FASHIONABLE MONKEY BUSINESS: There was an interesting article in the NY Times the other day about baboon research. This is the kind of stuff done by adventurous academians who brave the jungles and highlands of Africa to observe and document the social habits of our biological cousins. The article focused on the social character of a particular baboon tribe and how it changed over the years, from a situation where aggression clearly dominates (much like America today), to a kinder and gentler nation where peace and respect are key values (something like the youthful idealism of the Sixties). Yea, these monkeys were definitely going retro. What caused the big change was an accident of fate; the most aggressive baboons had first dibs at meat scraps in the garbage cans at a local resort. However, some kind of epidemic had infected the local pigs and cattle, and the meat turned out to be deadly. The big, nasty baboons who shoved the weaklings aside on the way to the feed bin finally got their just desserts!
Anyway, there was an interesting sidenote in the article about the power of fashion amidst the baboons. I’ve been suspicious of fashion for many years now. When I was young, it was easy to accept the idea of wearing a certain kind of shirt or growing your hair to a certain length because everyone else was doing the same thing. And I’ll admit that even today I don’t go out of my way to contest popular fashion because so many people treat you like a weirdo if you go against the current. But when you think about it, so much of fashion is arbitrary; there’s no good reason for a particular trend other than the fact that it’s different from the trend before it. Take eyeglasses; I remember when aviator frames were the big thing. Then ovals became the hot ticket. Then, a few years ago, the trend went toward squarish, narrow frames. To me, oval glasses have the most practical value; they afforded the most viewing area and offer the eye the most protection from a stray projectile. So guess what kind of glasses that I currently wear? You’re right, I’m not exactly up to date as far as eyewear fashion goes.
But here’s what fashion comes down to: the baboon researchers noted in one particular year that a small group of young baboons developed a habit of holding their hands out and wiggling them to and fro while they walked. They didn’t pick this up from any other monkeys in the area; they just made it up amidst their little group. After a while, all the other young baboons started doing the “hand wiggle”, and even some of the adults “got hip” to it. A fashion trend had been born.
Hmm … wonder how a baboon would look in square narrow-frame glasses?
