Why Blend In?
 

So many posts mention what to pack and the apparent need to blend in. Is it for safety or some other reason. What do you think. Mildred

These days safety could definitely be a concern, but I'm sure you'll hear other reasons as well.

I think if you're a person who is more comfortable blended in, then dress accordingly.

If you're a person who likes to stand out, then dress accordingly.

Funny, Mildred, I have always noticed that on these threads too. As for me, I like to create a little stir if I can.

I've seen your picture, Sea Urchin, and I'm sure you are noticed everywhere you go. :-)

As for me, it's not that I want to fool anyone into thinking I'm a local, but if you stand out too much as a tourist, there can be a safety concern. Although crime can happen to anyone, we travelers all know that pickpockets and petty thieves seek out tourists.

Because it's just like the same feeling as being in high school. You get nervous about thinking everyone is looking at you and making fun of you, and you feel embarrassed. I think it's basic social psychology, people want to fit in and not feel weird and that they stick out. Everyone wants to belong.

Secondly, I think some people so have some idea that tourists are targets or will be treated differently, and that is certainly true for some things, but usually tourists are going to be spotted anyway, regardless of how much black they wear, due to language and what they are carrying. They can just walk and look different, also.

But I think it's basically mostly junior high.

I think it's somewhat about wanting not to look like a dork. People would like to be told not to wear a plastic pocket protector (and a slide rule on your belt - - there.. does that date me?) - - when going to a bowling alley. Or bib overalls to a night at the opera. Or wing tips to a luau.

That's why those neon-green Nike running shoes won't look like you fit in... at Musee d'Orsay.

Best wishes,

Rex

Just my opinion, but I think it is about people wanting to feel somehow more worldly than their compatriot travelers. You know, "I wore black and everybody thought I was French." Well, not if you opened your mouth and spoke, they didn't.

I like Christina's formulation: basically, it's just junior high.

Oh, thanks P_M! Rex, I like your dork theory. Yes, I wouldn't want to be too high on the dork-o-meter! Oh, but I love comfortable shoes!! Does that make me a dork? I love that word.

I think it is an issue of 'safety' in that Americans may not want to stand out unduly, especially during controversial times - not so much that an observant local couldn't detect your origins, but at least enough to not shine like a beacon. ("HERE ARE THE AMERICANS, PELT US NOW!")

The other reason is to avoid perceived ridicule; I mean, it does look silly (IMO) to wear shorts and tennies in a more reserved and 'cultured' environment such as London, Paris or even Manhattan NYC. But many people do wear such casual clothes for sightseeing in the US, and want to know if the same is customary elsewhere. I don't see anything wrong with asking about that.

Remember how everyone makes fun of the "typical tourist" costume of Bermuda shorts, Hawaiian shirt, socks with sandals, and camera around the neck? Sensitive people do not want to be that guy.

I always try to fit in, a mediocre strategy.

Oddly, nobody ever says: "You must be American" -- just as well, as I am not.

But I usually get pigeon-holed as British (semi-European, not quite getting it????) or, more egregiously still... German!

(Is it my black socks with sandals?)

I then get to draw myself up grandly and announce: I...AM...CANADIAN

...just like in the beer commercial.

(Canadian readers will know which one I mean)

All very interesting folks. Just packing for the next little get away and that blending in theme kept coming to mind. Thanks for sharing.

Safety is the reason. There is a lot of anti-American sentiment overseas, so you are better off to avoid any undue attention to yourself.

>Safety is the reason.
An american tourist, walking in the streets (almost) anywhere in Europe even in the strangest outfit in the middle of the night, is safer than doing the same (almost) anywhere in the US, so why would you want to blend in. Pickpockets will find you anyway, based on your (stupid?) behaviour, not your looks, so why bother?

I know this is the Europe forum but on my last trip to Tanzania I dressed in a Maasai Shuka (blanket) for the last few days of my trip and the way the Maasai responded to me was so much better than to the others in our group. It helped that the Maasai elder whom I befriend had the same name as me in Swahili - Matayu. Here's a picture of us together.

http://www.smartgroups.com/picvault/....jpg/saf38.jpg

Now if I wore that back home in Lisbon then I would match Rex's dork ideal! For me it wasn't so much about trying to fit in but absorb myself more deeply into the culture. That doesn't mean though if I went to Scotland I'd wear a kilt.

For me in Africa it just seemed the right thing to do!

Take care

Matt

Just my opinion, but I think wanting to "blend in" is part of some desire for "immersion" (is that the right word)? Just as people don't want to be surrounded only by other tourists, or eat American food in a foreign country, I think their wanting to "blend in" is all a part of that immersion.

I can't believe that it's for safety reasons. I mean seriously, no matter how hard we try, we'll still look like tourists - just like I can spot other tourist (from various countries), I'm sure they can spot me, no matter what I'm wearing.

