Contrast this to what we are used to seeing in the US now - baggy jeans with the croth around their knees, t shirts that look about 2 or 3 sizes too large and ugly trainers that look like they were made for walking in space. I'm tired of it and wish that there would be a return to more conservative times when dressing to at least look presentable was the norm. Everyone has one, they arent cool anymore. I'm moving to Korea, where my length doesn't exist; I can't just buy more pants. Women should never wear leggings - if only they can see how awful they look in it, or maybe they know but it is what the stores want you to buy so they all buy the same crap. Its not just younger people. I'm actually taking a little break from blogging but am already getting inspired to resume posting soon. Burned, frayed, roots grown to their ears, two or three colors at the same time (not to mention all the blues and pinks and purples), long, puffy, messy, uncombed.. The whole process seems counter-intuitive to me, and why do they feel too important now to complete the process for you? I prefer the traditional look. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8, Continue reading your article witha WSJ subscription, Already a subscriber? I live in Fairbanks, Alaskait's just now starting to get temperatures above +40 F (this is 15 April 2022), so people are starting to wear shorts again (when you've had temperatures in the -30s F or lower for a while, anything above 0 F actually feels warm). When people were invited onstage at a recent performance of Penn & Teller on Broadway, many women looked as if they had stepped out of a jazzercise class, while men ambled around in hideous cargo shorts. One wouldn't expect, say, a crisply ironed shirt or razor-sharp creases in a slob's clothing. October 2008. Love your observations, Doug. I am male and am of the larger variety. Molloy wrote the run-away best seller in the 1970's entitled "Dress for Success," a guide for people who wanted to work their way up the corporate world. They assume you are an old fart stuck in the past and tell you to get hip with the times. Give me a break. Women look like hell aside from the FAT, poorly dressed, bad attitude, no makeup face, greasy hair, body odor, fifty earrings in their ears. Sad isn't it? For me, part of the appeal of going to such a restaurant (or other similar places, like the symphony) is the opportunity to dress up. For the record, I was born in the 1950s. My pet peeve is spandex/clothing out side the gym. While at this particular juncture of place and time in my life, I truly cannot afford good clothes, and the ones I do have need replacing. God forbid if i choose to wear a nice casual dress shirt and even worse if i tuck it in which in my opinion looks great if its well fitted.I can't help but feel like other people seem to have no respect for their appearance particularly the young males here who regularly wear singlets with enormous arm holes, baggy graphic t-shirts, board shorts and walk around bear footed or in cheap crappy shoes. I should qualify my comment by stating that my work environment, while assigned a "suit-position", requires that I wear clothes more conducive to getting dirty, i.e., t-shirt, jeans and work shoes; my uniform of the day which is always clean and well fitting at least at the start of the day. It matches nothing of course. ).When I'm "casually" dressed in a basic skirt and sweater, I'm considered "dressed up" because everyone else is running errands in their pajamas.Wellyou knowI could rant on this forever! Yoga pants in public outside the gym are out. I love watching movies from the 30s to the 50s, wherein the majority were dressed to the nines and would never have even gone to bed, much less into public, looking remotely like the Wal-Martians of our time, unless they wanted to be sent to happy acres for degenerate behavior. Clothes way to tight or to small. No, but I would except that people would dress in jeans with the shirt tucked in with a belt and nice dress shoes, is that so much to ask for? Classy, wouldn't you say? I think it can be said that never before was a population of citizens in supposedly the world's most prosperous country so hideously attired. I do wear a hat (usually a "unit cap" from when I was in the Navy) when I'm outside, but as soon as I enter a building, it comes off and is promptly tucked under my arm. On that related note, I don't get anyone that wears shorts in the winter. I've complained on here before about the way people--Americans in particular--dress today, but the topic is worth revisiting. More often than not, you can find nice clothing in thrift stores. Stars like Jonah Hill, Shia LaBeouf, Post Malone, Wiz Khalifa and Justin Bieber dress like dorm-room slackers, supercharged with