Labor of Love

Walking to class for the first time I can remember being fascinated by the fashion of the Spanish youth. After spending the better part of four months in Malaga, it continues to surprise me. As a rule of thumb, general assumptions made in the United States about fashion should be reversed or discarded. For example, Spanish girls wear baggy pants which expose their multicolored undergarments, while Spanish guys wear their pants skin tight. Another commonly accepted stereotype in the US is that girls spend more time on their hair than guys do. Here guys spend as much time, if not more, fixing their hair every morning. The level of devotion some Spanish men have for their particular style can be disturbing. My host brother invited a friend over for lunch one Sunday; as we ate I couldn’t help but be mesmerized by his hair. This young gentleman had clearly spent an inordinate amount of time in front of his mirror, coaxing individual clumps of hair into tightly ordered, spiky rows. He was truly an artist; with styling gel as his paint brush and hair as his canvas, he had created a masterpiece. After prying my eyes off of his porcupine-like head, I was again flabbergasted. Written on this fellow's shirt was a string of English obscenities that would have made George Carlin proud. This is also quite common; young Spaniards will wear brightly colored t-shirts with English writing. Often the phrases are arranged in a nonsensical manner, with choice four letter words intermingled generously. I have no doubt that the youth of Spain will continue to surprise and entertain me.