I get in trouble when I give my opinions on things like this, but I think women (in general) are more self-conscious about their appearances than men. This is good in terms of looking “presentable” (men are more inclined to public slovenliness), but bad if it extends to “primping” (a woman spending two hours in front of the mirror, making sure she looks “just so”).
My question has been: Do women dress to please themselves, to please men, or to please other women (not in a sexual way, but out of competition; Van Morrison’s song While Night is Falling includes the line “All the girls walk by, dressed up for each other…”)?
If your average man says to a woman “You look great, even in a sweatshirt and jeans”, he means it. That doesn’t mean he won’t also be wowed when she puts on a backless evening gown, but frankly he’s not going to notice (or care) if her hand bag doesn’t perfectly match her shoes.
A man also likes to know he can “clean up nice” on special occasions, but luckily pretty much every guy looks good in a tux, and we can wear shoes that are both stylish and comfortable. And I think women give men a lot of latitude to be day-to-day slobs, provided they can put on the monkey suit without kicking too hard, when its called for.
My own little though experiment is this: If you put a person (male or female) on a deserted island, but give that person all the comforts of home including a fully-stocked wardrobe of stylish clothes, how long before that person is wearing the same suit of baggy sweats every day (there is also a washing machine, so hygiene isn’t a factor)? I’m pretty sure the man would dress for comfort and practicality from Day 1. How long would a woman go before she stopped mixing and matching separates, when nobody sees her but the mirror?
There is a certain type of lesbian who will go out of her way not to conform to what’s considered “conventionally attractive” (i.e. “what men like”). As a result, they might be considered “frumpy” or “drab”. They might not even shave their legs! It isn’t that they “care so little about how they look”, they’re just making a different statement to the world. I’ve also known lesbians who dress up like Barbie dolls every day, reasoning that being lesbian allows them to be as hyper-feminine when they want. Some Earthmothers like femmes, some like other Earthmothers, some femmes like femmes, some like Earthmothers. And then there’s the Diesel Dykes, who may be freely substituted in any of these combinations. Finally, there are the lesbians who, in all outward appearances, are absolutely indistinguishable from straight women…
Likewise, men fall across a broad spectrum; there was a Sex & the City episode, I believe, which made the distinction between Gay Straight men (men who like women, but who care about clothes and cooking and flowers, and so on; they register a False Positive on Gaydar), and Straight Gay men (men who like men, but care about sports and beer and engines and stuff; they register a False Negative). Nowadays, we have the term Metrosexual, for a man who clearly likes women, but uses moisturizer and owns nice furniture…
Girls who like boys who like boys who like girls… Ain’t love grand?
I get in trouble when I give my opinions on things like this, but I think women (in general) are more self-conscious about their appearances than men. This is good in terms of looking “presentable” (men are more inclined to public slovenliness), but bad if it extends to “primping” (a woman spending two hours in front of the mirror, making sure she looks “just so”).
My question has been: Do women dress to please themselves, to please men, or to please other women (not in a sexual way, but out of competition; Van Morrison’s song While Night is Falling includes the line “All the girls walk by, dressed up for each other…”)?
If your average man says to a woman “You look great, even in a sweatshirt and jeans”, he means it. That doesn’t mean he won’t also be wowed when she puts on a backless evening gown, but frankly he’s not going to notice (or care) if her hand bag doesn’t perfectly match her shoes.
A man also likes to know he can “clean up nice” on special occasions, but luckily pretty much every guy looks good in a tux, and we can wear shoes that are both stylish and comfortable. And I think women give men a lot of latitude to be day-to-day slobs, provided they can put on the monkey suit without kicking too hard, when its called for.
My own little though experiment is this: If you put a person (male or female) on a deserted island, but give that person all the comforts of home including a fully-stocked wardrobe of stylish clothes, how long before that person is wearing the same suit of baggy sweats every day (there is also a washing machine, so hygiene isn’t a factor)? I’m pretty sure the man would dress for comfort and practicality from Day 1. How long would a woman go before she stopped mixing and matching separates, when nobody sees her but the mirror?
There is a certain type of lesbian who will go out of her way not to conform to what’s considered “conventionally attractive” (i.e. “what men like”). As a result, they might be considered “frumpy” or “drab”. They might not even shave their legs! It isn’t that they “care so little about how they look”, they’re just making a different statement to the world. I’ve also known lesbians who dress up like Barbie dolls every day, reasoning that being lesbian allows them to be as hyper-feminine when they want. Some Earthmothers like femmes, some like other Earthmothers, some femmes like femmes, some like Earthmothers. And then there’s the Diesel Dykes, who may be freely substituted in any of these combinations. Finally, there are the lesbians who, in all outward appearances, are absolutely indistinguishable from straight women…
Likewise, men fall across a broad spectrum; there was a Sex & the City episode, I believe, which made the distinction between Gay Straight men (men who like women, but who care about clothes and cooking and flowers, and so on; they register a False Positive on Gaydar), and Straight Gay men (men who like men, but care about sports and beer and engines and stuff; they register a False Negative). Nowadays, we have the term Metrosexual, for a man who clearly likes women, but uses moisturizer and owns nice furniture…
Girls who like boys who like boys who like girls… Ain’t love grand?