Umbrellas offer mode of expression, function

The art of the umbrella takes on many forms within the boundaries of a college campus. \nWhen the storm clouds congregate across the Hoosier horizon -- as is predicted several days this week -- students use many tactics for sheltering themselves and belongings from spring precipitation. Some students equip themselves with "practical" umbrellas built to last through several storms; other students adore "fashion" umbrellas designed to highlight their rainstorm outfit.\nJunior Brent Mergy said the choice of whether or not to use an umbrella for practical or fashionable purposes is up to the individual student, depending on their tolerance of wet and windy weather conditions. \n"I actually have (an umbrella); I'm just not using it," Mergy said beneath a maroon Abercrombie sweatshirt acting as his poncho. "I have never actually looked for one; my parents give me one or I grab one from the house ... I use an umbrella when it's bad out -- a little harder rain than what we have now." \nThe difference between practical umbrella use and the umbrella used as a fashion statement is often a matter of color, size and cost. The color black is often named the "traditional" choice of umbrella users. Fashion umbrellas often feature "outrageous" colors -- such as yellow or white -- and "unconventional" social symbols such as smiley faces, polka dots and unicorns.\nFreshman Morgan Reilly said the perception of a good umbrella versus a bad umbrella oftentimes resides in the longevity of its use.\n"A good umbrella is one that doesn't break in the wind," Reilly said moments before the wind blew her blue Target-bought umbrella inside out. "This is the first umbrella I have ever bought. If it's raining when I'm about to leave, then I'll grab it. Otherwise, I will just chance (the weather). A bad umbrella is one of the big ones that doesn't fold -- it's really obnoxious." \nThough the cultural aesthetic of umbrella use has evolved across civilizations and geographic landscapes, the art of the umbrella involves sheltering human beings from extreme weather conditions such as heat and moisture. Although umbrella use was associated with monarchy and kingship before the 17th century, umbrella use became both a practical concern and fashion concept during the 18th century. \nFrom Egypt to China and from Greece to Great Britain, the umbrella continues to be used a method of keeping human beings dry in wet weather and cool in hot climates. Despite the invention of crude "umbras" -- Latin for shade or shadow -- more than 4,000 years ago, students seem to prefer black umbrellas more than any other color or pattern. \nSophomore Tamara Polyakova said she has noticed hundreds of black umbrellas on campus, despite the numerous umbrella styles available for students at local rain gear retailers. She said she believes the common student umbrella aesthetic is practical instead of fashionable, since "unique" umbrellas are difficult to find. \n"I want my umbrella to be, ideally, long-lasting and therefore expensive and classy," Polyakova said, huddled with two students she didn't know, but who she had invited underneath her smiley-faced shelter anyway. "Since I'm cheap, I wanted it to be happy; do (the yellow smiley faces) make you happy? I don't like rain at all."\nAside from stylistic considerations, the art of umbrella use involves numerous cultural customs and rituals. \nReilly said her particular customs for umbrella use depend on the weather conditions. She said her rituals for opening and closing the umbrella as she opens and closes doors often occurs without forethought.\n"I walk to the door; I will wait until the last possible moment; I close it, shake it and put it in my bag," Reilly said. "I open the door; I open the umbrella, and then I step out. I share my umbrella if I have to, depending on how hard it's raining."\nJunior Kyle Klinger said his umbrella customs involve specific "holding habits" he has acquired through the years from repeated trial and failure for comfort. \n"I guess part of keeping (the umbrella) in your hand is to hold it tight," Klinger said while hopping on the tips of his toes to generate additional body heat during a recent storm. "Common sense tells me what way the wind is blowing to keep the umbrella in my hand, and the rain off my backpack."\nPolyakova said Mother Nature's sense of humor prevents her from practicing more traditional methods of umbrella use. Instead, she said she always seems to feel cold and wet despite her best efforts to keep her body sheltered from the rain.\n"I don't have a system for how I hold it," Polyakova said. "Sometimes I put it on my shoulder, sometimes I hold it my hand. I get wet either way."\nDespite specific cultural customs and rituals for student umbrella use, some students decide to not participate in umbrella usage at all.\nKlinger said students with no umbrellas suffer the most during extreme weather storms -- especially during rainstorms -- although other alternatives exist for students wishing to seek shelter from the rain.\n"Huddle up and keep your hands in your pockets," Klinger said. "Or find a friend with an umbrella so you don't get wet." \nReilly said the consequences of umbrella use on campus need to be weighed and considered against the benefit of keeping students dry. She said students should be weary of the ways they use their umbrella from campus building to building.\n"When there are four people walking next to each other on the sidewalk, that is a problem," Reilly said. "Their umbrellas are so big stretched out; I got hit in the face on my way to class."\nStudents should not have to dodge umbrellas on the campus sidewalks today -- today's weather forecast has called for a dry and cloudy sky. For students wishing to demonstrate the unique art of their umbrella styles, Bloomington can expect a 50 percent chance of rain Tuesday, with wet conditions continuing Friday through the weekend.\n-- Contact City & State Editor David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.