The people like Davis, who must assign some kind of social meaning to jeans, may be the very people who do not wear them, making their opinions a bit more lopsided and questionable.
It is also quite arguable that most people who put on a pair of jeans every day do not give a single thought to their representation of "democracy" and "equality" Davis associates with blue jeans. He writes, (in pedantic fashion), "Democratic, egalitarian sentiments notwithstanding, social status still counts for too much in Western society to permanently suffer the proletarianization that an unmodified blue-jean declaration of equality and fraternity projected" (Davis 103). Here, Davis simply sounds like a pompous snob, using his theories to fulfill his own arguments about jeans and who wears them. For most people, getting dressed every morning is a ritual leading to a long day of work and toil, whether it is in an air-conditioned office, a construction site, or a Chinese toy factory. Each of these workers could conceptually put on a pair of jeans before they head out the door, and it is surely a safe bet that democracy and equality are not the top thoughts in their head as they don their jeans and get ready for the day. For some, simply surviving another day may be the only thought, while for others; there are problems that are far more complex and ideas to address than the democracy of their attire.
Why is it that jeans cannot simply be an item of attire that has altered throughout the decades? Why do they have to represent something more complex than that? Jeans have risen...
Why must they be more complex than that? Jeans come in a wide range of sizes, they bend and flex when a person bends and flexes, and they can look stylish when they are work with jackets and ties, and women's high heels. They can transition from work to after work with ease, and they are accepted just about everywhere at any time. Jeans are ubiquitous, why must they be more than that?
In conclusion, Davis certainly makes his points effectively, but he has drilled into every tiny aspect of the clothing, from its rough texture to the gender non-specific front fly. Such intense scrutiny can certainly turn up social implications, whether the article is a work of fiction or a dog bowl. That does not necessarily bear out the results of that scrutiny. Blue jeans are articles of clothing that people the world over use every day. Some of them don designer jeans and revel in the status symbolism of their jeans. Most people, however, wear blue jeans because they can afford them, they are comfortable to work and play in, and they fit them. End of story, and end of assessment.
References
Davis, Fred. "Blue Jeans." Signs of Life in the U.S.A., 5th ed. Maasik & Solomon, eds. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2006. 101- 108
God Grew Tired of Us. Dir. Christopher Quinn. Perf. John Bul Dau, Panther Bior, Daniel Pach. Newmarket Films, 2006.