AmEx black cards. This is a lot like what happened to the car industry in America during the 70s. I have actually been mistaken on numerous occasions by other shoppers as an employee because I was dressed halfway decently. Yes to the ugly tats. no just NO. Quite a different time today unfortunately and nothing at all like the good old days were. Unless you have a personal tailor, probably at least 99% of clothing sold in what was once middle class retail stores is cheaply mass produced in some chinese sweat factory. This is dangerous for blood circulation. All this nonsense with the jeans (mining and peasant trousers) started in the 70s with the rise of the left. I went to a department store and wandered around browsing in the clothing section. George W. Bush later made blue the power tie of choice. I think now fashion has reached its lowest point in a great while. I personally don't find anything attractive about excessive tats and crazy colored hair on either men or women. I'm sure you've noticed how customer service is non-existent these days in just about every field? I'm pretty sure that the wait staff probably doesn't like the idea of shortcutting the traditional process, because it could lose them tip money, which is what they are really relying on, since they don't get a high hourly wage. However, the sad part is that we are now supposed to believe that such public obscenities are to be humored, or accept them for what they choose to be. Sadly, she was better dressed than the guy (she was overweight and he was a bean-pole). The youngish male weatherman (or meteorologist) appeared on the screen for about thirty seconds to give an update on the weather conditions for the country. I think dressing is a lot of fun and it's sad that more people don't see the fun in it. No one at it.I honestly think my boss likes it this way though. The smell was horrendous- parmesan cheese- him and her clad in ragged, ugly clothes, playing on their iphones. Ironically, I think that this is where most of today's confusion originates in the problems that are upon us now. I'm not trying to say the 50s and 60s were perfect but at least they had interesting subcultures. When I still worked as an engineer and an I.T. When will a renaissance begin? America definitely needs a renaissance not just in fashion but in general. What the hell happened? Visited Europe. Who has lime green shorts? A lot of so-called "stars" look like they left the local homeless shelter. I went to my local grocery store which is now in a somewhat run-down shopping center in what used to be a better area of the "Dump." You know, wearing tennis shoes and stretch elastic pants with old shirts that look like they were off the rack from the 80s. I will not wear the rags. I don't really like the modern styling and choices of men's suits, since they are almost made only for those who look like some kind of GQ model with a perfect body. The guys were better but not by much, dress shirts, clean dress pants/kakis. News Corp is a global, diversified media and information services company focused on creating and distributing authoritative and engaging content and other products and services. Very well said&very true. Like the sneakers with suits, oddly cut blouses, weird prints, or huge, cheap-looking plastic glasses. No class whatsoever. First, for a clue, I live in a town which is called "The Biggest Little City in the World," and which the comedienne Amy Schumer referred to as a "Dump." Women need to start wearing appropriate clothing as well. Loving the comments. I am asking for someone who dresses like a gentleman and presents himself professionally when the situation and setting calls for it. "if you're counting on your appearance to carry the day, it's doubtful you have the chops to compete any other way. Never apologize, Pam, for stating the obvious. Keep that in mind if youre older than 12. Yes, You Need to Dress Better Than You Do. I just don't understand why some, if not many, lesbians choose to look obscene. And from what I hear, slob nation is making its way into those social situations, too. I've noticed that Pam hasn't had the need to update this posting in the last five years. It's one thing if you have ONE tattoo that is well done and has personal meaning to you; it's another when someone has an entire body part or their body inked over, often with various random designs that don't relate to one another. I guess that this is supposed to be cute, to live in a so-called "culture" wherein manners and educated speech are for the dogs, and having an intellectual disposition is considered strange. When I was a boy, I remember my mother once telling me she couldn't go to the store until she took the curlers from her hair. I don't consider the Kardashians a good example