General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Why Texans Dress Like Cowboys [View all]Daemonaquila
(1,712 posts)Hi. Texan here. Texan with her jaw on the floor, actually. While most of the Texans you're talking about are white, so the racism aspect of this comparison isn't applicable, this post is like writing about "Why African-Americans Wear Those Horrible Sags And Do-Rags And Gold Chains - OMG!!!" Talk about stereotyping and ignorance.
Some "western" styles like bolos, buckles, and boots are found everywhere west and south of Missouri, except the most eastern of the southern states. Whatever. Hats are common? No, not hardly. Most Texans laugh at guys in "cowboy" hats as being all hat, no cattle. The hats you do see may hark back to a person's cultural heritage, such as the GERMAN or CZECH settlers in parts of the state. Some folks - who actually still DO ranch work on horseback - may wear work clothes that have some similarity... no surprise since "cowboy" clothes arose out of utility versus fashion. However, the vast majority of Texans wear nothing "cowboy," unless you want to claim that jeans, t-shirts, etc. are "cowboy" gear now. Boots? Sure some do (and they are very "in" right now in most parts of the country, including Manhattan). There are some cultural aspects to that, no different than other regional/cultural clothes choices across the country, just like you see some extra embroidery at times on my fellow Slavs, big hats on Amish or Hasidic guys, or a little traditional-styled jewelry worn be some Native-Americans. Cultural nods, or even social signaling, are part of all fashion.
Your statements about the Texan mind-set and similar stereotyping are offensive to say the least. Do we have pig-ignorant, racist Teabaggers here? Oh yeah. So do you, wherever you live, though we have more here than we'd like in certain areas. We also have fabulous activists, historians, scholars, intellectuals, artists... By trashing Texans the same way Teabaggers trash all left-wingers, you've brought yourself down to that same bigoted, ignorant, loudmouthed level.