We were poor. According my uncle, we were poorer than the poorest families in our neighborhood. As a child, my view of the world was innocent and my perception of normal did not have any contrasting comparisons until we stayed in one spot long enough for me to make friends. Our household contained a village of eight uncles and aunts, grandma, and all of my cousins. I have a persisting image of my grandmother smoking and doing the same routine of daily chores she patterned over decades in Vietnam. To her, the noise of all these people living under one roof must have felt nostalgic. I remember having a single set of clothes that I wore for years. All of it sat in single blue plastic basket with broken sides that contained all my worldly possessions. My mother always bought me shoes and clothes that were two to three sizes too big. This baggy “style” became popularized by the growing music and rap industry during that time. A lot of people don’t realize that it is actually a community trend of struggling mothers attempting to clothe their children with hand-me-downs and clothes their child would grow into and keep for years. I realized the other day, that there is a correlation between the length of my inseam and how much money I have.
In high school, I was 5’5″ and 100 lbs. and wore a pair of 38×34 beige double-kneed Dickies pants. My mother had gotten married and we moved in with a man I consider my father. My new step-father, having recently finished nursing school, wanted to live the American dream. In his version of the story, we borrowed our way into the lower-middle class to afford the lifestyle this class would enjoy. That didn’t mean we could spend money on clothes that fit but on clothes that let me fit in. I made a group of friends that some may consider a gang but we didn’t intentionally look for trouble. A lot of us had older brothers that were in local gangs and we were affiliated with them in certain ways without getting “jumped in”. During this time, we were asked to do small errands like delivering weed and collecting money. This was our first taste money and it felt cool at the time. Everybody wanted us to acknowledge them. But I was still poor, a poor mindset, felt like I had to steal just to have things I wanted. This wasn’t the way. After graduation I got as far away from them as I could and it was for the best.
After I finished college, I was 5’10” 150 lbs. and wore a pair of 32×32 Levi’s jeans. The clothes are starting to fit. My view of the world was changing. I no longer belonged to the weed-medicated “friends” that smoked their aspirations away on the couch. I was doing something with my life. My job required me to stay clean. I started eating better because I could actually afford the food. I started exercising because I could afford the gym memberships. I started going out and having drinks with coworkers because I could afford a round for the group. Life was good, I was young, and I had a lot of fun. I did not a save a dime. In fact, I fell into a cycle of spending where I thought I had money and did not. I was living beyond my means. I used credit cards to continue the lifestyle of fun and ended up in debt. Over $20,000 of credit card debt, without any credit card education, and thought I could always afford the minimum payment. I had to stop and read.
Last week, I weighed in at 161 lbs. and just bought a pair of medium-sized Nike running shorts with a 7″ inseam. The breeze above my knees were liberating and sunlight felt good on my legs while I hiked or ran. The fluorescent paleness of my thighs signaled a much needed change in attire. I have read and listened to over one hundred books about money and anything that interested me. I started a business that is now as profitable as my full-time job. I have developed good habits with money and on track for developing an investment portfolio system that will allow me to become an accredited investor. I care less about what people think about my clothing and go for function and what feels good to me. I am more confident in myself and my ideas. I developed my own personal relationship with God. I found love and working everyday at it. I am by definition, successful.
The inseam length may appear to be a coincidence but it is a pattern I recognize while watching people in different neighborhoods. It symbolizes different upbringings, belief systems, and socioeconomic patterns. My Nike running shorts are not cheap by any means. Therefore it is an affordable expense by people with the financial means to do so. Specifically, for the purposes of improving fitness. Fitness is a privilege of those with time. People who are always working, perhaps two jobs, with children, and stressed out may not have the time to pursue exercise in lieu of getting enough rest before their next shift. In a different neighborhood I may receive derogatory name-calling of implied sexual orientation for the my running shorts inseam length. But because of my education, experiences, and financial competence, it allow me a rare opportunity to develop a confidence about myself that I am no longer effected by voices of the previous worlds I belonged to. And no, it doesn’t mean that if I wear thongs then I must be a billionaire. It is a simple generalization of a change of mindset toward money and how it is reflected in clothing choice, if there is a choice.