Aging with Mr. Irby

You've probably heard about Dale Irby's yearbook photos.


(Click to see it at its full-size, brown-vested best.)

The Texas gym teacher wore the same brown sweater vest and polyester shirt for 40 years of school photos, at first by accident, and then as an annual joke.

The thing I love about this the most is seeing the way a person ages. It's a great example because, in addition to the consistent posing of the institutional photographer, Irby barely changed his hair (whether on head or face) over the years. It's only his glasses that vary, and those are not wildly different either.

I think the biggest changes in his facial appearance happened in his 40 and 50s (the end of the third row and most of the fourth row), followed by the ones in his 50s and 60s (the last 10 photos).

This makes me want to go dig up photos of myself starting in 1983. But even if I can find one for each year, they won't have consistent poses, let alone the clothes or hair. Ah, Mr. Irby, thanks.