Camouflage blight - taking the theme in too many directions

cellphone to capture indoor tropical garden scene, dressed in warm camouflage

The most common color scheme for camouflage on the clothing racks for discount shoppers is the temperate forest palette: browns and greens. But sometimes there is all-pink, as in this photo, or a wintry scheme of whites and grays. The other color palette that comes to mind is the one in shades of blue. The same pattern of color blocks is reproduced, no matter the overall color scheme, though. It appears on overclothing like coats, insulated snow pants, hats, gloves, boots. It appears on shirts and pants. It appears on undershirts and underpants and socks. But when did this proliferation of fashion begin and how come the popularity is sustained?

One way to speculate is to consider the long wars of S.W. Asia, mainly Iraq and before that Afghanistan. Even though a relatively small fraction of the US citizens and resident aliens have enlisted in the all-volunteer military services, the circles of family and friends extends pretty far. So maybe one theory for this piece of the popular culture pie has to do with some kind of passive support for those in uniform now and before; sort of like fans of sporting teams who dress in the colors or merchandise of the team.

Looking from another point of view at the widespread wearing of the camouflage pattern on newborn babies to retirees,  maybe another connection to the field of meanings has to do with the functional nature of all things military; a no-nonsense approach to complexities and frivolities. By sticking with camo. themed backpacks, toys or playing cards, the person is expressing at least two messages - (1) ignoring bothersome considerations of fashion, propriety, status symbols, and (2) identifying with the all-action, results-oriented way that military operations are executed.

Related to this functional interpretation is the earlier expansion of denim jeans, shirts, jackets, backpacks and so forth in the late 1960s onward. Blue jeans - new or worn in/worn out - was the anti-"dressed up" clothing. Originally these durable textiles were limited to manual labor settings, but during the protest years and times of social change many people who were not manual laborers also expressed resistance to white shirts and polyester pants by putting on jeans in more and more settings. Gradually the dress code at public schools began to allow jeans that were not soiled or damaged to be worn; later the fashion for 'distressed' clothing pushed those boundaries further. In summary, at a time when social standards, aspirations, and expectations are changing, one way to reduce the confusion and lack of clarity is to reach for symbols that are functional and not tied to fashion. In the 1960s and 1970s that was blue jeans. At the turn of the 21st century that seems to be camouflage.