How to spot an American

[ElizabethB]

ETA: Ok, so after googling it looks like, overall, they wear the same thing everyone I know wears. Not such a cultural divide after all, eh? :)

 

It is similar. The shoes are the main difference, and few branded t-shirts, and I do not think I ever saw a sweatshirt, branded or otherwise, unless it was on an American.

 

http://tablet.hm.com/de/subdepartment/LADIES

[PeacefulChaos]

It is similar. The shoes are the main difference, and few branded t-shirts, and I do not think I ever saw a sweatshirt, branded or otherwise, unless it was on an American.

 

http://tablet.hm.com...partment/LADIES

 

Yeah, that's one of the places I really like to shop. :D :lol:

[Lucy in Australia]

So I'm just curious now... I get the shoes thing (I think) and so far every pair I've seen, I don't like. :p :lol: (I'm a flip flops girl, TOMS or converse in the winter, or boots. I love boots.)

But the 'clothes' thing.... I'm just really curious. When one says 'shirt' instead of 't-shirt' what does that mean? A button up shirt? :svengo: :lol:

The whole thing just makes me so curious. I'm considering googling 'what do people in European countries wear'!!! :D :lol: :lol:

 

 

ETA: Ok, so after googling it looks like, overall, they wear the same thing everyone I know wears. Not such a cultural divide after all, eh? :)

 

I think it's more that the Europeans like a tailored look, whereas the Americans & Aussies go for loose-fitting styles in stretchy material . So yes, I would say that means button up shirt over t-shirt.

[LibraryLover]

Maybe not as casual as the tank and booty shorts look of Walmart or Target, but the folks outside the main cities do not dress with the greatest divide.  Young European males especially love their soccer shirts, just as Americans love football etc ones.

[Heather in Neverland]

I live on Penang Island which is full of tourists and expats. So, just for the heck of it, I asked our amah, who has lived here her whole life, this question:

 

If you were at the market and you saw 4 white people... One is American, one is British, one is Australian, and one is German (the four most common "white" people here)... would you be able to tell which was which just by looking at them?

 

She said no, not at all. She would not be able to tell unless she heard them speak.

 

Then she thought about it for a second and said, "Except for one thing. The American would smile at you and say hello to you. They are so friendly. We love the Americans!"

 

So there you have it. :)

 

 

[KungFuPanda]

In no way did I mean to imply that. I was talking about someone else loudly talking about it. Again, I was mostly with Germans. Many Germans do not agree with daily bathing or deodorant use, but would still consider themselves clean. They think Americans are obsessively weird about body cleanliness.

 

 

When I was in France, it struck me as odd that we'd see people out the next day wearing the clothes they wore the day before. I did sort of understand skipping a shower after my daily showers there did weird things to my hair and skin. The water just isn't the same. You can't drink it and it dries you out to wash in it daily. It didn't stop me though. I had lotion so I took very short showers daily.

[justasque]

Now you tempt me to check out Marks & Spencer website and they have free shipping to US right now :p ...

 

 

Woo-hoo! Thanks for this tip - we can stock up on duvet covers in European sizes to fit our ancient European-bought duvets!!!

[msjones]

This is a bit off-topic, but I am often able to spot tourists from certain regions of the U.S.

 

Lots of tourists around here in the summer, and I can often tell if they are from California, the South, the Northeast, or the Midwest. There are certain looks common to those U.S. regions.

[Mom in High Heels]

I think it's more that the Europeans like a tailored look, whereas the Americans & Aussies go for loose-fitting styles in stretchy material . So yes, I would say that means button up shirt over t-shirt.

 

 

THIS! Europeans generally do not wear loose clothes. There are no "relaxed fit" jeans (which I hate on principle as I think they look horrible on anyone), and unless it's a football (soccer) jersey, the shirts (even the t-shirts) are fitted. Men and women wear scarves for fashion, even in the summer (light weight, of course), and they just look put together overall. And guys do carry a 'murse.' Many use messenger bags, but a lot of guys carry a small bag (usually leather) on a strap that goes across the body (like you'd wear a messenger bag), to keep their stuff in.

