No Trousers at the Polynesian Cultural Center

[Departed Member]

So I've been vacationing in Hawaii with my fam this last week, and yesterday I went to the PCC for the first time (been to HI many times, but first time to the PCC). I have many friends who are tour guides there, so I thought we' make a stop there in Laie for a tour. Anyway, the PCC has villages from 7 of the polynesian (1 Melanesian, Fiji) countries, with villagers walking around and doing presentations and such, and aside from a couple workers in the gift shops/snack shops and all the tourists but me, all the tour guides and villager workers, both male and female, were skirted in some way, usually with a wrap of some kind. There were no trousers at all to be seen on the workers there. The Polynesians knew how to dress for the hot, humid, tropical climates of their island homes: skirts!

I may have some pics to upload, but you can see visuals by watching the videos for each country on the following link:

http://www.polynesia.com/day-experience ... _sETyggH7Q

To my knowledge, it was not until those pesky European/American travelers/explorers and missionaries showed up that trousers were introduced to the islands.

Thought you'd all find this interesting.

[Jim]

To my knowledge, it was not until those pesky European/American travelers/explorers and missionaries showed up that trousers were introduced to the islands.

Yesterday being "Go Topless Day", we shouldn't fail to mention that topfreedom was also the norm until the European/American culture took over.

[Sinned]

What's the PCC? Polynesian Cultural Celebration? The problem with TLAs ( Third Language Associations ) is that they can mean different things to different people ( and nothing to the ignorant or those from a different culture ).

[pleated]

What's the PCC? Polynesian Cultural Celebration? The problem with TLAs ( Third Language Associations ) is that they can mean different things to different people ( and nothing to the ignorant or those from a different culture ).

'Polynesian Cultural Center' -It's all there in the title of the thread!

[happykilt]

What's the PCC? Polynesian Cultural Celebration? The problem with TLAs ( Third Language Associations ) is that they can mean different things to different people ( and nothing to the ignorant or those from a different culture ).

'Polynesian Cultural Center' -It's all there in the title of the thread!

Well, even if it is in the title it would be (at least) polite to write it open in the text (with the acronym) the first time one uses it.
Example: "Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC)..."
Thank you Sinned.

[crfriend]

Example: "Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC)..."

Or, "Presidents Conference Car" (a class of trolley designs here in the USA from the early 40s into the late 50s).

That's the problem with TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) -- the namespace is badly overloaded.

[Sinned]

hppyklt, You're right it is good style to define the TLA at the beginning but shamefully I just didn't read the title!

It's probably more important on a site such as this as we all come from different cultures and what is familiar to me could be something that you haven't a clue about.

[Departed Member]

Goodness! I just told you all about a paradise where both men AND women wear nothing but skirts, and there is no social condemnation of such, and all you can do is complain about not defining an acronym in the post when it was already defined in the title as already noted?? There are seriously no comments on skirt paradise??

On a side note, when given an acronym AND a location, consulting the google god by making the necessary binary sacrificial offering of "a little time and effort of punching keys on the key board " usually works for me.

[crfriend]

Goodness! I just told you all about a paradise where both men AND women wear nothing but skirts, and there is no social condemnation of such, and all you can do is complain about not defining an acronym in the post when it was already defined in the title as already noted??

This is a common social malady which is brought about by a surfeit of acronyms, and I rather suspect it's down to burnout with the dratted things instead of disdain for the content of the original post.

That having been said, I suspect I would find such a world somewhat boring insofar as there is really no boat to rock -- and, deep down, don't we all get a slight kick out of rocking the ever-so-stable boat. I know that I do; if it wasn't for computer history and skirts I'd have to look for other things. But those work quite well at the moment, and aside from the perceived need to cause the self-assured and those on inertial-guidance some grief make me happy in many ways. The point is that in what we refer to as "Western Civilisation" skirted garments on guys, save the Scots and Celts, are at best an historical notion and, at worst, something approaching the level of deviance and perversion. Not all cultures are so hidebound.

On a side note, when given an acronym AND a location, consulting the google god by making the necessary binary sacrificial offering of "a little time and effort of punching keys on the key board " usually works for me.

If I tried looking up every TLA (Three Letter Acronym) I ran into every day, and which collided with another one that I already knew, and the answer wasn't obvious, I'd spend more time researching it than calling out the orator to define the bloomin' thing already. In some circles, the problem really is that bad. Now, the original post called out the TLA -- although did not define it -- in the Subject header; so I was not going to confuse "Polynesian Cultural Center" with "Presidents Conference Car", but I don't know how many other representations are made using that TLA. It's likely dozens.

[Departed Member]

But, but, I provided a link and everything...whatevs.

