U.S. Campus Life Geeky T-shirts By Masako Yamada	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
おたくファッション 最近、雅子さんは思います。周りは「おたく」ばっかり?!そういえば、先日パソコンの悩みに応えてくれたのはコンピューターおたくの友人たちだったし、研究室でも数式のＴシャツを堂々と着ている人がいる…。雅子さんは、そんなおたく友達をたまに冷やかすのですが、実は、自分も人のことを言えたものではありません。

Last week, I wrote about some computer geeks who have helped me with my broken computers. I've recently been having a hard time trying to explain what a "geek" is to my foreign friends, but one of my labmates provided an excellent example when he walked into our lab: he was wearing a T-shirt with Maxwell's Equations on the front. I told him that this was an example of Geeky behavior. I think he was taken aback — he truly thought those equations were beautiful — but it's a sort of game in our lab to make jokes when we see each other acting too much like scientists.

It doesn't take a keen eye to distinguish the people who work in my building from those who work in, say, the business school building across the street. Very few of the researchers and graduate students in the physics department can be considered stylish. People don't have to wear T-shirts with equations to give off a distinct "sciencey" air, either. The essence permeates all the time.

My friend Emilia and I have made a list of some especially hopeless fashion choices we've seen in our lab. Mostly, the list involves T-shirts. We openly tease the poor fashion victims. Imagine seeing people (mostly men) in their late 20's and 30's wearing T-shirts everyday with the following large designs on the front: a cartoon of the Tazmanian Devil; a large turkey; two mating seals; the logo of a chain restaurant; a large lobster with the words "BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS" . . . . Hey, that lobster T-shirt is mine! And in spite of my having made fun of my friend's Maxwell's Equations T-shirt at school, I have a similar T-shirt at home.

Ever since I entered college, I've gone through many phases of wanting to become more sophisticated in my daily appearance. In the past, I've sworn off sweatshirts. I've vowed to wear makeup every day. I've even manicured my nails using fake tips. However, I've become less and less concerned about my appearance as my graduate school years have gone by. My mom can't stand seeing me wearing tired logo T-shirts with scuffed sneakers, no makeup and no hair products. She claims my brothers in Japan are more fashion-forward than I am. She's right . . . but so what?

The reason we can all tease each other in good humor is because these awful T-shirts are like a uniform that distinguish us from "normal" people. I mentioned to one professor that he always seems to be wearing geeky T-shirts with computer logos on them. He proudly told me that he gets a lot of free T-shirt samples and that he hardly needs to buy any clothing. The friends whom I tease in the lab have enough pride to continue wearing their T-shirts. I have to admit that I really like my lobster T-shirt, too.

It's amazing what one gets used to and accepts (as long as it's clean) but I have to constantly remind myself that I work in a very narrow field, and the world outside is big and wide and perhaps less forgiving. One of my non-scientist friends arrived at a party at my home drenched because of a sudden thunderstorm. I lent her one of my T-shirts, but she looked visibly uncomfortable wearing it. It was clear that she couldn't wait for her dress to dry out so that she could wear it again. Her reaction was probably normal, and it made me feel embarrassed that I couldn't provide nicer clothing.

Even one of my most hard-core, frugal, scruffy physicist friends has recently announced that he'll start wearing decent clothing from now on. I told him that his labmates probably wouldn't care. He said his concern is not impressing his labmates. He quipped, "To make the dog drool, you have to ring the bell." In other words, he wants a girlfriend. Yes, that's one way of breaking free of the spell of geeky T-shirts.

Another way is to start looking for a job, as I will be in the fall. Like it or not, I know I have to start assuming a "professional" air. I have already begun to eye items in my closet that are destined for the charity bin. However, I doubt that I will get rid of my lobster T-shirt.

Shukan ST: Aug. 31, 2001

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