Bluejeans, it seems, is the Great American Uniform. It's what we wear when we're not working (and for some lucky folks, it's what they wear when they are working). In a society that worships  individualism, we all prefer denim. 

I came late to the bluejeans world. I didn't get my first pair of bluejeans, I believe, in 9th grade. I remember feeling like a whole different person, that person being "not a square." Back then, if I remember right, we just called them Levis. There were basically two brands: Levi Strauss and Lee, but the generic "Levis" got attached to both. 

Now, of course, everybody makes denim pants, so the even more generic "bluejeans" is needed. I own denim by Levi Strauss, Sonoma, Eddie Bauer, and Lee. As I type, I'm wearing my Eddie Bauers.

When I went to Honduras last week, I didn't take bluejeans. They can be stiff. Instead, I wore casual pants, Dockers. Much more comfortable on an airplane, and they can double as dress-up pants. I remember when Dockers came out, and for a while you wondered if they would supplant bluejeans as the Pants of Choice. But after this flirtation, we reverted to our tried-and-true denim, and let Dockers reign on Casual Friday.

Denim, clearly, has a death-grip on Americans.

And, from the look of it, the rest of the world.