Anyhow, as to rocking the boat (or outrigger canoe in the case of Polynesia), such a "skirt paradise" as the "Polynesian Cultural Center ("PCC")" would offer plenty of opportunities for boat rocking. Even though both sexes/genders wore skirts, they still had different sex/gender specifications in patterns, colors, and lengths, etc. For example, the male tour guides wore formal sulus/lavalavas, while the women wore mumus (Hawaiin dresses, for clarity's sake). But, the male tour guides wore pink aloha shirts while the women's mumus were the same pink print as the male tour guides' aloha shirts. So, bottom line, there would still be plenty of boat rocking available in a society where both men and women wore skirts. Take Scotland for example.

[crfriend]

But, but, I provided a link and everything...whatevs.

I, just a few moments ago, actually got a chance to look at it. The place looks fascinating, and thanks for it!

Anyhow, as to rocking the boat (or outrigger canoe in the case of Polynesia), such a "skirt paradise" as the "Polynesian Cultural Center ("PCC")" would offer plenty of opportunities for boat rocking.

I suppose most cultures have similar baggage to what we get in the "Western world", but it's something that most never get to experience.

'Tis a pity it'd take a very long time for me to get there (I can't fly).

[Big and Bashful]

It looks like a great place for a holiday, I love the "dress code". Unfortunately being a person who has never liked coconut or fish, I think I would struggle to enjoy the local cuisine! Still I do need to lose weight.
Maybe one day I will have the funds for a holiday to somewhere like that, instead of pratting about on a yacht, or like just now, wishing I was on the boat instead of waiting to get my car back. H, and in a wider sense, Humm!

[Sinned]

Sorry Ptblly, I didn't mean to take anything away from your post with the distraction of the TLAs. This sometimes happens with threads and is called thread drift. I have looked at the site and for us it is literally across the other side of the world. Couldn't really be anywhere further away. Going there I think that we would need to be retired so that we could spend a couple of months there. According to guggle it's 7109 miles. Wow! I would enjoy savouring the different cultural styles so thanks for bringing it to my attention and would relish my wife wearing the mumu ( a change from the leggings that she normally wears ). I would enjoy being able to wear skirts the whole time. But. The skirts there would be the traditional sulu/lavalava and my above knee lightweight skirts would still stand out surely? Even when I wear a sarong I wear it folded in half lengthwise so that the bottom edge ends at about the knee. Like Crl I enjoy being different and being the one in a million. Not bothered about screwing with people's sense of style I just want to be me.

[Grok]

But, but, I provided a link and everything...whatevs.

Anyhow, as to rocking the boat (or outrigger canoe in the case of Polynesia), such a "skirt paradise" as the "Polynesian Cultural Center ("PCC")" would offer plenty of opportunities for boat rocking. Even though both sexes/genders wore skirts, they still had different sex/gender specifications in patterns, colors, and lengths, etc. For example, the male tour guides wore formal sulus/lavalavas, while the women wore mumus (Hawaiin dresses, for clarity's sake). But, the male tour guides wore pink aloha shirts while the women's mumus were the same pink print as the male tour guides' aloha shirts. So, bottom line, there would still be plenty of boat rocking available in a society where both men and women wore skirts. Take Scotland for example.

If any members should start making sarongs, I imagine that they will ignore these conventions and come up with something original.

[Departed Member]

I would enjoy savouring the different cultural styles so thanks for bringing it to my attention and would relish my wife wearing the mumu ( a change from the leggings that she normally wears ). I would enjoy being able to wear skirts the whole time. But. The skirts there would be the traditional sulu/lavalava and my above knee lightweight skirts would still stand out surely? Even when I wear a sarong I wear it folded in half lengthwise so that the bottom edge ends at about the knee. Like Crl I enjoy being different and being the one in a million. Not bothered about screwing with people's sense of style I just want to be me.

Actually, when I was there, I recall seeing many of the male worker villagers/performers wearing wrap skirts that were knee length or well above the knee, so you probably wouldn't be too out of place there. I wore a knee length lavalava, and had no comments or stares or anything. Maybe people thought I was a worker...

It was really a fascinating place to visit. It's also a very worthy place because the LDS Church owns and operates it, and they provide a great scholarship opportunity for individuals of polynesian descent; all they must do, in order to attend BYU (Brigham Young University) Hawaii on scholarship, I think having everything paid for, is to work at the PCC for 19 hours a week, or something like that. It's a great thing for the polynesians to help get them an education.

It is kind of like visiting Disneyland in a way, although I wish there was more historical explanations of the different Polynesian cultures. It focused mostly on the cultural things, which is quite interesting, but I would like to learn more about how those cultures developed.