of the point you're trying to make, because a lot of what they wear is trampy. Im in my twenties, female, and a student. I'm constantly surprised by all the jeans in the office (I guess at 52 I'm old school, but I can't bring myself to wear 'em to work. They do not care what they wear and where they sleep on. Large breasts swinging to and fro makes for an ugly site from gals who are not attractive in any way. Atom If you want any confirmation as to how ugly things have gotten, aside from looking at who occupies the White House now, just go to the grocery store (Wal Mart) and see the modern day equivalent of a freak show in action. I wish more of us could understand that. She wore a beautiful scarf or turtleneck sweater along with her blue jeans. Maybe they feel emasculated by a gender-blurred society and have retreated to cave man esthetics. Appearance is the first thing we all notice, and many people still do use that when making judgments about each other. Plus,laziness&lack of class,does indeed play a role in it. When shredded jeans started coming in I wouldn't put them out in the store. It's also due to the usage of technology and exposure to the information sewer which is the internet. I am sure there is some blame to be put on the top fashion designers who dictate what should be in fashion but come on, bring back real clothing.All this from Canada, I might add. I never found David Beckham attractive and part of it definitely is the excessive tattooing. Whatever happened to the saying "the clothes make the man"? I'm an American professor in Kurdistan and even here, people when they dress casually look put-together and not unclean. I believe it started somewhere in the 1990sI remember a scene in the movie "Clueless" where Alicia Silverstone's character Cher mentions how boys dress "nowadays": "So, okay. Ray Bradbury had it right sixty years ago with his book Farenheit 451. Well, it seems that while the masses are eager and salivating to spend $1,000 on the newest Iphone, they are reluctant to clothe themselves properly, or don't care or know how! document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Some women wear way too big/baggy/frumpy clothing as well. People used to take decent care of both dress&their bodies,years ago. Not to mention, all the unsightly tattoos that these idiots are defacing their bodies with. Learning to dress tastefully is something anyone can do no matter their size, and once youve got it down, its not difficult. I happen to live in la la land, and another pseudonym for this city could accurately be slobville. Soooo sick of the endless uniform of tennis shoes and hoodies and joggers. This explained all the jamming issues and stoppages they continually experienced during the contact we were engaged in. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. I think it's so sad how sloppy Americans have become, even when they dress casually. I wonder if schools shouldn't have courses in how to be respectable since there are increasing numbers of people in the U.S. that are complete slobs. It's really gotten ugly out there, I am sorry to say, when I feel compelled to report these public obscenities now. I go for the traditional, timeless look that has now become passe. I suspect some women don't even look at the mirror for a second. Smoking: Three homeless people from South Ferry doss houses are in Battery Park on June 6, 1941. Hi, Pam! Technology and addiction to devices, maybe. People were dressed far better even in the Great Depression, which is telling, because style in the 30s didn't stop evolving due to hard times. I personally don't like it but to each their own. As a professional designer, I realize that at least 90% of people wouldn't know what looks good, and they need to be shown. It's still ugly, however. Whatever happened to wearing an appropriate tuxedo to formal events? Even the way they dress casually is heads and tails above us. StillShaving. I can't tell you how happy I am to have found this site and this article on how sloppy people have become. The one store "associate" who was there never greeted me, and looked at me as though I was in her way, while she was more interested in pretending that she had to tidy up. I'm optimistic for the 2020s to see if we will see a fashion renaissance. This look ruins some nice designer made pants and you can't even sit properly in them without feeling tightness around your knees. I've copped a few comments about trying too hard and things like that which i just let wash over my head. Even in the Army, that uniform and one's appearance is part of what makes a man a soldier. Too many people now days,either dress like slobs or sluts&I find it apalling,personally. Here in Europe, if a man is wearing jeans and trainers (sneakers for my US