I tried that blend in stuff in Paris, but they knew I was American before I even opened my mouth. The only place that it worked was in Italy - where I was mistaken for a French tourist. Now, I think, "why bother" - just be comfortable.

There is an easy way imho to train yourself. Spent a few weeks alone somewhere in China, everybody will be looking (staring ;-) ) at you wherever you go. Great and friedly people, btw. When you return, you most likely will be cured of the urge to blend-in forever. (unless you're of chinese descent that is ;-)

Logos: or wait till you're old, then you'll be happy if somebody looks at you, especially the opposite sex :)

When I vacation in Hawaii, my suitcase is full of brightly-colored flowered shirts and skirts. Just seems the thing to do. Do I pack the same for Europe? Hardly.

But I sure do like my light blue Nikes wherever I go! Nothing like 'em. At the end of the day, my feet are thanking me.

Happy travels, y'all!

Light blue Nikes reminds me of a problem with the blending in advice.

Unless you really keep up with fashions, it's not as easy to blend in as you may think. Last time I was in Europe (it was Scandinavia), brightly-colored decorated shoes (like Campers) were a lot more popular than subdued black shoes. So bright shoes would have been less, not more, conspicuous.

Similarly, I remember one trip to Italy a few years back when orange was the color of the day. There were plenty of women in orange outfits, and the shop windows were full of orange clothes. No, I'm not kidding. If anybody on this forum had said they were packing orange clothes to go to Italy, they would have been ridiculed unmercifully.

And, of course, most of the Americans who are so worried about blending in don't expect Europeans or other foreign visitors to dress just like Americans when they visit the US. So it has to be something other than just being inconspicuous that's at work here. That's why I think it's that "I'm so sophisticated that people think I'm European" thing.

Oh and I always wear a Yankees cap when in N.Y.C...

Took the words out of my mouth, logos999 - I too found it remarkably difficult to "blend in" in China. And in Hanoi I found an American of Vietnamese parentage who was having almost as much trouble, partly because he only spoke the Saigon dialect with a Tennessee accent, partly because he was chubby and wearing shorts, and partly because he was continually ill as a consequence of nobody telling him not to drink the tap water. (I'm not making this up). Being well and truly hardened from these experiences I have no intention of trying to "blend in" in Europe, nor indeed any particular desire to.

After reading many posts on this issue I have the impression that most Europeans don't take out their aversion for George W. Bush by hurling stones or even verbal abuse at passing Americans, but I may be wrong.

I don't make a specific effort to blend in, but I do try to dress appropriately for the destination I am visiting. I don't wear shorts to church or a sun hat to the opera. (Actually, since we usually travel in cooler weather, we don't bother to pack shorts or sun hats .. but you get the point.)
I do wear a lot of black because that's what's in my closet. Slacks during the day, skirt or dress for special ocassions. For daily touring, my husband tends to wear tan, olive or gray trousers, a turtle necked shirt, and a suede windbreaker. For theater or fine dining, out comes the faithful navy blazer and the trench coat.
Apparently, we do blend in. In every country we've ever visited, we've been asked for directions -- usually in the language of the country. Sometimes we're even able to help.

You never see Europeans ask what they should wear. They run the gamut like here in the USA. Chic, sloppy, boho, retro. Safety has nothing to do with it.

I think most people want to blend in at home too - otherwise why do so many of us dress the same? I don;t know if it's the herd instinct (if the zebras all look the same it's harder for the lion to pick out which one to eat) or just a level of personal reassurane that you're doing the right thing.

An American tourist will never truly blend in in europe (unless you outfit yourself completely there - our clothes and shoes are a dead giveaway to europeans - as theirs are to us) but I think the effort to not stand out too much is basically protective.

I don't think it IS 'safety', but perhaps the <i>perception</i> of a safety issue.

&lt;&lt; most Europeans ... their aversion for George W. Bush ...&gt;&gt;

... pales in comparison to the aversion displayed by almost half of the US Senate...

Talking about blending in...Did you see Bachelor in Paris?

He's in his little Smart car, lost, and he askes a farmer: Ou est Paris?

Only it comes out: ooo eee le parriss.

What a dork. Couldn't he have at least learned a couple of baisc phrases &amp; how to pronounce them? So much for sex appeal...

LOL lol930 -- The bachelor is certainly a dork in Paris, but a hottie in Tennessee where he's from, I'm sure.

Mildred -- As a rule, for me, and only me, I wear more black than usual when I travel to Paris in the fall (the two times I've been there). Not only do I blend in, but it's always fashionable in the fall/winter months, it hides dirt, and it goes with everything.

I went on my own to the post office while there, and they were remodeling the larger room, so we were all crammed into a tiny space. In true French fashion, they tried to make the wait more comfortable by offering petit fors and juice. I was approached in French, perhaps because of how I looked, and the fact that I didn't have the 35 postcards I'd written to the States in my hand.

I was approached in French again, and I had to quickly remember the short French lessons to say &quot;I'm sorry, I don't speak French, do you speak English?&quot; I was greeted with a smile and a great conversation followed.

