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Part One Clothes and Fashion
Why People Wear
Clothes
Prehistoric people clothed their bodies over
75,000 years ago. This has been shown by the
discoveries of ancient cave drawings, statues, and
remains of materials used for making clothing.
From the beginning, clothing has served the same
basic human needs. Those needs are protection
(a physical need), adornment and identifi cation
(psychological needs), and modesty and status
(social needs).
Protection
Unlike other animals, the human body needs
protection, or physical safeguards. Clothing can
prevent harm caused by the climate and the
environment. It supplements the natural body
covering like a second skin. Protective clothing
gives physical protection to the body. For
instance, protection from drowning is provided
by life jackets or other fl otation clothing. As you
will see, some clothing that offers protection is
also stylish.
Protection from Weather
To preserve good physical health, people
use clothing as protection from cold temperatures.
It can protect them from sunshine or high winds.
It can also protect them from the wetness of rain,
as shown in 1-1. Where people live infl uences
the clothing needed for protection.
Warm sweaters, coats, gloves, and long
underwear help bodies retain heat, thus
protecting people from frigid weather. Wide-
brimmed hats can keep hot sunshine off faces
and heads. People wear windbreakers and water-
repellent jackets for protection against weather.
Sunglasses and hats are sometimes worn as
fashion items as well as for protection. Fur pelts
were essential for warmth and protection long
ago. Now fur garments might stir controversy
as well as provide high fashion and warmth.
Protection from Environmental
Dangers
People need physical protection from dirt,
insects, and other harmful agents in the envi-
ronment. Shoes protect feet from soil, hard
objects, and hot and cold surfaces. Astronauts
must have protective clothing to provide them
with the correct atmospheric conditions to keep
them alive in outer space. In medical settings,
special clothing items, such as sterile gloves,
gowns, and face masks, help reduce the transfer
of germs and maintain sanitation.
Natives of some geographic regions need
protective clothing against insects, worms, and
leeches. The swish of a grass skirt is meant to
keep insects away. Some people who live in the
tropics grease their bodies. Some plaster mud
on themselves for physical protection. These
body coverings are substitutes for clothing and
accomplish similar protective results.
Protection from Occupational
Hazards
Some garments protect workers from the
specifi c dangers of their jobs. Unlike turtles
that can use their shells for protection, humans
must use clothing to guard against bruises,
cuts, burns, and other injuries.
1-1
Water-repellent garments protect people from getting
wet when it rains.