Originally Posted by
will2288
I am perfectly happy looking like an American when I travel. Sure, there are places where you need/should dress in certain ways, but I'd say those are not the majority. I've never felt like a target or felt like I need to say I'm Canadian. I am happy to represent America, and think I generally do a good job.
I feel the same. I used to think it was a compliment when people said I must be Canadian because I didn't fit some people's notion of Americans as being loud yahoos. But over time I've come to realize that that's not unlike "complimenting" an African-American for being articulate, or saying that a French person must be Swiss because he's not rude, or saying "How can you really be Irish if you don't drink?" It says more about the speaker's prejudices than it does about me.
And FWIW, in Europe at least, jeans have been common for decades.