>Are today's male slobs rejecting, not just women's desires, but perhaps
>trying, in part, to reappropriate a space for their selves--an
>identity--that hasn't been captured by the demands of work *and* leisure?
>I'm not going to dress in socially acceptable ways or shave because I'm
>sick of having to conform in order to get anywhere in life? I already
>conform at work, so at home I'm just not gonna, so there!
As a lifelong slob I've been fascinated by your review of BE's theories and your observations. I would add that there are a small number of us (slobs - not necessarily male slobs) who are sick of having to conform simply because it's not convenient and we're not getting '...anywhere in life...' anyway. I would think that 'non-conformity to conventional behavioral and aesthetic norms' would lie someplace close to 'question authority' as self-evident values.
We wear clothing to protect ourselves - suitable for the hazards that we are likely to encounter.
I drew some amusement from the impression that the following critique created...
"I see far more appalling aesthetic crimes when I cross the Hudson into suburban New Jersey than I ever have on the city streets."
It reminded me of the 'bad' days of 'matching blacks...'.