Why Does Everyone Wear Jeans

It’s difficult to find a piece of clothing as widely worn and loved as jeans. But why?

Jeans were designed as work-wear for labourers in America’s Western states in the late 19th century. When a tailor called Jacob Davis was asked to make a pair of sturdy trousers for a local woodcutter， he had the idea of reinforcing them with rivets. They proved extremely durable and were soon in high demand.

Jeans represented the American West and when they started to be worn as casual wear， they were a symbol of rebellion and banned in schools. But this only made them more popular and welcomed by young people.

Outside America the trend was beginning to catch on too. Many of the soldiers stationed abroad during the war were working-class boys from the Western states.While off duty they wore their jeans proudly as a symbol of home. The trousers represented an easier， happier， American way of life， which Europeans wanted to buy into.

Anthropologist Danny Miller argues jeans have become so popular that they are now a symbol of the

ordinary — people put on them to feel comfortable and to fit in. But according to Paul Trynka， author of Denim:From Cowboys to Catwalks， there is still something in their symbol of youth and casualness that puts jeans beyond the reach of certain people. “Famously， George W. Bush and Tony Blair went out on the street in denim during their first summit meeting. They wanted to show they were ‘regular guys’. But of course，” says Trynka， “they were ridiculous.”

What did jeans represent for the soldiers who were sent abroad during the war?

A. Rebellion. B. Home. C. An American way of life. D. Ordinary.

（Find the KEY in this issue）

sturdy 牢固的

reinforce加固

rivet 鉚釘

durable 耐用的

rebellion 反叛

anthropologist 人類學家

Denim: From Cowboys to Catwalks

《牛仔褲：從牛仔到T臺》