Note: This is not a word for word transcript

Neil
Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute English, I'm Neil. 

Rob
And I'm Rob. 

Neil
Rob, it's good to see you keeping up with fashion by wearing the high-vis jacket – although I have to say it is a bit dazzling. 

Rob
Neil, I'm no fashion victim – this high-vis or high-visibility jacket is for safety. I wear it when I'm cycling around London and I've just forgotten to take it off. 

Neil
And a fashion victim, by the way, is someone who always wears what's thought to be fashionable, even if it doesn't actually look good on them. But wearing high-vis clothing has become the latest fashion statement – that's something you wear to attract attention and people who know something about fashion. 

Rob
Well, I can assure you, I don't wear my bright jacket to look cool but in today's programme we'll be discussing why some people do. But first Neil, have you got a question for us to think about? 

Neil
OK, we know that fashions come and go but in which decade were leg warmers worn as a popular fashion accessory? Was it…
a)    the 1970s,
b)    the 1980s or
c)    the 1990s? 

Rob
I do remember these so I'll say b) the 1980s. 

Neil
Well, we'll reveal the answer at the end of the programme. Now let's talk more about the oddest item of clothing to hit the catwalk this year - the humble high-vis jacket. 

Rob
Yes, they were designed to be worn for safety by people like cyclists and pedestrians and by workers who need to be seen if, for example, they're working in the road or directing traffic. So it's strange to think that now people choose to wear them to be on-trend – that's following the latest fashion. 

Neil
Hannah Marriott is the Fashion Editor of the Guardian newspaper. She told the BBC Radio 4 programme You and Yours, why she thought people were turning to bright, luminous clothing. What was the reason? 

Hannah Marriott, Fashion Editor, The Guardian 
There's also just a trend at the moment for people wearing very bright things, very eye-catching things, it feels that with social media, you know, everyone's scrolling down their Instagram screens at such speed and anything that sort of catches the eye, that seems yeah, like a bit of a talking point, something that's going to get a bit of attention  - those kind of trends are getting a bit more traction at the moment - than the sort of understatedcashmere jumper kind of fashion. 

Rob
So her reason is social media. In our fast-paced lives, we're quickly scrolling through our social media feeds and people want to stand out, attract our attention and be noticed. 

Neil
And these attention-seekers need to wear some eye-catching – something that will catch your eye and be noticed. High-vis clothing certainly does that! 

Rob
Hannah mentioned that wearing something different creates a talking point – something that you or I may discuss at work or on social media – even if it is to say "that guys looks ridiculous"! And she also mentions that people are becoming interested in and accepting these kinds of trends – the word she used was traction.

Neil
Traction here means this fashion trend is starting to stick. Of course fashion comes at a price. While an ordinary high-vis vest used for workwear is normally affordable, when they're sold as a fashion item they can go for much higher prices, particularly if they have a designer label showing on the front. 

Rob
This raises an important question. We know that many people wearing high-vis jackets are doing important jobs, so does this fashion devalue what they're doing? 

Neil
Yes, it's something Hannah Marriott talked about. Let's hear from her again. What word does she use to describe a difficult issue? 

Hannah Marriott, Fashion Editor, The Guardian
Every time fashion borrows from workwear, there're always some sort of thorny issues around it - particularly when you're charging ￡2000 for something that is actually very similar to, you know, a uniform that somebody might be wearing who doesn't actually make that much money, you know, there's obviously some thorny class issues there.

Neil
So she used the word thorny to describe the issue of things worn at work becoming expensive fashion items. Thorny issues are subjects that are difficult deal with. Here she particularly mentioned the issue of class – so different groups of people in society in different economic positions – some can afford clothing for fashion, others can only afford clothing for work. 

Rob
And the other issue is that if everyone starts wearing high-vis clothing, then the people who need to stand out for their own safety may not stand out as easily. 

Neil
And we wouldn't want to miss you when you're out cycling on your bike, Rob. But would we miss you if you were wearing a pair of leg warmers? Earlier I asked in which decade were leg warmers worn as a popular fashion accessory. Was it…
a)    the 1970s,
b)    the 1980s or
c)    the1990s?