[Deee]

Just to clarify the term "septic" that a previous poster objected to: its a carry over from the 1940s. American GIs came to Australia on leave and raised merry hell. Australian soldiers were very angry when they came home and found that their girlfriends had left them for Americans. GIs were much better paid than Aussie soldiers and much happier to spend their pay on women ( Aussie blokes spent most of their leave pay on beer). The irony is that the Aussies had done exactly the same thing to the Brits in WWI. Americans were described as "overpaid, oversexed and over here". The slang "septic tank" arose out of this ill feeling and it stuck. Added to this, Aussies have a very perverse sense of humour. Most of our terms of endearment are derogatory or offensive: boofhead, larda#$e, tiny if you're fat, gut if you're thin, curly if you're bald, smiley if you're a miserable sod. Australians don't find these terms offensive. If someone is comfortable enough to insult you, you must be a good mate. Of course, it makes us look like ill mannered buggers overseas!

 

I travelled through Wales with a Canadian and an American. The American came from the East Coast but had lived in Britian for 20 years. On the second day they pulled me aside and very seriously asked me to please say that I was going to the bathroom, rather than "going to the loo," which they found offensive. As a blunt Aussie, I found this quite silly: I clearly wasn't going in there for any other reason at 2 in the afternoon. Minor cultural difference, but a big deal for them.

 

I worked hard to blend in in Germany because I was travelling alone. Most people assumed I was English as soon as I ordered tea instead of coffee.

 

I think some of you are being a bit sensitive. You asked what we noticed. If you don't want to know, don't look! Yes Australians find overt politeness insincere. We are quite laid back and off hand. If you are really nice we assume you want something. That's the point of this thread, to highlight cultural norms, not judge who is right. Australians generally really like American tourists: you are a lot like us, but drink less and pay better. Be grateful you aren't known as the drunken yobbos of the international tourist scene!

D

[Deee]

Oh, yeah, and you guys smell nice, wash as often as we do and change your clothes daily. We have endless jokes about Poms hiding things under the soap......

D

[Desert Strawberry]

If I could find clothes at all in China, it was in size XXXL. I'm 5'4" and take a US size 8/UK size 12.

 

L

 

Wow. I had no trouble at all finding clothes in Japan. I was a L. I'm 5'1 and was a size 8-10.. Are Chinese women so much smaller? I also wore a L shoe, which is about an 8.5 or 9. I loved those shoes. Sigh.

 

ETA: Actually, I still have a cardigan, a dress, some other items in my closet from Japan that I wear regularly. I'm a size 14 now, and have been for quite some time. I found that many ladies clothing items were super flexible there are no maternity or nursing clothes. (I'm sure there are, but they are not common). Women's clothing has to be somewhat flexible as sizes go.

[Desert Strawberry]

How loud, rude, polite, etc someone appears depends largely on the culture of the observer. In Australia, where people tend to be straight-talking and rambunctious, an American may appear overly polite, but in France or Japan, where it is customary to be highly solicitous, an American would appear rude.

 

It was my experience that most Americans got along just fine in Japan. There were a few rude standouts, but I'm sure they were rude everywhere they went. A few handy phrases in the native language and a basic understanding of customs goes a long, long way towards goodwill. I was just talking to my husband about my first visit to the public baths. Everyone there gave me a looong second glance. But once I'd been going every week for a month, I was just one of the regulars. Not only did they get used to seeing my red-haired, Caucasian self in a VERY Japanese environment, but I also learned the customs and became more at ease. I was no longer a "foreigner", I was a member of the community.

[BugsMama]

We live in Germany, and the number 1 way I get called out is my kids.

 

I have three, close in age. In EVERY country we travel, the kids are a dead giveaway. They just don't have this many kids here, and for sure not this close in age. In Italy, my very Italian husband was told by the landlord that they knew he was Italian from the fire in his eyes, but an American because of the fire in his seed.

 

..... awkward moment there. LOL They thought it was pretty darn funny.

 

Other than that,

 

You can always tell a tourist by the map in their hands :)

[8circles]

 

I did notice there seemed to be so few children wherever we went though. Especially in places like restaurants.