I dress to blend in so people don't write me off as some pig American with bad taste in clothes. I do it so pickpockets don't target me from 100 meters away. I do it because it's also partly my personal style -- that I don't need MY clothes to make a statement, I prefer my personality to do the work.

That said, you have to do what you like, and wear what you want.

Happy travels.

Jules

For what it's worth, I'm almost always approached in the local language, even when I'm wearing jeans. It makes sense when you think about it. Why wouldn't people approach you in the local language, rather than trying to intuit your language based upon your clothes?

If you saw somebody on the street in the USA wearing socks and sandals, would you speak to them in German (assuming you spoke German) unless they spoke German first?

And, again FWIW, I've been asked for directions in Europe lots of times, even when wearing running shoes or a blue shirt instead of a black one.

This is what I love about living in Cambridge, Ma, like Paris, you really can't tell where anyone is from until they speak.

I have just returned from my local mall for my nightly mallwalk. If I tried to blend in there, I'd be wearing pants that are 3 sizes too large and hang way too low and tops that are either grossly oversized or way tooooo tight and short with belly hanging out (not me, of course LOL).

Just for those who are planning a trip to Austin, shoes were in all colors, types, styles. So if you come here, come as you please!

Happy travels y'all!

LOL, kopp!! Just about anyone can blend in here in Austin. That's why we say, &quot;Keep Austin Weird.&quot; :-))

Have found all of your replies most interesting. Not being a &quot;blend in&quot; person in my lifetime in general, the constant reference on this site of such a thing in terms of dress has truly fascinated me. You have all given me greater insights into the concept. Thanks for all the great posts. Mildred

Because I didn't spend 43+ combined years of my life learning foreign languages for nothing........

Well I think the assumption is that if you don't blend in you are doing something wrong. I don't especially want to look European, I just want to look like me dressed nicely with what I own. I think what I wear to Europe might be different from what they wear, but maybe it will give them some ideas.

There's no way to &quot;blend in&quot; anyway in terms of fashion - blend in with what? When I go to my home in France if I wanted to &quot;blend &iuml;n&quot; in terms of fashion with my neighbors, I'd don a blue floral print housecoat and a navy cardigan and some stodgy 60s-type tie-up shoes with a 1/2 inch heel and drive a deux-chevaux to market.

If I wanted to &quot;blend in&quot; with the Brits who inhabit the Dordogne, I'd wear a too-tight floral sleeveless dress, exposing flabby white arms and equally white legs and a straw &quot;garden&quot; hat and carry a large &quot;satchel&quot; to market and exclaim loudly about the &quot;claret&quot; I was going to buy.

A lot of the clothes I own were bought in France because I spend a lot of time there, so I don't worry about &quot;blending in&quot; when I'm in a big city like Paris or Lyon - I tend to wear clothes and shoes I bought in France when there so I think I pretty much look like the average French woman my age who went shopping about the same time I did. Whether that makes me look more &quot;blended&quot; than the average American tourist, I don't know ...I know I'm comfortable and feel good about the way I'm dressed, but it's not as though I couldn't have dressed myself equally well from the other side of the ocean and &quot;blended in&quot; just as well.

I don't think on average the things that French women are wearing are all that different from what American women are wearing. That said, I think American women over 50 are more likely to wear things that French women their age would deem &quot;too young&quot; - my sense is that middle-aged French women are a bit more conservative than I am in terms of everyday dress. I have the same conservative items in my wardrobe that they have, but I don't necessarily take them on vacation to France, preferring to be a little more casual when on vacation.

But wardrobe aside, if you speak French fluently and without an accent you can blend in and no one will ever question what you are clothed in. Language proficiency is the very best &quot;blender.&quot;

I think most American tourists will be perceived as Americans, regardless of what they wear. However, I do suspect that those make at least a minimal attempt to assimilate (e.g., wearing clothing similar to the locals, attempting the language), may be held in slightly higher regard by the French, which may, at times lead to better treatment (better tables, rooms, service, etc.) It's not so much that one is trying to &quot;fool&quot; the French into thinking one is local, but that one is showing a form of respect for regional preferences. That's my theory, anyway.

I'm sure there are plenty of people who will say that they've always been treated royally in their brightly colored nylon track suits, blazing white shoes, and bulging fanny packs. Likewise, there are probably those who have worn black, spoken French, and yet still endured poor treatment. However, personally, I'd rather err on the side of blending in. It doesn't really take much effort or expense, and actually, I find it quite practical.

I wear clothes when I travel what I wear at home which tends to be conservative (maybe boring to some people) and I do tend to wear a lot of black because I like it. Black also happens to be a color that is good to travel with. Of course going to Hawaii or Mexico I always brought more resort summery clothes. I think one should just be themselves and hopefully that will be dressed appropriately for the occasion and the weather and will also include good manners and awareness of local customs.