Rob
Yes, and I said b) the 1980s. It's got to be right!

Neil
Well, you know your fashion, Rob – it was indeed the 1980s. Leg warmers were originally worn by dancers to keep their muscles from cramping after stretching, but in the early 1980s they became fashionable for teenage girls to wear. 

Rob
OK, let's move on and recap on some of the vocabulary we've mentioned today. Starting with fashion victim – that's someone who always wears what's thought to be fashionable, even if it doesn't actually look good on them. Like that pair of red jeans you used to wear, Neil. 

Neil
They, Rob, were on-trend – that means 'in keeping up with the latest fashion'. Of course wearing something red is very eye-catching which means attracting attention and being noticed. 

Rob
Next we mentioned traction. If something gains traction it becomes accepted and popular. And then we had understated. In fashion, this describes something that does not attract attention and is not that impressive. 

Neil
And then we discussed the word thorny. A tree or bush with thorns is difficult to touch and handle and similarly a thorny issue is a subject that is difficult to deal with and discuss. 

Rob
Well, we've covered some thorny and less thorny issues today but we know that fashions change and maybe high-vis fashion won't be here forever. 

Neil
That's it for now but please join us next time for 6 Minute English. See you soon. Goodbye. 

Rob
Bye bye!

fashion victim
someone who always wears what's thought to be fashionable, even if it doesn't actually look good on them

on-trend
in keeping up with the latest fashion

eye-catching
attracting attention and being noticed

traction
if something gains traction it becomes accepted and popular

understated
(fashion) something that does not attract attention and is not that impressive

thorny (adjective)
a thorny issue is a subject that is difficult to deal with and discuss

