A twenty year old immigrant, Levi Strauss, came to the United States in 1850 to seek his fortune in the gold fields. But strangely enough, this man made his fortune on heavy canvas that he found suitable for working clothes. Strauss' jeans were particularly good for prospectors and cowboys.

In the early days of jeans, this man couldn't have guessed that his pants, made only for rough work, would become so popular at all levels of society. Yes, this is a fact: jeans have become fashionable in our society. Furthermore, these pants have come to symbolize changes in social attitude.

In the last decade or two we have seen movements toward equality as well as defiance of authority. Jeans, now worn by everybody, can be said to symbolize these changes for the better. In the past, only men wore jeans, and these men were at the bottom-socially and economically. Jeans were worn by truck drivers, farm and factory workers.

Today, jeans no longer are looked down upon. They are worn by both men and women, by both skilled and unskilled workers, by both employees and employers. This common way of dressing symbolizes respect for individuality, no matter what your occupation or sex. In the fight against authority, young people have been the leaders.

So it is natural that the teenagers would defy parents and school administrators over the right to wear jeans to class—and win. Jeans are the typical dress of civil rights marchers, fans at rock concerts, “hippies” returning to nature, and serious college students. Because everyone can be comfortable in them, the blue-jeans invented for the use of workers are now accepted almost anywhere, anytime.

This is true not only in the United States, but in many other countries in the world. I strongly agree with the following statement: “Old or new, glorified or plain, jeans are likely to be around for a long time to come. Already they have succeeded where statesmanship has failed. Although unable to speak the same language, the inhabitants of this embattled planet have at least agreed to wear the same pants.”