Monday, February 28, 2011

It's Primus Time = It's Miller Time in the U.S.




There are varieties of fabrics in Congo that don't have widely-worn counterparts in the United States- from this Primus quality export beer pattern to President Denis Sassou Nguesso à Edou's face plastered on green and yellow fabric recalling the celebration of Congo's 50 years of independence in 2010. I have never seen the beer equivalent of Budweiser or Miller Light pants, dressy shirts, or skirts so widely covering breasts and bottoms in the United States. I often see people wearing not only Denis, but other political faces I can't identify on what I consider to be rather stylish matching skirt and blouse ensembles in Brazzaville.

Political t-shirts are popular in my country especially during presidential election years. In the last Iowa caucus, when I first supported Hillary Clinton until she had to drop out of the race, I proudly wore my Iowans for Hillary t-shirt. Beer t-shirts are also a common addition to the wardrobe in rural Iowa especially for rednecks who frequent dingy bars with names like the Knotty Pine. Many of these beer brand t-shirt wearers have tummies that spill over the top of their worn out blue jeans.

We have something similar to Primus pants in the Midwest, but with our own Iowa twist- more slovenly, loose fitting and comfortable.

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