 

This was true for us in Germany as well. Not typical in Spain, however. They don't typically have more than 2 children (although occasionally I've seen 3) but children can be found anywhere - with the exception of upscale restaurants.

[Heather in Neverland]

 

 

Wow. I had no trouble at all finding clothes in Japan. I was a L. I'm 5'1 and was a size 8-10.. Are Chinese women so much smaller? I also wore a L shoe, which is about an 8.5 or 9. I loved those shoes. Sigh.

 

ETA: Actually, I still have a cardigan, a dress, some other items in my closet from Japan that I wear regularly. I'm a size 14 now, and have been for quite some time. I found that many ladies clothing items were super flexible there are no maternity or nursing clothes. (I'm sure there are, but they are not common). Women's clothing has to be somewhat flexible as sizes go.

 

 

Well, I can't speak for China, but here in Malaysia, I have A LOT of trouble finding clothes and shoes. I am 5'6" and 155 lbs. I wear a size 8-10 in the US. I was at a store recently looking at a shirt and I asked the sales lady if they had it in a larger size.

 

Her reply? "Oh no, we no carry king-kong size."

 

I wish I was kidding but those were her exact words.

 

I also wear 8.5 shoes which sucks because this country does not carry half size shoes. At all. Anywhere. Sigh...

 

 

[TeacherZee]

Around here converse are very popular, I also saw a lot of Toms in England when I was there last week. Otherwise canvas shoes or Ecco shoes work. Boots in the winter. For those of you sending kids overseas, skinny jeans for girls and jeans and sweaters for boys...at least in Sweden :D

[Liberty]

When I went to college in England you could always tell which students were the Americans in the dining hall as they were the ones holding just a fork. Everyone else held a knife in their left hand and fork in their right (no matter what they were eating).

[chiguirre]

 

 

"Oh no, we no carry king-kong size."

 

I had to clean my screen. That's hilarious!

 

 

(And you are not king-kong sized!!!!!

[Giraffe]

Oh no, we no carry king-kong size."

I had to clean my screen. That's hilarious!

(And you are not king-kong sized!!!!!

 

Remind me never to shop for clothes in Malaysia! If size 8-10 is King Kong size, what on earth would my 22-24 self be?! Godzilla?

 

(I really do need to lose weight - I can't find clothes anywhere here either!)

[Lisbeth]

"You are too well dressed to be a gentleman." I always see never being casual as being socially insecure. ;)

[Lisbeth]

We no carry king kong size...ha ha ha. Seriously, I would have laughed hysterically at that. Sometimes...rude people are just comical.

[LibraryLover]

You made my day with that comment, Heather. lol Did she say it with a straight face? You should change your avatar now. You're obviously not the attractive, slender -looking blond woman we've been lead to believe you are.

[LibraryLover]

I think there is a confusion in this thread. Most people who have responded are not talking about 'what they don't like about Americans' but rather 'in what way are Americans distinctive'. I've lived in the US, am married to an American and have dual nationality children. I'm not anti-American or anti-Americans, I can just see what make them different from my compatriots.

 

L

 

And your dh. :)   But who doesn't want a sober Golden Retriever for a partner? lol Goldens are so nice and tall. And chatty.

 

 

 

[Tammyla]

Don't worry about button up shirts, for the most part, just avoid sports or college teams. Any base-ball cap will stick out pretty much btw.

 

So I'm just curious now... I get the shoes thing (I think) and so far every pair I've seen, I don't like. :p :lol: (I'm a flip flops girl, TOMS or converse in the winter, or boots. I love boots.)

But the 'clothes' thing.... I'm just really curious. When one says 'shirt' instead of 't-shirt' what does that mean? A button up shirt? :svengo: :lol:

The whole thing just makes me so curious. I'm considering googling 'what do people in European countries wear'!!! :D :lol: :lol:

 

 

ETA: Ok, so after googling it looks like, overall, they wear the same thing everyone I know wears. Not such a cultural divide after all, eh? :)

[LibraryLover]

You can always tell a tourist by the map in their hands :)

 

LOL Too true.

 

[DarlaS]

I've had to be a good sport about tons of 'spot Brits by their bad teeth' comments in my life. And the number of times my country has been described as 'socialist' on this board - it's not a word that I particularly object to, but the people using it definitely don't see it in a positive light.

