Tyson P.: Motorcross Jersey

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October 31, 2012 by fashioninguis

This here is my old motocross race jersey.  What drew me to this piece of clothing in my closet was that I was looking for some sort of jersey to select for the blog post. I wanted to select a jersey because I am very avid in sports and love to either watch or participate in them.  I also wanted to select this jersey because it reminds me a lot of family memories as well as exciting ones. I have had many amazing experiences in this jersey; I use to spend every weekend wearing it while I raced with my family as something we all did together. At the time I never really looked at is as a piece of the fashion culture, rather I just wore it because everyone else out there had one. Just looking at the jersey makes me think about all of those times out racing my dirt bike and having the time of my life. In most instances this jersey was either covered in dirt or sweat, if not both (yes I did wash it constantly, and don’t let it sit in my closet smelling like an old gym bag).

This jersey helps people identify themselves by showing a side of people that some may not get to see in the work environment. In fact a lot of people may not know or even think that I use to race dirt bikes just by looking at me because the race gear is not usually something that I would wear out in public. I wouldn’t really say that this jersey makes me that much of a different person, however I think that it states a certain type of individualism, for it is my own opinion to participate in this dangerous sport. I have also gotten many different opinions about the jersey, and usually it depends on the persons own views on the sport. For instance my mom believes the jersey is stupid because she hated how dangerous the sport was and that she believed the garment signified danger. The jersey is fairly new however; I have not raced for a couple of years now. I do not wear it unless I go riding or racing, meaning that it is not something I pull out of the closet and wear to class. However, I have seen some people wear jerseys similar to mine out in public, not that there is anything  wrong with it, I just prefer not to. Ultimately the jersey represents people who enjoy going out and having a hobby to do outside of their everyday life. It also symbolizes people who like to live life to the fullest and take many risks without looking at all of the consequences.

Looking back at the history of fashion and how jerseys came to symbolize a team or individual, is something that I never really thought of prior to taking this course. But now I can see that this is not just a jersey, rather a way to symbolize one’s self as well as show a distinction between others competing as well.