Germans Rail Against Sexy Oktoberfest Outfits

Oktoberfest has exploded from a provincial southern German celebration to an internationally celebrated phenomenon, and a lot of Bavarians can’t stand it, the Wall Street Journal reports. “It’s become like Mardi Gras—it’s appalling,” says one Munich tailor. She, and many fellow residents, are especially enraged by what they see as the perversion of tracht, the traditional garb worn during the festival. It’s become an international fashion trend—and gotten a lot racier in the process.

These days, the likes of Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton flaunt designer updates on traditional dirndl dresses—often featuring shorter skirts and weird materials, like leather or plastic. “I'm overcome with fremdschämen, and I'm ashamed that I'm from Bavaria when I see things like that,” the tailor says. (Fremdschämen is a German word meaning “a feeling of cringing embarrassment for the actions of others.”) But Lola Paltinger, the most infamous dirndl updater, is unapologetic. “I appreciate and like those people that are doing the traditional styles,” she says. “But I, for myself, I have to do something else and something different.” (More Oktoberfest stories.)