On 11/29/05, L Dewey <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Isn't it the case that many museums and cultural organizations function
> as 'country clubs', not to promote inclusion or cultural diversity?
> This whole discussion about 'dress code' is about a 'code' that belongs
> to the upper middle class. (As well as a matter of 'conformity', which
> is another contemporary 'murkin' cultural trait.)

Okay, I have to throw the BS flag here. Dressing appropriately for a
job has nothing to do with economic status. All jobs from ditch
diggers to corporate execs have some sort of dress codes. Some dress
codes are to meet specific safety standards. Others are set to create
a uniform appearance to be easily recognizable (i.e. military
uniforms). And lastly, some dress codes are set to meet
etiquette/professional standards.

Since the dawn of fashion until about 40 years ago, people of all
social classes dressed as best as they could afford, excepting those
who adopted a dress code based on religious or ethical convictions
like Quakers and the Amish. It's only been a recent paradigm shift to
"dress down" and it to be fashionable to dress trashy. Okay, there was
the "pastoral" movement in the 1800s where the tragically hip donned
expensive peasant outfits and frolicked in countryside but they wore
stylized, fashionable peasant outfits and wouldn't have been caught
dead in what the real peasants wore. They wouldn't have worn their
peasant outfits to the workplace anyway but I digress.

> According to the data collected by the NEA and by the US Census bureau,
> U.S. museums mainly attract an upper middle class audience, which is
> very unfortunate, but hardly a coincidence.

Museums are considered "professional workplaces" regardless of the
clientell they attract. Adopting the gansta or ho dress code will not
attract a more diverse demographic.

Besides, museum visitation demographics is a completely different subject.

deb

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