The Fashion Police

So what’s the deal with how people dress nowadays? Sure, we can’t all agree with every fashion trend that comes along, but y’ever see these rubes who literally have no sense of style whatsoever? Most people tend to fall into some sort of style group. You’ve all heard of them; emo, goth, preppy, gangsta, whatever. A lot of the stuff that’s actually popular nowadays is beginning to get pretty strange, but they’re trends nonetheless. Then you have the people who can’t even wrap their brains around the concept of not wearing shorts in the winter when there’s snow on the ground.

I tend to go for a business look, personally. Designer suits, interesting pattern blends, unique colors. For a summer/casual look I usually lean towards a lot of golf clothing. And even my work clothes have a system. When it comes to wear for physically demanding activities I lean towards tactical clothing. I know my sizes in everything that I wear, so my outfit always fits. This isn’t a difficult thing to accomplish, yet so many people out there either can’t figure it out or, more horrifying yet, don’t care to. I’ll get comments from people saying things like, “I wish I could afford to dress like that.” It’s flattering, but in all honesty you don’t need a lot of money nowadays to look professional. All you need is a favorite clothing store and a friend on the inside to help you out with getting good prices.

Another aspect of this that grinds my gears, so to speak, is how it makes men look as a whole these days. So many men out there care so little about their appearance that in major cities like Pittsburgh where I’m from and others like Boston and Los Angeles (the three were actually rated the three worst dressed cities in the country according to an article by GQ from a couple of years ago) you can’t tell the difference between the homeless population and your every-day people out and about. And the couples you see out together anymore are completely unbalanced. Ever notice how most of the time when you see a couple the man looks like he’s the woman’s ward and not her partner? You’ll see a woman who has a nice hairstyle, thoughtfully put-together outfit, nice make-up, walking with a man in sweatpants and a t-shirt who looks like he just rolled out of bed. And if the guy doesn’t have the haircut of a toddler (one that doesn’t require any kind of product or styling and just lays flat on his head) it’s probably covered by some tacky hat anyway. How is this interpreted? Are these guys all just so “sensitive” and such good mate material that women don’t care how they dress or present themselves? Or have women come to accept men who have no style because that’s seen as “manly”? I think it’s manly to have a sense of style, and I think you ladies ought to realize that when you settle for men who don’t you’re lowering the bar. You deserve to have a man who is as nicely dressed and put-together as you are. Don’t sell yourselves short.

Bottom line, most people need to learn how to dress themselves. Not to mention learn how to walk and talk and do just about everything else in a way that looks like they’re members of the species that’s at the top of the food chain. Take some pride in how you look to others, people. If you look like a bum people will think you’re a bum, but if you look like a millionaire people will think you are one. Perception is reality. Don’t you want a little extra respect for looking like you’re actually a somebody? I know I always enjoy it from looking the way I do. Try it out some time.