 

Nothing I wrote was rude: I answered an honest question honestly.

 

L

 

 

By other Brits? Because that is what is rubbing me the wrong way. Anti-American sentiments by other cultures really don't hit the same as the self-loathing that has become so rampant among Americans in recent years (or maybe I'm just noticing it.).

[Laura Corin]

 

By other Brits? Because that is what is rubbing me the wrong way. Anti-American sentiments by other cultures really don't hit the same as the self-loathing that has become so rampant among Americans in recent years (or maybe I'm just noticing it.).

 

 

No, not by Brits.

 

L

[beaners]

 

You think Americans are self loathing? That's not a vibe I've ever gotten.

 

Eh, I encountered quite a bit of it when I was in college. I think a lot of it was push-back against the "America is the best" chest-thumping by people who knew absolutely nothing about the rest of the world. (Which is different from learning about the rest of the world and deciding you prefer America, and also different from being generally proud to be American.)

[Mrs Mungo]

 

 

By other Brits? Because that is what is rubbing me the wrong way. Anti-American sentiments by other cultures really don't hit the same as the self-loathing that has become so rampant among Americans in recent years (or maybe I'm just noticing it.).

 

Why is it described as "self-loathing" to point out differences?

[Jane in NC]

By other Brits? Because that is what is rubbing me the wrong way. Anti-American sentiments by other cultures really don't hit the same as the self-loathing that has become so rampant among Americans in recent years (or maybe I'm just noticing it.).

Self-loathing in recent years? Our perceptions are certainly different.

 

Americans have never been a homogeneous unit. Yes, there are times (of tragedy or symbolic such as the Olympic games) when we wave our flags, but I don't remember a time when we have not been critical of someone else within the culture. I grew up during the enactment of Civil Rights legislation. Our country was supposedly going to heck in a handbasket after that but we somehow survived.

 

I am truly a child of the Cold War. Some of the chest thumping of my childhood was probably a leftover of McCarthyism. My generation emphasized that people are not necessarily the government, i.e. the Soviets whom we feared were people like us. It was their government with which we had a problem. I am having huge issues with my state government at the moment. Does that make me a self-loathing North Carolinian? I have apologized to people from out of state for legislation passed by the Honorables in Raleigh!

 

I love cultural differences which is part of the reason that I travel.

[Heather in Neverland]

You made my day with that comment, Heather. lol Did she say it with a straight face? You should change your avatar now. You're obviously not the attractive, slender -looking blond woman we've come to believe you are.

 

 

:)

 

Yes, her straight face was what left me speechless (which is pretty hard to do). That is the phrase they use to describe anyone larger than a size 6.

 

They are all built like 12yo boys here. It's not great for your self-esteem!

 

 

[LibraryLover]

:)

 

Yes, her straight face was what left me speechless (which is pretty hard to do). That is the phrase they use to describe anyone larger than a size 6.

 

 

Ouch.

[VeganCupcake]

Wow. I had no trouble at all finding clothes in Japan. I was a L. I'm 5'1 and was a size 8-10.. Are Chinese women so much smaller? I also wore a L shoe, which is about an 8.5 or 9. I loved those shoes. Sigh.

 

ETA: Actually, I still have a cardigan, a dress, some other items in my closet from Japan that I wear regularly. I'm a size 14 now, and have been for quite some time. I found that many ladies clothing items were super flexible there are no maternity or nursing clothes. (I'm sure there are, but they are not common). Women's clothing has to be somewhat flexible as sizes go.

 

In China, I found very little that would fit me unless I had it custom made. I am about a size 8, but quite curvy. The most shapeless, matronly or unisex styles would fit, like a big boxy tee shirt, or something granny would wear to cover her dowager's hump, but those weren't quite the fashions I was interested in.

 

My very slender but still somewhat curvy colleague who was probably a 4 or 6 could wear a Chinese XXL.

[RemsMom]

Wow, I am a size 4. I guess I would need to take off 15 lbs. to shop in China?!