双语版Transcript

Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute English, I’m Neil.
大家好。欢迎来到六分钟英语，我是尼尔。
And I’m Rob.
我是罗伯。
Rob, it’s good to see you keeping up with fashion by wearing the high-vis jacket – although I have to say it is a bit dazzling.
罗伯，很高兴看到你穿着十分引人注目的外套来紧跟潮流，然而我不得不说它有点晃眼啊。
Neil, I’m no fashion victim. This high-vis or high-visibility jacket is for safety. I wear it when I’m cycling around London and I’ve just forgotten to take it off.
尼尔，我不是时尚牺牲品。这个十分引人注目的外套是为了安全。当绕伦敦骑行时我会穿着它，而且我只是忘了把它脱下来。
And a fashion victim, by the way, is someone who always wears what’s thought to be fashionable, even if it doesn’t actually look good on them. But wearing high-vis clothing has become the latest fashion statement.That’s something you wear to attract attention and people who know something about fashion.
顺便提一下，时尚牺牲品是那些总是穿着认为时尚物件的人，即使穿着真的不好看。但是穿十分引人注目的服装已经成为最近的时尚宣言。那是指你为了吸引注意力以及略懂时尚之人的注意所穿戴的东西。
Well, I can assure you, I don’t wear my bright jacket to look cool. But in today’s programme we’ll be discussing why some people do. But first, Neil, have you got a question for us to think about?
好吧，我可以向你保证，我穿这件亮眼的外套不是为了看起来酷酷的。但是在今天的节目里，我们将会讨论为什么一些人那样做。但是首先，尼尔，你有什么问题让我们大家思考吗？
OK, we know that fashions come and go, but in which decade were leg warmers worn as a popular fashion accessory? Was it… a)    the 1970s, b)    the 1980s or c)    the 1990s?
好的，我们知道时尚反反复复，但是在哪个年代护腿被当做潮流配饰穿戴？是a) 20世纪70年代， b) 20世纪80年代 还是 c) 20世纪90年代？
I do remember these, so I’ll say b) the 1980s.
我确实记得这些，所以我说是b) 20世纪80年代。
Well, we’ll reveal the answer at the end of the programme. Now let’s talk more about the oddest item of clothing to hit the catwalk this year - the humble high-vis jacket.
好的，我们将会在节目最后揭晓答案。现在让我们更多讨论一下这个今年时装设计行业最古怪的服装——既低调又十分引人注目的外套。
Yes, they were designed to be worn for safety by people like cyclists and pedestrians and by workers who need to be seen if, for example, they’re working in the road or directing traffic. So it’s strange to think that now people choose to wear them to be on-trend, that’s following the latest fashion.
是的，它们是为一些为了安全而穿戴的人设计的，像骑自行车的人，步行的人，还有那些需要被注意到的工人，例如当他们在公路上作业或者指挥交通的时候。所以想到现在人们选择穿它们是为了流行就很奇怪了，那是他们在追逐最新潮流。
Hannah Marriott is the Fashion Editor of the Guardian newspaper. She told the BBC Radio 4 programme You and Yours, why she thought people were turning to bright, luminous clothing. What was the reason?
汉娜?玛丽奥特是《卫报》的时尚编辑。她告诉BBC广播4频道You and Yours她觉得为什么人们穿亮眼鲜艳的衣服。理由是什么呢？
There’s also just a trend at the moment for people wearing very bright things, very eye-catching things. It feels that with social media, you know, everyone’s scrolling down their Instagram screens at such speed. And anything that sort of catches the eye, that seems yeah, like a bit of a talking point, something that’s going to get a bit of attention. Those kind of trends are getting a bit more traction at the moment than the sort of understated cashmere jumper kind of fashion.
人们现在穿非常亮眼，非常引人注意的东西只是一种潮流。那感觉像由于社交媒体，你知道的，每个人都在以如此的速度在他们的Instagram屏幕上快速浏览。而且任何抓住眼球的东西看起来，是的，就像是一个讨论的焦点，是会吸引注意力的东西。现在那些潮流比那种低调羊绒套头毛衣的时尚还要流行。
So her reason is social media. In our fast-paced lives, we’re quickly scrolling through our social media feeds and people want to stand out, attract our attention and be noticed.
所以她的理由是社交媒体。在我们快节奏的生活中，我们很快沦陷于社交媒体讯息之中，而且人们想要引人注目，吸引大家的注意，被大家注意到。
And these attention-seekers need to wear some eye-catching – something that will catch your eye and be noticed. High-vis clothing certainly does that!
而且这些渴求关注的人需要穿引人注意的服饰，某些会吸引你的眼球，被注意到的东西。十分引人注目的服装确实能做到那一点！
Hannah mentioned that wearing something different creates a talking point – something that you or I may discuss at work or on social media.Even if it is to say “that guy looks ridiculous“! And she also mentions that people are becoming interested in and accepting these kinds of trends.The word she used was ’traction’.
汉娜提到穿不一样的服饰会产生讨论的焦点——你或者是我在工作或者社交媒体中或许会讨论的东西。即使它要说的是“那家伙看起来太可笑了”！而且她同样提到人们变得对这些潮流感兴趣以及接受这些潮流。她用到的单词是“traction”。
Traction’ here means this fashion trend is starting to stick. Of course fashion comes at a price. While an ordinary high-vis vest used for workwear is normally affordable.When they’re sold as a fashion item they can go for much higher prices, particularly if they have a designer label showing on the front.
