Curious About Clothes

PODCAST 251: CURIOUS ABOUT CLOTHES

RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, JULY 23RD, 2023

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  A FEW DAYS AGO, I WAS WALKING THE DOG, KHLOE, WITH OLIVIA AND HER LITTLE BROTHER NOAH.  DURING OUR WALK, NOAH ASKED ME A QUESTION.  HE ASKED “WHY DON’T ANIMALS WEAR CLOTHES?”  IT WAS A GREAT QUESTION THAT I DIDN’T HAVE A GREAT ANSWER TO.  SURE, SOME PEOPLE DRESS THEIR PETS ON OCCASION, BUT OTHERWISE, ANIMALS ARE ALWAYS NAKED.  HUMANS ARE UNIQUE, BECAUSE WE DO WEAR CLOTHES.  TO ANSWER NOAH’S QUESTION, I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE EASIER TO JUST TAKE A DEEP DIVE INTO WHY HUMANS WEAR CLOTHES.  MAYBE BY LEARNING MORE ABOUT WHY HUMANS WEAR CLOTHES, WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHY ANIMALS DON’T.  LET’S LEARN MORE.

O:  TRIPLE-MAILBAG!

D:  TRIPLE-MAILBAG!

“HELLO!  MY NAME IS SUMMER AND I AM 9 YEARS OLD AND I LIVE IN HUMBOLDT, SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA.  I LOVE YOUR PODCAST AND LOOK FORWARD TO EVERY NEW EPISODE.  I AM CURIOUS ABOUT EGYPT.  ONE QUESTION I HAVE IS ABOUT HOW LONG EGYPT HAS BEEN A COUNTRY.  I AM ALSO CURIOUS ABOUT CLOTHES.  HOW ARE THEY MADE?  I HOPE YOU CAN COVER ONE OF THESE TOPICS ON A NEW PODCAST EPISODE.  THANK YOU!”

“HI OLIVIA AND JACOB, MY NAME IS RAFAELA AND I AM FROM HOUSTON, TEXAS.  I REALLY LIKE YOUR PODCAST AND SO DOES MY FAMILY.  IT’S A FUN WAY TO LEARN NEW THINGS AND IT’S VERY INTERESTING.  I WANTED TO TELL YOU THAT I AM CURIOUS ABOUT ROADRUNNERS, VIBRATION IN DOGS, AND CLOTHING.  CAN YOU PLEASE ADD ANY OF THESE TOPICS IN ONE OF YOUR PODCASTS?  THANK YOU!”

“HI.  MY NAME IS ARYEH AND I LIVE IN WEST HEMPSTEAD, NEW YORK.  I AM ALMOST 5 YEARS OLD AND HAVE A 2 YEAR OLD SISTER NAVA TOO.  WE LISTEN TO EPISODES ON THE WAY TO AND FROM SCHOOL AND MOST EPISODES ARE THE PERFECT LENGTH FOR THE TRIP.  I AM CURIOUS ABOUT HOW CLOTHES ARE MADE.  I HAD LOTS OF OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT GLASS, PAPER, AND TELEPHONES, BUT YOU HAD TALKED ABOUT THEM IN PREVIOUS EPISODES.  I CAN’T WAIT TO LISTEN ABOUT HOW CLOTHES ARE MADE.”

O:  THOSE WERE SOME FANTASTIC EMAILS WE GOT FROM LISTENERS ALL AROUND NORTH AMERICA.  WE CAN’T WAIT TO GET CURIOUS ABOUT CLOTHES THIS WEEK FOR SUMMER, RAFAELA, ARYEH, AND NAVA.  

D:  WE ARE GOING TO LEARN ABOUT THE HISTORY OF CLOTHING AND ALSO GO THROUGH SOME OF THE REASONS WHY WE WEAR CLOTHES.  WE ARE GOING TO ALSO LEARN HOW CLOTHES ARE MADE AND GO THROUGH SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT CLOTHING.  BUT BEFORE WE DO ANY OF THAT, WHAT’S THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK?

O:  BLUE JEANS ARE A REALLY POPULAR ARTICLE OF CLOTHING, BECAUSE THEY ARE SO VERSATILE.  THEY GO WELL WITH JUST ABOUT ANYTHING.  HOW MANY PAIRS OF BLUE JEANS DOES THE AVERAGE PERSON IN THE UNITED STATES OWN?  

