I can’t speak for everyone, but I don’t think too many people are saying it’s a problem with people who can’t afford anything other than a pair of jeans. They’re wondering why people have the ABILITY to dress in something other than jeans and CHOOSE not to do so. You’re very right, in many (maybe even most) parts of the world, this discussion would not even take place because people don’t have the option of choosing what to wear. Those of us who can, are very fortunate and blessed to have that ability. But at the same time, because we have the ability to wear our very best, why SHOULDN’T we?
Not everyone who chooses to dress in something other than jeans is a spoiled rich person. I can tell you I’m not rich by anyone’s standards here in the United States. I like to dress up on a daily basis, and thank goodness for hand-me-downs that will last for years, because it’s an expensive way to dress. I’m very fortunate that I even have the option. During the summer, I went to Mass in an area where forty percent of the people in this town live off of food stamps and other means of financial assistance. Many are also forced to walk across a busy intersection to go to work because they cannot afford to own a car and the gas and fees that come with it. For Mass, they wear the same dressy outfit every week because it is the only nice thing they have. Their young children wear their First Communion clothes until they outgrow them.