“Traction”在这里指的是这种时尚潮流开始流行起来。当然时尚是有代价的。当一个普通的，十分引人注目的背心被用作工作服时通常是可以负担得起的。当他们被当做时尚物件出售时，它们的价格可以飙得更高，特别是如果在产品前面有设计师标签的话。
This raises an important question. We know that many people wearing high-vis jackets are doing important jobs, so does this fashion devalue what they’re doing?
这就带来一个重要的问题。我们知道一些人穿十分引人注目的外套是在做重要工作，所以这个时尚会降低他们工作的价值吗？
Yes, it’s something Hannah Marriott talked about. Let’s hear from her again. What word does she use to describe a difficult issue?
是的，它是汉娜?玛丽奥特所谈到的。让我们再听一下她所说的。她用什么单词来描述一个困难的事情？
Every time fashion borrows from workwear, there’re always some sort of thorny issues around it. Particularly when you’re charging ￡2000 for something that is actually very similar to, you know, a uniform that somebody might be wearing who doesn’t actually make that much money. You know, there’s obviously some thorny class issues there.
每次时尚从工作装有所借鉴时，总会伴随一些棘手的问题。特别是当某件东西向你要价2000英镑的时候，你要知道，那实际上和一些人穿的工作装非常相似，而那些人实际上没赚那么多钱。你知道很显然那会有一些棘手的阶级问题。
So she used the word ’thorny’ to describe the issue of things worn at work becoming expensive fashion items. Thorny issues are subjects that are difficult deal with.  Here she particularly mentioned the issue of class. So different groups of people in society in different economic positions.Some can afford clothing for fashion, others can only afford clothing for work.
所以她用“棘手的”来描述工作时所穿的衣服变成昂贵的时尚物件的事情。棘手的事情是很难解决的事情。这里她特别提到了等级的问题。所以社会中不同的人群处在不同的经济地位。一些人负担得起时尚产品，另一些人只能负担工作的衣服。
And the other issue is that if everyone starts wearing high-vis clothing, then the people who need to stand out for their own safety may not stand out as easily.
而且另一件事是如果每个人都开始穿十分引人注目的服装，那么需要为自身安全穿着显眼的人或许就不会那么容易引人注目了。
And we wouldn’t want to miss you when you’re out cycling on your bike, Rob. But would we miss you if you were wearing a pair of leg warmers? Earlier I asked in which decade were leg warmers worn as a popular fashion accessory. Was it… a) the 1970s, b) the 1980s or c) the1990s?
而且当你在外骑自行车时我们不想要注意不到你，罗伯。但是你穿着一副护腿时，我们会注意不到你吗？早些时候我问在哪个年代护腿作为时尚潮流配饰穿戴。是a) 20世纪70年代， b) 20世纪80年代还是c) 20世纪90年代？
Yes, and I said b) the 1980s. It’s got to be right!
是的，而且我说是b) 20世纪80年代。它肯定是对的！
Well, you know your fashion, Rob, it was indeed the 1980s. Leg warmers were originally worn by dancers to keep their muscles from cramping after stretching. But in the early 1980s they became fashionable for teenage girls to wear.
好的，你了解时尚，罗伯，它确实是20世纪80年代。护腿最初是舞者在拉伸之后为了保护肌肉不痉挛而穿戴的。但是在20世纪80年代早期，它们变成了年轻女孩的潮流穿搭。
OK, let’s move on and recap on some of the vocabulary we’ve mentioned today. Starting with ’fashion victim’.That’s someone who always wears what’s thought to be fashionable, even if it doesn’t actually look good on them.Like that pair of red jeans you used to wear, Neil.
好的，让我们继续并回顾一下我们今天提到的一些单词。从“fashion victim”开始。那是说总是穿认为时尚服饰的人，即使他们穿着并不好看。就像你曾经穿过的那条红色牛仔裤，尼尔。
They, Rob, were on-trend. That means ’in keeping up with the latest fashion’. Of course wearing something red is very eye-catching which means attracting attention and being noticed.
罗伯，它们是潮流。那指的是“紧跟时尚潮流”。当然穿红色的服饰非常引人注目，那指的是吸引注意力，被人注意到。
Next we mentioned ’traction’. If something gains traction it becomes accepted and popular. And then we had ’understated’. In fashion, this describes something that does not attract attention and is not that impressive.
接下来我们提到了“traction”。如果某事物的流行度增加，它就是变得可接受并流行起来。然后我们谈到了“understated”。在时尚方面，这描述的是某事不引人注意而且不令人印象深刻。
And then we discussed the word thorny. A tree or bush with thorns is difficult to touch and handle and similarly a thorny issue is a subject that is difficult to deal with and discuss.
然后我们讨论了“thorny”。一个有刺的树或者灌木很难触碰，而且相似的是，一个棘手的问题是很难解决和讨论的话题。
Well, we’ve covered some thorny and less thorny issues today. But we know that fashions change and maybe high-vis fashion won’t be here forever.
好的，我们已经播报完今天某些棘手以及没那么棘手的问题。但是我们知道时尚变幻莫测，或许十分引人注目的时尚不会永远保持下去。
That’s it for now but please join us next time for 6 Minute English.See you soon. Goodbye.
现在就是所有内容了，下次再加入六分钟英语啊。下次见。再见。
Bye bye!
拜拜！

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