D:  WHILE YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT THE ANSWER, OR PERHAPS EVEN COUNTING THE NUMBER OF BLUE JEANS YOU OWN, LET’S LEARN ABOUT THE HISTORY OF CLOTHES.

O:  WE AREN’T CERTAIN WHEN HUMANS STARTED WEARING CLOTHES, BUT ANTHROPOLOGISTS ESTIMATE THAT IT HAPPENED BETWEEN 100,000 AND 500,000 YEARS AGO.

D:  AND THE CLOTHES WORN BACK THEN WERE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING LIKE THE CLOTHES WE WEAR TODAY.

O:  WHEN WE SAY THAT THEY WORE CLOTHES HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO, WE SIMPLY MEAN THAT HUMANS WOULD COVER THEIR BODIES WITH JUST ABOUT ANYTHING THEY COULD FIND.  THESE THINGS INCLUDED ANIMAL SKIN, FUR, AND BONES, GRASS, LEAVES, AND SHELLS.  

D:  THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT SHOWS THAT SEWN CLOTHES DIDN’T APPEAR UNTIL ABOUT 30,000 YEARS AGO.  ABOUT 8,500 YEARS AGO, KNITTING WAS INTRODUCED IN ART, BUT ALSO TO CREATE DIFFERENT FABRICS USED FOR CLOTHING.  KNITTING IS STILL A POPULAR WAY TO MAKE CLOTHES TODAY.

O:  THE MATERIALS USED FOR MAKING CLOTHES, LIKE LEATHER, SILK, AND WOOL, WERE GATHERED FROM PLANT AND ANIMAL SOURCES.  FOR EXAMPLE, SILK PRODUCTION STARTED IN CHINA.  SILK WAS MADE FROM THE COCOON OF A SILKWORM.  THAT’S FASCINATING.

D:  THERE ARE MANY REASONS WHY HUMANS WEAR CLOTHES, BUT THE MOST URGENT ONE THAT PROBABLY LED THE HUMANS OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO TO COVER THEMSELVES WAS SIMPLY FOR PROTECTION.

O:  CLOTHES ARE NEEDED TO PROTECT OUR BODIES FROM THE HARSH WEATHER.  CAN YOU IMAGINE BEING OUTSIDE, WITHOUT CLOTHES, DURING A SNOWSTORM?  OUR CLOTHES ARE LIKE A SHIELD THAT PROTECTS OUR BODIES, NOT ONLY FROM EXTREME WEATHER, BUT ALSO FROM OTHER INJURIES, LIKE SCRATCHES OR BURNS, YOU COULD GET IF YOUR SKIN WAS EXPOSED.

D:  PEOPLE ALSO WEAR CLOTHES TO HELP IDENTIFY WHO THEY ARE.  MANY JOBS HAVE UNIFORMS TO HELP WITH IDENTIFICATION.  FOR EXAMPLE, POLICE OFFICERS WEAR UNIFORMS TO COMMUNICATE TO OTHERS THAT THEY ARE POLICE OFFICERS.  AIRLINE PILOTS ALSO WEAR UNIFORMS SO THAT OTHERS KNOW WHO THEY ARE.  HOW CONFUSING WOULD IT BE IF WE COULDN’T EASILY IDENTIFY PEOPLE LIKE POLICE OFFICERS AND AIRLINE PILOTS?

O:  HOW ABOUT ATHLETES?  IMAGINE WATCHING A BASEBALL GAME AND NOT BEING ABLE TO DISTINGUISH ONE TEAM FROM THE OTHER.  PLAYERS ON THE SAME TEAM WEAR THE SAME CLOTHING, OR UNIFORM, TO SHOW EVERYONE THAT THEY PLAY FOR THE SAME TEAM.  

D:  ANOTHER REASON TO WEAR CERTAIN TYPES OF CLOTHES IS TO MAINTAIN A SAFE ENVIRONMENT.  A DOCTOR WEARS GLOVES WHEN EXAMINING A PATIENT.  SOMEONE WITH AN INFECTION MIGHT WEAR A MASK TO KEEP OTHERS SAFE.  A CONSTRUCTION WORKER WEARS A HARD HAT FOR SAFETY AS WELL. 

