his amusement.

We talked about it on the way home, and decided that although there are obviously different style customs here than in the States, there also seems to be less concern over what other people think. I realize that this is a terrible generalization, but it really seems like Kiwis are less judgemental of each other, and more likely to do/wear what they want. I think that I've mentioned this before, and I continue to think that it is a really wonderful quality. I love that no one seems to stare when someone is wearing something odd, and people dressed quite uniquely seem confident and at ease. What freedom they give themselves and each other by not feeling the need to seek or give approval.

While I'm on the subject of clothes and judgement, remember my sun hat? Well, after being so excited about it at first, I noticed that most people I saw wearing hats had ones with much smaller brims, and I was a bit concerned, in my American way - or can I blame my own insecurities on my culture? Maybe not. So lets just say that I felt insecure about looking ridiculous in my fabulous but slightly over the top hat. I was very firm with myself and refused to avoid wearing it, and I have been so pleased with the result. Not only is it every bit as good at keeping the sun off my face, neck, and shoulders as I thought it would be, but the kids and teachers love it! I have gotten lots of compliments, and at the first centre I visited when I wore it, the teacher had me stand up at group time and talk about how wide brimmed hats are the best for staying safe in the sun. Needless to say, there was no need for any of my worrying, and I am so thrilled to be enjoying my beautiful, sun-safe hat.

I consider myself a very confident person in general, but sometimes I feel that my ability to do different or crazy things is more because I won't allow myself to give in to my insecurities, rather that due to the lack of them. I don't want to be judged negatively any more than anyone else, and I do tend to worry about it. So I am hoping that living in NZ will help me to take a more Kiwi approach to that sort of thing, and to remember that no one is out there to judge me, and that if they do, it's okay, because I can still just enjoy being me.