LOVEVOLUTION

Fashions have constantly evolved as social norms fluctuated, even today when the norm is to accept the abnormal. San Francisco's annual Lovevolution parade attracts citizens of all extremes, inviting them to come from all over to participate in a parade of acceptance, love, and wild fun. Men and women show up dressed in bright colors, metallic spandex, fur, lace, feathers, paint, fishnets, stickers, and sometimes, a lack of clothing. The participants of the Lovevolution parade aren't merely crazy, however; they are the normally-functioning men and women of society who have a desire to express the raw, amplified emotions they feel, releasing them from their normal, subdued state.

The otherwise-normal participants in the Lovevolution parade become eccentric, loud, and raucous when the time comes to let loose, and their shocking costumes are essential to their expression of emotions. The freedom to dress so oddly and over-the-top is the greatest way to establish the freedom of ones own personality and feelings. Fringe, sparkle, spandex, and color show off the lighthearted and worry-free atmosphere of the parade. Men and women come together in their eccentric costumes to be a part of the release of worry and stress, to participate in a carefree, peace-loving, and fun event. Nobody worries that they look strange or bad, the Lovevolution parade inspires unity, love, and peace. Nudity, a common occurrence at the parade, gives the opportunity to be completely free and honest in front of the accepting crowds. To participate in such a unified event, to dress (or not dress) as if nobody cares is the freedom to be ones true self, presented in the most bare and honest ways. The colors and crazy attachments to outfits are the every-day emotions expressed and multiplied beyond the normal; the quirky designs at the Lovevolution parade are merely the outlet for the subdued emotions of the masses.