ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ Accustomed 2 Customs! Page 22 ³ ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´ ³ * The custom of thumbs up or thumbs down has been with us since Roman days!³ ³ The emperor would give a thumbs up or a thumbs down depending upon how ³ ³ the gladiator performed in the arena. This is what most people believe ³ ³ but it just isn't true. The truth is, the first known use of this ges- ³ ³ ture was by a French painter in 1873. The painting was called Pollice ³ ³ Verso in which the emperor was making a thumbs down gesture. The use of ³ ³ this gesture in the Roman arena never had any direct meaning assigned ³ ³ to them. Not only was the thumb used in an up and down motion but also ³ ³ in a side motion. But what the significance of this was never was clear.³ ³ Today the use of the thumb up or down is easily understood and the side- ³ ³ ways thumb is commonly used for hitchhiking. ³ ³ * Women wearing high heels seems to be a custom that has been with us since³ ³ the seventeenth century. The French invented this custom. Though a ³ ³ great many people believe this was probably one of the worst customs to ³ ³ have around, since the wearing of high heels can cause all types of back ³ ³ problems as well as foot problems. Originally this custom was reserved ³ ³ to only the royal and upper class noble women who wanted to give the ³ ³ impression of being above all the common folks. Well the common folks ³ ³ decided they liked the idea of elevating women on high heels because this³ ³ held them on the pedestal some men believed they belonged. ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