One important aspect of American culture would be dressing in athleisure. Commonly Americans dress in basic clothing that works with the weather. It is very uncommon for Americans to dress formally on a regular basis when going out to various places. We dress very casually when going to places like school, work, grocery stores, gyms and more. Many Americans can be seen wearing leggings, sweatshirts, shirts, sweatpants, sneakers, tights, and jeans when going about their day. I think this aspect of culture in the United States is particularly very lazy and unprofessional, specifically within the workplace and schools. I think that people should dress nicely within both of these settings due to the environment you are in, which is more professional. There are often many people in professional settings that do not tend to their appearance which can be seen as very rude and even disrespectful and may give other people the impression that you don’t care about your work or your appearance. I’ve also seen this many times in my school setting when various girls have worn biker shorts with sports bras to class and sweatpants, leggings and oversized t-shirts which can be very inappropriate in my opinion. This is mainly because of the way our country has structured our economy based on long work hours with little salary. I think that many people have grown tired of how much work they have put in as well as what they get back in return. I think that someone outside of U.S. Culture would think Americans are unkempt and see this way of living as disrespectful. They may also view American citizens in a very negative way because of the various people that do not care about their appearance and often wear clothing that is inappropriate in certain settings. I would imagine that people outside of the United States would stare at Americans and even give angry glances at them because of how they have been raised in their countries. I also imagine that people that come from other countries might feel uncomfortable if they see Americans dressed in a certain way and maybe even refer to them as “stupid Americans” because of this. I’ve seen many countries on television with citizens who dress very formally out of respect and have been taught to do so throughout time. When people in countries other than America see the way we dress they may be insulted due to their specific cultural practices and interactions. This exercise helps me prepare for my time abroad by allowing me to view my culture in a way that allows me to examine the common things in America in comparison to other countries. This also helps me to prepare myself for how people will view me and others in my program from America when I travel to Italy. I’m very excited to travel to Italy and experience a completely new culture for the first time. I have a great appreciation for Italian culture such as the history, food, and clothing.