friends) and a t shirt, they won't be baggy, sloppy looking items. I have been noticing this problem for years. If you always look slovenly, dirty, homeless, trashy, or otherwise tacky, chances are theyll assume that you actually are those things and treat you accordingly. Yes, we're inundated with those "below the knee shorts and untucked T-shirts." People seem to enjoy looking like bums. This was in the beginning of the 2000s. Quite frankly I think the latter is a sign of mental illness and that applies to going overboard with tattooing and putting them on very visible body parts like your face. It seems to get worse every year. The sleeves of tattoos looks so gross, not artsy and cool. adiClub Members: Extra 33% Off + Free Shipping, Last-Minute Hotel Deals for April 2023 - Up to 60% off, Get an Extra 5% off - exclusive Priceline promo code 2023, 10% off In-App bookings - Hotwire Coupon Code. Look at TV shows, like Hawaii Five-O, past vs new series. It has really become pervasive, and I won't go back to eat at a restaurant that operates this way. So what's up with the overly-shaggy haired and bearded look in which famous men appear these days? Here in the U.K., unless I'm at work (I'm a military consultant), then you wouldn't catch me dead looking like most US citizens. The women often arent dressed much better; they tend to wear clothes that are either too baggy or much too small for them. Yesterday, a colleague of mine was grappling with a . He must know where he's going. s-a-h-d. Another excellent post! Apparel is being displaced by travel, eating out and activitieswhat's routinely lumped together as "experiences"which have grown to 18 percent of purchases. According to a paper from Social Psychological and Personality Science, a certain number of subjects were instructed to wear casual clothing and formal clothing before taking intellectual tests. I know that their were people like this in the 50s and 60s but it was kept hidden from mainstream America and I know, smoking is not attractive but it was a product of the time period (people didn't know any better). Sure, everybody thinks that because they live in the United States of Moronica, have tattoos, piercings or want to look as though they have been living in a homeless encampment (even if they really don't) that this is freedom of expression. What kind of a standard is that? But it's not just the men,who pay to look trashy,now days. Why are so many people looking like this? in October 2013 (when Crocs were introduced in the late 90s, Maher quipped that people won't be happy until they can go shopping in a diaper) and I've read numerous blog posts attesting to how our European counterparts dress compared to us (hint: we've really let ourselves go.). Too much soft-pedaling stuff/PC ,these days,is another part of the decline in class,IMHO. Yesterday, after I had come out of the Fred Meyers East store, I saw an idiot young adult male wearing a toddler-like once-piece pajamas with cartoon characters on them, heading towards the entrance. It was a little unimpressive. (Never mind the fact the photo I used showed a woman shopping for food in the grocery store.) My men and even the men of the Royal Marines had everything from gas piston to bolt assembly immaculate and lightly oiled within 15 minutes. 123 reviews. Not so Caroline Wozniacki and some others I'll go on to mention. "Why?" I asked. In the 90s, after all clothing manufacturing, even ordstroms, was move to china the powers that be recognised that the quality was not very good for fashionable clothes. Fat people as well as very thin should not wear what they call leggings.These are tights not pants. Tell this to the same people who walk down the street with iPhone in one hand and Starbucks in the other. Extreme? SupaSaucy. Its a culture thing. I have a busy life and chronic pain. Even though Im retired, I still love to dress up and follow fashion. I know this was kind of long but I wanted to get some of thoughts out their on the whole americans dressing like slobs issue. It also comes from a defiant attitude of I will be comfortable at all times no matter what, and f-you if you dont like it. Why would you want to emulate a style that's notoriously associated with gangs and criminals? There's a big difference between getting ONE meaningful tattoo and inking your body up from head to toe. I can go down to the Men's Clothing Warehouse and spend three hundred dollars to look (approximately) like a millionaire. Seemingly half of our youths wear those hideous "gauge" earrings that distend their ear lobes, coupled with neck tattoos that used to only be seen on convicts, big chunky necklaces, and baseball hats worn sideways and uncreased, like an escapee from a lunatic asylum. Not many slobs, are there? take the