O:  I KNOW I WEAR A HELMET WHEN I RIDE A BIKE TO KEEP ME SAFE.

PEOPLE ALSO WEAR DIFFERENT CLOTHES IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE AS COMFORTABLE AS THEY CAN BE.  FOR EXAMPLE, I’LL WEAR SWEATPANTS ON THE WEEKEND IF I’M JUST RELAXING AND I WANT TO KEEP WARM, OR I MIGHT WEAR ATHLETIC CLOTHES IF I’M GOING FOR A RUN OUTSIDE.  

D:  SPECIAL CLOTHES ARE ALSO WORN FOR RELIGIOUS EVENTS AND TRADITIONS, AS WELL AS FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS LIKE WEDDINGS.  

O:  CLOTHES ARE ALSO WORN TO EXPRESS YOURSELF AND SHOWCASE WHO YOU ARE.  I MIGHT WEAR A BEATLES SHIRT TO LET EVERYONE KNOW I’M A BEATLES FAN.

D:  WE ALSO WEAR CLOTHES TO COVER OURSELVES UP AND MAINTAIN MODESTY.  IN SOCIETY, THERE ARE IDEAS OF WHAT SHOULD AND SHOULDN’T BE ON DISPLAY FOR EVERYONE TO SEE.  THAT PLAYS A BIG ROLE IN GIVING EVERYONE THE UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IS ACCEPTABLE WHEN IT COMES TO CLOTHING CHOICES.  

O:  NOW THAT WE LEARNED WHY PEOPLE WEAR CLOTHING, LET’S LEARN A BIT ABOUT HOW CLOTHES ARE MADE.  THAT’S A QUESTION WE GOT FROM A COUPLE OF OUR LISTENERS.

D:  GREAT IDEA.  THE FIRST STEP IS ACTUALLY DESIGNING THE ARTICLE OF CLOTHING TO BE MADE.  FOR EXAMPLE, A DESIGNER MIGHT DRAW A PICTURE OF THE SHIRT THEY WANT TO CREATE TO GET AN IDEA OF HOW THEY WANT IT TO LOOK.

O:  FROM THERE, A PATTERN NEEDS TO BE MADE.  A LOT NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED DURING THIS STEP, LIKE THE TYPE OF FABRIC BEING USED, AND THE SIZE AND SHAPE OF THE PERSON THAT WILL BE WEARING THE CLOTHES BEING MADE.  THE PATTERN MAKER WILL ALSO MAKE A PROTOTYPE FOR EVERY PIECE USED TO MAKE THE FINAL ARTICLE OF CLOTHING, SO THAT THOSE SAMPLES CAN BE USED FOR MAKING MORE IDENTICAL PIECES IN THE FUTURE.

D:  CUTTING THE FABRIC COMES NEXT.  THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT STEP.  IF DONE INCORRECTLY, IT COULD RUIN THE PIECE OF CLOTHING BEING MADE.  CUTTING THE FABRIC WAS DONE BY HAND A LONG TIME AGO, BUT IS MOSTLY DONE BY MACHINE THESE DAYS.

O:  NEXT UP IS SEWING THE PIECES OF FABRIC TOGETHER.  THIS MUST BE DONE CAREFULLY TO ENSURE THAT THE PIECE OF CLOTHING COMES OUT JUST RIGHT.

D:  IF THE CLOTHING IS GOING TO BE SOLD, THERE ARE ADDITIONAL STEPS THAT COME NEXT LIKE QUALITY CONTROL, WHICH IS INSPECTING THE CLOTHES TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS PERFECT, PACKING AND LABELING THE CLOTHES, AND SHIPPING THE CLOTHES TO STORES TO BE SOLD.  

O:  BEFORE WE ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK, CHECK OUT THESE CRAZY CLOTHES FACTS.  THE TEE SHIRT IS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR CLOTHING ITEMS WORLDWIDE.  ABOUT TWO BILLION TEE SHIRTS ARE SOLD EACH YEAR.  

D:  EVEN THOUGH THE COST OF LOTS OF THINGS KEEPS GOING UP, CLOTHES HAVE ACTUALLY GOTTEN CHEAPER OVER THE LAST FEW DECADES.  SINCE 1992, THE PRICE OF CLOTHES HAS GONE DOWN BY APPROXIMATELY 8.5%.

