Michelle Griep

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Is Labor Day Just Another Excuse to BBQ?

Here we are. Celebrating yet another Labor Day. One last time to fire up the grill and burn some brats before winter hits. But is that what Labor Day is really all about? Waving good-bye to summer while shoveling baked beans into our mouths? What's the point of Labor Day? 

In back-to-school style, sit back and enjoy a history lesson, class.

The first Labor Day celebration took place in 1882 in New York City and was kicked off with a parade.  It didn't become a holiday, though, until 1896 when President Grover Cleveland declared it a national event.

Labor Day is intended to celebrate the "dignity" of work...which makes it even more interesting that to celebrate, many people sit around in tee-shirts and slug back beer.

Labor Day is also celebrated in Canada, Australia and the Bahamas. Other countries celebrate as well, but they usually call it Worker's Day.

And the mother of all facts that you've all been waiting for . . .

Why is it a fashion faux pas to wear white after Labor Day?

This has to do with stupid fashion rules made up by rich white women. Yeah, go ahead and call me a racist and intolerant and all that jazz, to which I blow a huge raspberry. I am a white woman, so get over it. Anyway, back in the day, as in late 1800's, the wives of uber-rich white dudes ruled high society. As more people became millionaires, it was hard to tell the difference between old money and those who had vulgar "new" money. In order to tell who was acceptable and who wasn't, the elite women made up goofy-butt dress codes that everyone in the know had to follow or risk getting shunned.

Not wearing white after summer was one of those rules. White was for resort wear and weddings. Period.

Personally, I don't wear a whole lot of white even in the summer. I'm way too much of a slob and can't seem to keep a white shirt clean. Hmm...maybe with my wardrobe, I could fit in with the upper-class, leastwise after Labor Day.