The Pre-Distressed World

I went to the mall today to take advantage of post-Christmas sales to get the most out of a gift card my in-laws gave me for Christmas, and again I was confronted with how hard it is to buy brand new clothes these days that aren't ripped, faded, stained, punctured, or otherwise spindled, folded, and mutilated before they ever leave the rack.  Denim jeans, of course, are the worst, but now this fashion trend has extended to slacks and shirts.

This is a great trend from the manufacturer's point of view, of course, because they can sell defective merchandise and no one will know whether the defects are the regular "stylish" defects that were put there on purpose or whether they were caused by a machine operator who fell asleep at the lever.  I, for one, do not wish to buy damaged clothes and pay full price.  It may be old-fashioned of me, but I want to wear in my clothes myself.  I think once you've worn a pair of jeans for ten years, you've earned the right to wear them ragged.  They shouldn't come off the rack looking like you wore them on a cross-country trip; that's cheating.

Are we so lazy as a country that we really need someone else to wear in our clothes for us?  What's next?  Will restaurants start selling pre-chewed food?  Will car lots start selling brand new cars off the line that are covered in dings and scratches, carefully placed for stylistic effect? Will teenagers start to dye their hair gray, to make it look more aged?

Distressed jeans?  How about distressed jean-wearers?  I'm one of them.