O:  HAVE YOU HEARD OF A WEDDING DRESS TRAIN?  NOT LIKE A CHOO-CHOO TRAIN.  IT’S SOMETHING ELSE.  A TRAIN ON A WEDDING DRESS IS A PIECE OF FABRIC THAT EXTENDS FROM THE BACK OF THE DRESS.  THERE IS ACTUALLY A WORLD RECORD FOR THE LONGEST TRAIN ON A WEDDING DRESS, WHICH WAS 1.85 MILES LONG.  I HOPE THE BRIDE DIDN’T TRY TO DANCE WITH THAT TRAIN HANGING OUT.

D:  IT WASN’T UNTIL THE YEAR 200 THAT ROMANS CREATED DIFFERENT SHOES FOR THE LEFT AND RIGHT FOOT.  UNTIL THEN, THE SHOES WORN ON BOTH FEET WERE THE SAME.  THAT DOESN’T SEEM COMFORTABLE AT ALL.  

O:  THE WORD TUXEDO ACTUALLY COMES FROM THE NAME OF THE TOWN WHERE A TUXEDO WAS FIRST WORN.  TUXEDO CAN BE FOUND IN ORANGE COUNTY, NEW YORK.  

D:  I REMEMBER MY DAD HAD AN IMPRESSIVE COLLECTION OF NECKTIES WHEN I WAS YOUNGER.  THERE IS A NEAT WORD FOR PEOPLE WHO LIKE COLLECTING TIES, AND THAT WORD IS GRABATOLOGISTS.  

O:  THE FIRST DESIGNER LOGO WAS THE LACOSTE CROCODILE 90 YEARS AGO IN 1933.  

D:  DID YOU KNOW THAT MEN’S SHIRTS HAVE BUTTONS ON THE RIGHT SIDE WHILE WOMEN’S SHIRTS HAVE BUTTONS ON THE LEFT?  THAT’S SO NEAT!  HERE’S ONE ABOUT ZIPPERS - HAVE YOU EVER NOTICED THE LETTERS YKK ON YOUR CLOTHING ZIPPERS?  WELL, THAT STANDS FOR YOSHIDA KOGYO KABUSHIKIKAISHA, WHICH IS THE NAME OF THE COMPANY THAT MAKES ALMOST ALL OF THE ZIPPERS WORLDWIDE.

O:  THE MOST UNIQUE CLOTHING FACT WE WERE ABLE TO DIG UP IS THAT THERE IS A LEGEND IN ICELAND THAT ANYONE WHO DOESN’T GET CLOTHES FOR CHRISTMAS WILL BE EATEN BY A GIANT CAT.  

D:  ALRIGHT OLIVIA, LET’S ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  BLUE JEANS ARE AWESOME, AND THEY ARE VERY POPULAR HERE IN THE UNITED STATES.  HOW MANY PAIRS OF BLUE JEANS DOES THE AVERAGE AMERICAN OWN?

O:  THE AVERAGE AMERICAN OWNS SEVEN PAIRS OF BLUE JEANS.  THAT’S LIKE ONE FOR EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK.  HOW CONVENIENT!

D:  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  251 - CLOTHES.

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB SUMMER, RAFAELA, ARYEH, AND NAVA FOR THE EPISODE TOPIC SUGGESTION THAT WAS ALL DRESSED UP AND READY TO GO.  BEFORE WE GO, WE HAVE SOMEONE SPECIAL TO THANK.

O:  THANK YOU TO USERNAME DARENJM WHO LEFT US A 5 STAR REVIEW FROM BEAUTIFUL COLOMBIA.

D:  IT SAYS “HELLO JACOB AND OLIVIA.  MY NAME IS OLIVIA.  I AM 10 YEARS OLD.  MY FAVORITE EPISODE IS THE ONE ABOUT AXOLOTLS.  THANK YOU SO MUCH.  KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.”

O:  NO, THANK YOU OLIVIA.  YOU’RE AWESOME, AND IT MEANS SO MUCH THAT YOU TOOK A COUPLE OF MINUTES TO LEAVE US A REVIEW.

D:  JOIN US NEXT WEEK WHEN WE WILL GET CURIOUS ABOUT MILK FOR LISTENERS IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.