[HS Mom in NC]

I haven't traveled abroad, but every year my middle daughter competes at The Vegas Shoot indoor archery competition. Usually the few days before or after the Indoor Cup is open to international teams. The people on those teams can compete individually in the Vegas Shoot.

 

We arrive early enough or stay long enough to watch a little of the international team competition. On those days their team uniforms not only identify their country but also that they're not American. The American team does wear the same sport type uniform but they would only do that at an international competition. They are dressed in very sporty uniforms like you would see at the Olympics. Teams compete in very expensive sneaker type shoes that match their windbreakers and athletic sporting pants. Their country's name is printed on the back of their windbreakers-usually in English.!?!? They compete at 3 different competitions at locations worldwide that change every year, except that one is always in Las Vegas every year.

 

European men competing individually sometimes try to blend in but their jeans and shoes are a dead give away. They usually pick jeans that are too dark a wash and the shoes they choose are what most American men would wear with a suit on the rare occasions American men in the SW wear suits. They also wear button down shirts that are too formal for the setting. Here in AZ we issue you tank tops, shorts and flip flops as you cross the border. ;) They never have camo bows.

 

Two years ago we got into the elevator with 2 men who were obviously European and not wearing team uniforms. One was from Sweden, the other from Finland. I immediately asked them where they were from (which is what you do in an elevator at the Vegas Shoot even with Americans.) My daughter later asked me if they were homosexuals because I have very accurate gaydar. I asked why she thought they might be and she said, "The shoes." I told her I didn't think they were gay, but even if they were, straight guys from Europe just dress better than Americans do.

 

The adult teams that compete in The Vegas Shoot are for archery equipment manufacturers. They wear a team jersey with jeans or shorts and cowboy or hiking boots or sneakers.

 

American kids and teens at The Vegas Shoot wear their team shirts with shorts or jeans and sneakers or hiking boots- so do most of the women who compete. If they're not on a team they often wear shirt with the logo of the manufacturing company that made their bows and, you guessed it, shorts or jeans. The shoot recurve or compound bows with bright colors on them.

 

American men who compete in Vegas almost always shoot compound hunting bows with camouflage styling. Almost all of them bow hunt on a regular basis. Their clothes are almost always camouflage and so are the ball caps of the minority of men who wear them. They almost always wear hiking boots or cowboy boots. They either wear camouflage pants or jeans-not usually dark wash ones. Their shirts might be a snap down plaid (redneck style) or they have on a t-shirt. We affectionately call it the "Bubba" look. We agree that, "Old [American] hunter guys" are overly polite and encouraging to female archers because their generations didn't have female competitors so they're still pleasantly surprised to see girls. (My daughter's female division had 24 girls in it this year. There were 2,000 archers total at The Vegas Shoot.)

[Arcadia]

Wow, I am a size 4. I guess I would need to take off 15 lbs. to shop in China?!

You won't have a problem in Beijing or Shanghai. Eventhough you could have fun buying off the rack cheongsam. I'm a size 0 but my mum and aunts are size 4 or 6 and none of them have problems clothes shopping. I do have a problem being on a short side but that only means that a sundress becomes more of a maxi dress. I'm probably shorter than a typical 12 year old boy. Bargaining is another thing altogether.

[Laura Corin]

You won't have a problem in Beijing or Shanghai.

 

I was living in a major provincial city, so there were few shops that catered for foreigners.

 

The sister of a Chinese friend of mine had to get married in a rather frumpy skirt suit. She couldn't afford to get a wedding dress made in her size, and none of the rental dresses fit her. In Western terms, she might have been at the low end of plus sizes. So it's not just foreigners who suffer.

 

L

[Arcadia]

The sister of a Chinese friend of mine had to get married in a rather frumpy skirt suit. She couldn't afford to get a wedding dress made in her size, and none of the rental dresses fit her.

 

The thing with rental wedding gowns is that they are actually made closer to mannequin size. I know that because I am smaller size than a typical mannequin. Another thing is that it is common for chinese brides to go on diet and body wraps before their wedding to look good for their wedding photos. My wedding gowns for day and evening had to be tailor made so I do empathise.

[TeacherZee]

#204 reported

[LibraryLover]

:)