Butch?

[ilikekicks]

Im putting this in the mens section, women can comment if they choose.. This past new years, I played a gig at a rather nice or ' classy ' place. What did I wear? A pair of white Sketchers Energy Sneakers , White pants, white shirt and a white hat. Yep, all in white for the evening. What absolutely phased me was a LOT of the women that were there. Sure, there were a few in heels or what I would call ' nice attire ', but at least half of them looked what I would call ' Frumpy '. It looked like the lot of them just walked off a construction jobsite. I mean, new years eve, special occasion, why not at least try and look presentable? The woman whom was singing for us actually looked at me and stated ' I think Im over dressed ' in a pair of skinny jeans, a sweater/cardi-thingi and having taken taken some time to do her face ( lighting makeup, we all had it on ). What really bothers me.. and it seems like a growing trend.. people are starting to dress more and more towards the.. ' My washer is broken and the maytag guy is on strike ' kind of look. Again, this is usually a very classy place. The Door guy doesnt normally let anyone in if their shoes are filthy and has a pile of towels by the door ' just in case ' people need them. Driving home ( 120 miles ), I had to stop twice to stretch. Each time was on the thruways service centers and I looked at some of the people and how they went out. Granted, it was after midnight and a night of partying.. but to look so dishelved all the time? Has anyone else noticed how ' downward ' people have been presenting themselves lately? -Ilk

[JeffB]

Yup, I've noticed. Seen more than a few young women and teenagers at the mall wearing pajama pants tucked into Ugg boots, a truly revolting look. Also, lots of sweats and sneakers. This is just my opinion, but I think people are just too lazy these days to dress properly and, for the most part, don't care how they look when out in public. For them, presentation all boils down to bare minimum, no style, no class, no nothing. Don't even get me started on the legions of young knuckleheads who wear uber baggy jeans with the waistband down at the crotch. URGH! Ridiculous!

[mlroseplant]

Yup, it's not just you. I've lived most of my life in a college town (my dad got his first job as a professor here in 1969 and never left), and I've got to say, the girls keep getting younger, but I swear, they don't look as good as they used to. I'm a child of the 80s, and I clearly remember it was kind of a big deal to dress up a little bit, at least once a week when we were in high school, especially the girls. That just isn't the case any more. I will be traveling to Vietnam in about a month to visit my in-laws. Believe me, things are different there. The boys still pretty much look like crap, but the girls dress to impress. Hehe. Wish that would catch on again here in the USA. I understand it's the same in Korea. The girls wear heels EVERYWHERE. Not unlike northern Vietnam.

[freestyle75]

There is this saying about girls...

"In the past, you would marry a girl that could cook like you mom,

today you get a girl that can drink as much as you dad."

In Germany, it depends. For party / going out, most still dress up nicely, but if you go downtown to do a little shopping, it sometimes also astonishes me how little some care about how they look. I don't think Ugg boots are necessarily a bad thing, but I don't like 14 year olds dressed in a way that would make the hooker on the street faint, or those that - as described before - wear the "fresh out of bed look" all day long (jogging pants, etc.).

Even if the items they wear are ok as such, not everyone can wear everything. This sense of self-awareness has been lost completely in the younger generation.

If I put on ankle boots and leggings, it looks really bad (my calves are simply too big, I don't like how it looks, so I don't wear this particular style).

Still... there are many, many girls that I see that don't seem to have a mirror at home. Bravo for having the self-confidence, but if you weight double of what the average your age weights, you probably shouldn't sport the tight leggings, or the top that is two sizes too small (this may sound superficial, but I also consider myself overweight at 5 ft 9 inches and a weight of 167 lbs / 75 kg and want to lose some weight in 2013, at least one size down).

Tight Jeans with some visible fat rolls on the sides are also common these days, as are jeans that show "cleavage" if you are standing behind that person.

But it's not only the overall look - it's manners (and sometimes basic general knowledge) in general. I've seen the same thing with our interns and student trainees where I work - it's a whole different kind of generation, and I mean this in a negative way. Whether it's just greeting someone, knowing how to behave with customers in the room, etc. - with most of the new interns, we are starting from scratch.

I've noticed it that much with the younger generation only. In the general (older) population, it still is ok overall.

I guess it also differs from country to country. Especially in the former soviet union, women dress to the nines - always.

[Logjam]

Pretty much the same around here. Both genders. Regards, Logjam

[Heelster]

Oh I know what you mean. I'm not the greatest at getting dressed up any more as I rarely have anywhere to go that need it, but there is no way I would wear sweat pants and slippers to the grocery store. Something I have seen often lately. I rarely ever see anyone in heels. Most guys are sneakers, and workboots, and unfortunately, since the snow has arrives, the girls look the same as the guys.

