NCERT Book Class 11 Home Science Our Apparel

OUR  APPAREL

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After completing this chapter the learner is able to —

• discuss the clothing functions and the  factors  influencing  selection of clothes.

• identify general clothing needs of the children.

• recognize  the characteristic features and clothing   requirements of children from different age groups.

• discuss the clothing needs of children with special needs. When you meet people for the first  time what impacts you the most?  Their  clothing, or face or their personality or all of these? Our posture, walk, smile or  frown  and  other forms of body language contribute to the impression we create. Actually   of  all  these aspects clothing creates the first  impression. We recognize   that   good appearance is important. In order to appreciate the true importance of dress or clothing we need to discover how we feel about the clothes we wear.

14.1 CLOTHING  FUNCTIONS  AND THE SELECTION OF CLOTHES

Look at the clothes you are wearing today and think about why you are  wearing them. May be it was the weather that determined what you chose  or the kind of activity in the school that you were to perform or may be the  function you were to attend with your family or friends, or for no particular reason. We all wear clothing and we wear different types of clothing. Let us begin to understand why we select the clothing we wear. At the same.

time let us gain some insight into other people’s reasons for their clothing choices.

Modesty
Probably the most obvious reason for wearing clothes is simply that in our society, people do not go around without them; we wear clothing for modesty. You probably know that young children do not feel embarrassed going about without any clothing. The need to have their bodies covered is something that they are taught. Ideas about modesty are shaped by the society in which we live. What is considered modest in one society might not be considered as modest in another. For example in some communities women not covering heads may be considered as a sign of immodesty, whereas, in other communities women not covering their legs is thought to be immodest.

Protection
We wear clothing to protect ourselves from the environment – from harsh weather conditions, dirt and pollution. We change our clothing according to the different seasons. In hot summer months we wear light weight cotton clothes and may even cover our heads to protect ourselves from the scorching sun, whereas in winter months we cover ourselves in layers of woollen clothing for protection. Clothing can also protect us from physical harm. Fire fighters wear
special clothing for protection from fire, smoke and water. Many sports activities such as football, hockey and cricket require clothing that is specially designed to protect the players from injury. You must have noticed the arm guards, leg guards, wrist bands that these players wear along with their normal dress for special protection. Can you identify the clothing that is needed in the rainy season? What type of fabrics, garments and accessories are needed in that weather? Make a list and discuss with your friends.

ACTIVITY 1

Status and prestige

Clothes can also be a sign of status. It used to be true that you could identify people’s social and economic status by their clothing. You may have seen in certain historical films that the king’s and courtesan’s clothing are quite different from the common people’s clothing. Everybody’s sense Our Apparel

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