At first glance, they might look kind of silly. But arm warmers may just be the latest tren d in fashion – and eve if they never make it to the pages of Glamour, no one can argue that they aren’t functional!
By Elizabeth Reinking
Contributing Writer
The Experiment: On any given day, I find myself to be, unfortunately, a mildly to moderately self-conscious person.
This needs to be stopped.
The best way I can see to do that is through deliberately putting myself up to be mocked.
By the end of the day, I will hopefully have been so thoroughly embarrassed that I will no longer have the capacity of self-consciousness. In order to complete this goal, I have procured a pair of dazzlingly bright pink and yellow striped arm warmers, and will pair them with a tank top.
Here follows a record of my own musings on the experience and my perception of other’s reactions toward this virtual billboard of a fashion faux-pas.
8:07 a.m. After dressing for school, Elizabeth Reinking found arm
I find I had forgotten about Arm warmers to be both functional and
Warmer Day. Mentally congratulate the height of fashion.
myself for having excellent cerebral
screening system against embarrassing decisions.
8:32 a.m. Try to convince myself that my outfit looks not ridiculous but deliberate, almost Avril Lavigne-like. Shoot — now feel even worse about outfit.
8:44 a.m. While waiting for the shuttle, I realize that it will most likely be a really hot day. Not the luckiest conditions for one condemned to arm-insulation.
8:54 a.m. Talking to a member of my first class, I notice that she can’t stop glancing at my arms instead of my face. At this point it becomes difficult to talk to her without laughing.
9:28 a.m. Have learned that Paradise is near Chico. This is irrelevant — but interesting. One would think the area would be more densely populated, but I guess St. Peter does his part to keep out the riffraff. Do more research on this later.
10:03 a.m. People appear to be staring at me as I walk to work. A thought occurs to me — are they staring because I look insane, or because my arm warmers are extremely eye-catching? Decide on the latter and am vaguely comforted.
10:28 a.m. While looking at the tag, I learn my new accessories are made of 1 percent rubber. Not that you would know from the way they keep bunching up around my elbow. This is very vexing.
11:14 a.m. Have decided to leave tag sticking out of top of left arm warmer to coax commentary from people, who have been annoyingly tactful about my fashion choices so far.
11:47 a.m. Walk through a tour group of wide-eyed young-un’s, and wonder briefly if this will make them reconsider attending UCLA.
11:53 a.m. Suddenly become aware of the fact that my arms are really quite toasty warm. Excellent.
12:06 p.m. First direct comment about limb-ornamentation is that they are “rad – straight up.” Look at compliment-giver in disbelief for several seconds before remembering manners enough to say thank you.
1:12 p.m. Tuck tag back in when it becomes apparent that no one cares. Begin to have the sneaking suspicion that the world may not revolve around me after all.
1:47 p.m. – 1:58 p.m. Receive three more compliments in rapid succession, though one, to be fair, was “Very interesting“– a comment easily slanted to either side. The thought occurs to me that the world might be ready for arm warmers as deliberate accessories, but so horrifies me that I immediately bury it in my mind under last week’s midterm material and some dust bunnies.
4:03 p.m. Walking around main campus, I become confused and angry when a series of people give me strange, scornful looks as they go by. Then the sun bounces off my arm warmers, blinding me, and I shake my head both in comprehension and to stop the black spots now dancing in front of my eyes.
4:07 pm. While congratulating myself for being less embarrassed about arm warmers, I do a total face-plant walking up a flight of stairs and find a whole new reason to be embarrassed.
4:54 p.m. Actual pointing and laughter occurs, but as it is given by a friend who is in on the ruse, I am able to discount it.
8:41 p.m. Find I have grown rather attached to arm warmers. When people stare, I feel not self-conscious but annoyed that others do not see the striped monstrosities for the glorious accessories they are. I decide to name them Stripey and Galen.
10:17 p.m. Another friend proclaims Stripey and Galen to be the stupidest things he’s ever seen and orders me to take them off. My arms feel naked. This makes me sad.
Conclusion: Though perhaps not cured completely of my self-consciousness, it appears to have lessened dramatically throughout the day as I became used to the arm warmers — and even emotionally involved with them. This probably indicates some kind of higher moral lesson, but I will ignore it, because it probably also indicates some mental health issues. Now if you’ll excuse me – it’s time for their bath.
November 13, 2003