Culture Shock: Fashion

I can freely admit that I think that Czech people are quite beautiful. At least thrice every week, I see a girl or a guy on the trams that could probably become models in the Philippines, just because they have the foreign features that Filipinos seem to covet (for example, matangos na ilong (umm, pointy noses?), golden or lily white skin, etc). However, some things that are fashionably common here, well, gave me a culture shock.

Here’s a list of the top 8 things in Czech Fashion that just, well, is a bit strange to me.

8. Cleavage

I come from a conservative catholic country. A conservative catholic Asian country, which, well, isn’t exactly known for having impressive chest sizes. But here in the Czech Republic, the people here are pretty well endowed. All that beer, perhaps?

The boobs took me a while to adjust to, especially when I saw middle-aged dormitory receptionists and bank advisors sporting D cups.

7. Crocs

Unlike France or Italy, people here in Brno prioritize comfort over fashion a lot of the times. This seems to explain why I’ve seen a minor outbreak of Crocs here. It isn’t even just among children, like it is in the Philippines. Perfectly normal men and women of a variety of ages wear this kind of footware.

Now, I admit I have two pairs of Crocs–the heeled ones that I adored wearing once upon a time. But over here, the (fugly) clogs are still a popular choice.

6. Tattoos

Just the other day, I saw a very respectable waiter–crisp white shirt, pressed black pants–with a tattoo crawling up his neck. Certainly, there was more underneath. Tattoos are quite common here, as it is in a lot of European countries. I actually love them because most of the time, there are stories behind them, often marking memorable moments in a person’s life.

I wish they were more popular in the Philippines.

5. Art nails

Painted nails are fine for me–heck, I used to sport some moss green nail polish in my college days. But nail stickers, glitter, and even jewels on nails are still kind of odd for me, especially on people over 30.

4. Brightly colored hair (on old ladies)

Maybe it’s because we only have two hair colors in the Philippines (black or brown), but seeing charming little old ladies with red or orange (even PURPLE once) just strikes me dumb.

3. Piercings as beauty marks

Called the Marilyn piercing after Marilyn Monroe, I cannot imagine why anyone would do that to themselves if they have even an ounce of future-thinking.

2. Socks and sandals

Shoes or sandals. Please pick one over the other?

1. Mullets

An 80’s demon that still has not been exorcised from the young and old.