[ilikekicks]

On the way home, Darian teased me saying " Did you see anything you liked or that we could share? ". I sat there not saying anything trying to think of all the women I saw there. She asked " Did you hear me? " about 2-3 minutes later and all I could say was ' The bouncer/doorguy with the big bicepts was better dressed then most of the women there! How do you want me to answer your question? Honestly or in a joking matter? The answer will still sadly be the same. ' The Doorguy/Bouncer/staff wear collared shirts, clean black pants and black footware. I felt bad because I couldnt wear heels onstage ( Policy of the club, their insurance ). Karen ( singer ) wasnt allowed her boots ( heels ) either and borrowed my Uggs. We didnt know before hand and should have checked. Im VERY casual. Yes, I wear sweats when Im lounging around. I have 2 pairs of ' workboots ' for when Im knocking out walls/doing demolition work. But I also have several pairs of ' clean ' daily footware. I think about this and I wonder if such outlooks might be why there could be a stigmatism when some of these ' women ' see a guy whos dressed sharply and might have on a pair of heels. The only ' heeling ' I did was before soundcheck when I walked in. One of the waitresses and a woman behind the bar called me over to ask whom I was as we arrived early. I told her whom I was and she remembered me " OH YEAH! The Guy with the black boots! " and the other replied " No, you should see the spikes hes wearing right not! Forget the boots! ". Yeah, they were both surprised. Their common response " How can you walk in those? " " I could never wear something like that! " " Where did you get those " They told the manager about what I was wearing and thats when the whole " insurance doesnt cover.. " entity was brought up. Whatever..

[Bubba136]

The whole "dress down" issue began, in my opinion, with the war on poverty that is responsible for the "ghetoiazation" of society. Hippies, roughnecks and bums suddenly "were somebody." And, the ghetto culture took over. But not being critical, it's just the "you owe me" mindset and,things have gone downhill from there.

[Steve63130]

From my perception, the "slobbing" of America started in 1992, which is the year that sales of pantyhose started to decline, and have never recovered. "Business casual" and "Casual Friday" were bad inventions. I really liked the old days, when people dressed up for travel, for church, for weddings and funerals, for dining out, and even just for most business. While I hated neckties, I loved seeing the women dressed up. People behaved with more gentility, too, addressing each other as Mr __ or Miss __. I was at a funeral a couple of years ago, and out of respect I wore a suit. This crowd was so casual, with their flip flops shorts, and halter tops, it looked like everyone had just come from the beach. One of the women asked me if I was the preacher! LOL I definitely felt out of place. So the slobbing trend has been going on for at least 20 years. Steve

[Shafted]

Yep, It's rampant here.

[saudade]

Lol, you guys are seriously getting close to "Get off my lawn you whippersnapers!" territory with this rant here. I can't say I would want to work for the old say IBM and memorize a company song whilst wearing a suit, tie, button down shirt, and pocket protector. Style changes, and it cyclic. I'd say the other aspect might bet the overall economy. Anyway, it is beer-o-clock time for me, lates.

[Kittyinboots]

I once made the mistake of running off disheveled to class in college, since I was running extremely late. After class I met up with our student activities club. Our club president, she was dolled up with a mini skirt and gorgeous black suede pirate boots with about a 3 inch heel. Her overall look was dressy and stylish. I felt like a slug being right next to her. So I immediately cleaned up my act, next day made sure that I was well groomed and wore my favorite white dress shirt, bolo tie, nice blue jeans tucked into my tan cowboy boots. So I was going for an overall western look, and just had to stop by the student office she was working at the time, and greet her with a friendly hello. Since that moment I always make sure that I go out in public with a presentable look, no matter where I go. My current work position offers some flexibility with our dress code, but for the most part I make an effort to wear a business casual look, consisting of a dress shirt, trousers or Dockers, and comfortable dress shoes. I do give myself a casual Friday, since it is easier on my dry cleaning bill and a nice way to wind down a long work week. I would also make sure that my casual wear is presentable at work, no ragged clothes or holes in my jeans. When I go out on my boot outings and heeling adventures, I make sure that my other clothes go well with my boots. My overall look is a dress shirt or mock turtleneck, blue/black denim riding jeans tucked into my boots from my avatar, topped off with my slim black leather jacket. As said many times by our members, you should like what you see in the mirror and it should be presentable. Dress right for the occasion and dress for success.

[mlroseplant]

I guess I'm a dinosaur also, along with my family, I'm one of the few who still wears a suit and tie to church (and I wore heels for the first time this last Sunday, as an aside). I'm proud to say my 13 year old son dresses the way I do, minus the heels. I think he's a little bit embarrassed by my heels, but I have a couple pairs he thinks are cool.

[HappyinHeels]

While the trand towards a decidely-more casual look is unmistakable and, as Steve63130 pointed out, seems to have taken root nationwide around 1992 I think there is huge distinction to be made between certain events like funerals, weddings, etc. and other things where a very casual look can be gotten away with. I attended my first cousin's wedding in Springfield, Illinois in May of 2003 and when I saw a few girls there in shorts and flip-flops then I knew we had turned a corner. Mind you they were not part of the wedding party but the sight of them said volumes about where we had arrived from say twenty years earlier. Yes, I do remember dressing up to travel-women in heels and dresses and men in suits and ties to board a plane. One could smoke on the plane and enjoy very tasty food served on real ceramic dinnerware with real silverware and glasses. It was like eating in a flying version of your dining room. I don't hink remembering the days of past is akin to wanting to run people off whule we take our spot in the rocking chair but I do think there are legions of people today who don't have a god-damn clue as to social graces and common sense. While I do like the choices available today I still shake my head when I see how poorly people make those choices. This backdrop is perhaps one more justification to wear what we want. I mean any possible negative comments some young girls might make would be rendered academic if a gaggle of torn blue jeans, flip-flop wearing, and overly-tattooed girls makes the mistake of passing judgment on a much better-dressed man who happens to be wearing heels. The scene would be comical. Something like "You've lost your way and are asking me for directions back to your trailer park, right?" This line should result in immediate silence. Expecting grown people to look presentable in the right situations shouldn't be a lot to ask but apparently for much of new generations it is. HappyinHeels