Kardashians, for instance. Their pants are slimmer than that staple of American men's closets, chino pants. I refuse to look like a slob. Thank God I always had a job that required me to dress at the minimum nice business casual, no jeans, and I had to learn how to dress. If Justin Bieber gets twenty tattoos on his body, then this must be okay and cool for the young and dumb kids to do. On a recent visit to LA calling into a Walmart was depressing. His pants didn't come within two inches of his shoe tops, so that his striped socks were exposed. I see it all. Maybe don't spend $5 on starbucks and $15 on a pack of cigarettes and instead go to Target or Kohls and look through the clearance racks and I bet you anything they could find something affordable. You know,like they actually give a damn about themselves. During my childhood in the 1950s, the manner of dress was much more formal than it is today. It's interesting to look at vintage photos of any decade of the 20th century through the 1980s, and compare it to your average shopping mall photo of today. Almost every time I go out anymore, I see countless men who look like they reached for the first t-shirt and jeans they found on the floor, then chose whichever pair of tennis shoes stank the least. I agree with you, Anonymous. It's interesting what you noted about necktie supplies Nice column, Pam. What is notable in both countries is that the standard goes up with the average income of the shoppers.Ties I can live without, but there are plenty to be had in UK shops, and if anything they seem to be having a revival especially with younger men. I had to lead a patrol of mixed Legionnaires, British Royal Marine Commandos and US Marines, and after a heavy contact which took place on ops, I had the men in extended line cleaning their weapons - an essential task to keep your weapon operating efficiently. But, I digress, it pains me that young people today dress as though they've swept their clothes up off of the floor. They would judge you because you are not a mindless sheep buying the latest leggings at Victoria's secret or not dressing like a hipster. Look at what's being sold in the stores, and there's your answer. YetI'm at a loss when I see so many obese people in public and I've noticed there's a LOT more obese women than obese men, it seems. So while you can hold on to your crop tops and ratty band tees, you may also think twice about where and when you wear them. :). They have two children with them. Its all about money, many do not have the means, i get it, ive been poor too, but i never looked like a mentally ill hobo. The dress pants that were available were of cheap fabric, studded with rhinestones, and had fake pockets. Female athletes haven't. People today just don't seem to give a s*it about their appearance and the way they present themselves. I'm not asking that every man dress like Don Draper and go to work wearing a suit, tie, and hat (but us ladies would certainly not complain if the working world looked like that again; just saying.) Tell that to the slobs who turn up at Broadway shows dressed as though theyd just walked in from a tailgating party one with a three-figure admission price, mind you. (1995). Clean and neat is good. I notice that many retail stores are selling "dress pants" that are composed with all synthetics and no wool. I just don't understand why females dress like slobs. (Information Technology) professional, I wore clothing appropriate for what I was doing, which was mostly a nice pair of Dockers pants, either a button down shirt or Lands End polo shirt, and for outside I wore an Australian outback hat (like a fedora, only with a slightly wider brim) if I wasn't required to wear a hardhat. I won't change but i definitely don't fit in appearance wise. I doubt people will look back fondly at this decade with how much garbage is being pushed into our kids and teens now. Public slobbiness started earlier than you noted. There are slobs all over the world, but we always have bigger expectations when it comes to a celebrity. Adult couples wearing raggedy t-shirts with some ugly nonsense graphic on it. I work in a hospital and every morning, the filth that comes in is strangely the same; middle aged or older couples deessed in old nasty t-shirts with some ugly meaningless logo, sweatpants for the gals, dirty jeans and tennis shoes for both and nearly all smell like ash trays. Pajamas belong in the bedroom not at the store. The Wal-Mart slob ethic is pervasive everywhere (people of wal-Mart!) We're supposed to be policing the earth and waving chinese made flags, and inducing foreigners with our "standard of living", and yet we cannot even look respectable to ourselves. That really got 'em going.
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