To Wear the American Flag or Not, That is the Question

Wearing the Flag Proclaims Your Un-American Fashion Sense and Pro-American Values

Carrie means well….

I bought an American flag t-shirt from Urban Outfitters a few weeks ago, and it’s become a staple in my wardrobe. However, when I wore it around one of my hyper-patriotic friends, he informed me that I wasn’t supposed to be wearing my shirt. No, not in that way; get your minds out of the gutter. I apparently wasn’t supposed to be wearing the flag. 

Not wear the flag? What kind of rule is that? Clearly it couldn’t exist; nearly every celebrity has worn the American flag at some point in their careers. My friend’s statement bothered me, however, so I decided to do a little fact-checking. To my surprise, my friend was right.

Not even Mr. T is allowed to do it. Pity the fool.

Apparently, there is such a thing as “American Flag Etiquette.” According to the Flag Code:

The flag should not be used as part of a costume or athletic uniform, except that a flag patch may be used on the uniform of military personnel, fireman, policeman and members of patriotic organizations.

Oops.

Well, that’s wrong in the first place.

Obviously, America missed the memo. But is it really such a bad thing that American flags are worn? Though it is against the code of etiquette, it probably brings more pride to the flag when it is worn. Sure, it may cover booty-shorts and bikinis, but it sends a powerful message nonetheless: pride in America. Anyone who thinks it is disrespectful is probably missing the point.

Seeing the American flag on so many celebrities and in stores everywhere can easily instill a sense of nationalism in a normal person. This sense of nationalism can lead individuals to participate more actively in the American political system or encourage other notions of civic life. For once, ignoring the guidelines leads to a better outcome than following would (good news for all you teenage rebels out there!!).

I will not be ditching my shirt, despite my ‘disrespect’ towards my country. I’ll wear it proudly because I respect my country. And it looks good on me, of course.

Even OneDirection can flaunt American pride. Or maybe they should wear Union Jacks. Just a suggestion.

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4 Responses to To Wear the American Flag or Not, That is the Question

  1. Dan Ruth says:

    I imagine that most people aren’t aware of the specifics of the code and wouldn’t take offense to your shirt. Sure, some people might, but I don’t think that means you shouldn’t wear it. The code isn’t law and you have the freedom to wear what you want, and as long as you’re doing it with good intent I don’t think anybody should have a problem with that.

  2. Darren Slotnick says:

    I think that there is nothing wrong with wearing the American flag, assuming you don’t wear it in a derogatory manner. As long as the user’s intentions are patriotic, there should be nothing wrong from proudly showing your sense of pride in our country.

  3. Matt Malencia says:

    With good intentions, I don’t see wearing the flag as a bad thing, especially if you mean it as a form of pride and respect. Also, you have to wonder when these rules of etiquette were made, because I am sure our founding fathers would never wear anything like Carrie or Mr T.

  4. Mark Steiner says:

    This is a touchy subject. Funny enough, in that same code we put under God into the pledge of allegiance 100% violating the separation of church and state. A similarity you can draw here is that they only meant for good to come from it. They felt that religion would do nothing but good for our country, and in our country it generally does make people a little happier and a little more civic-minded (Westboro aside). Good intentions, but some people see it as disrespectful and wrong. Hmm.

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