Fashions

In my travels to 200,000 years into the future, I have found that fashions and styles of future parrot societies and cultures even more varied and eclectic than humans of the past ever had been. Parrots tend to take their presentation quite seriously, and they appreciate bright colours, extravagance, and luxurious materials.

The showier dress of a male parrot.
The more subtle dress of a female parrot.
Parrot attending an event advocating for the decoupling of dress standards and gender.

I have also noted a difference in the presentation of fashion between male and female parrots. It is primarily seen as the domain of males to dress in more showy ways and to preen themselves to a high standard in order to gain the attention of the opposite sex. For female parrots to go to the same lengths as males do to dress and adorn themselves is seen by some as “masculine.” However, there is growing movement towards more egalitarian ideals in the parrot world, and it is gradually becoming more acceptable for male parrots to dress more subtly and female parrots to dress more fancily. As one subversive parrot once famously exclaimed, “Are all eggs not laid equal? No egg is formed with a ZZ or ZW label on the shell. Let all of us parrots dress up or down as we please!”

A parrot wearing a stone and bead necklace, a popular modern style.

Also of note is the variation of styles culturally and regionally. Many geographic regions have traditional styles of dress, although as one gets closer to major population centres, a more modern style is typically seen. Traditional and modern styles often interplay into parrots’ ceremonial dress, including bonding day outfits. (A bonding day is equivalent to a wedding day in human customs.) The nearly endless variation has been incredibly fascinating, I have documented both regional styles and modern styles in my journal entries.


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