Marcia

Julian

Jung

Timothy

Dawn

INTERVIEWER: And how do you feel, Marcia, if you have to wear the same clothes as everybody else? At school, for instance, did you have to wear a uniform?
MARCIA: Yes. And I really hated it! But you know it's a bit funny - I was just thinking about this yesterday - because in a way I suppose I do wear a uniform now. Li- like in college a lot of my friends wear the same kind of clothes. Unless I wear clothes like theirs, they'll think I'm a bit strange. So it's a little bit like a uniform really.

INTERVIEWER: Now Julian, you're getting ready for a party.
JULIAN: That's right.
INTERVIEWER: And what are you going to wear?
JULIAN: I can't decide between these two jackets. If I wear the green one, it'll go with my new shoes. But if I wear the blue one - my favourite - I'll only be able to wear these old shoes here.
INTERVIEWER: So clothes are important to you?
JULIAN: Reasonably, yes. But you have to think about other people too. Like this evening - I can't just go in any old pair of jeans. If people invite you to a party, they expect you to come properly dressed. So I have to spend a bit of time thinking about it.

INTERVIEWER: And how do you feel about wearing nice clothes, Jung?
JUNG: I like wearing nice clothes and I like to make myself look nice. I think this is human nature.
INTERVIEWER: And how did you feel, before the changes when everyone had to wear all the same clothes?
JUNG: I hated it. But for many, many years I did the same thing. I looked very different from what I look now. Mm, my hair was cut straight, you know like what shall I call it, like, er, some women, some older women still cut their hair straight like, like that, you know. I wore baggy clothes, baggy pants and baggy jackets, of very dull colour. And in those days I never dreamt of someday I could wear, say, the colour I'm wearing now.

INTERVIEWER: And today, Timothy, you're wearing black completely.
TIMOTHY: Completely black. Black tights, black shoes, black shirt and a black blazer.
INTERVIEWER: How do people react to you?
TIMOTHY: Erm, they're surprised at first sometimes, or else maybe they'll whisper to one another and point.
INTERVIEWER: And how do you feel if they do that?
TIMOTHY: I really don't care. I'm comfortable with the way I am. If I see someone talking about me, I'll usually ignore it. I might smile at them if I'm having a good day.

INTERVIEWER: Now, Dawn, you have a reputation for smart dressing.
DAWN: Yes, but if you're young and you're a girl and you earn a lot of money, you go and buy lots of clothes. When I was, er, 24, I literally bought everything I wanted. I didn't even look at the price.
INTERVIEWER: Can I ask how much you spend a year on them?
DAWN: Quite a few thousand pounds.
INTERVIEWER: That's a lot of money.
DAWN: Perhaps. But I like to look good for my job. My real problem is keeping a balance between what I want to wear at my age and the stuff I have to.