To think people are getting scruffier?

Unreasonable to expect anyone to stay fresh throughout their journey. I may have left the house showered and with clean hair but by the time I've lugged my bags on the bus, the train and through the airport it's likely that I'll have become a bit sweaty. No one is at their freshest on a plane. And given that it's not the most comfortable of places to spend a few hours, there's no way I'm wearing anything other than for comfort.

Also how do you know those men weren't wearing underwear? Did you check, or just ogle?

This exactly.
I don’t always have a lot, however, myself and my children all have a shower / bath every day and have clean and nice smelling clothes. Never, ever, have we missed this even once or gone out smelling or unclean.

When my boys were younger, I was surviving on 7p reduced bread so that I could give the kids a decent meal every day and have toast for myself. I don’t smoke, drink, have my nails done or anything that ‘society’ says single Mums do. Every penny I have goes on my children. They need to learn to wash / get clean clothes on each day.

Interesting, not planning to test the theory but I think a fortnight unless you are a teenager 😂 But definitely not risking it

When you can actually see and smell people haven't washed or bathed in a while. Having a shower every other day you really can't. But not washing at all for a week? You would probably be able to tell

Yes, I fully agree with you and I find this to be the case across the generations too.

We are not in the 50/60's now though are we.
Even though they bathed once a week I am reliably informed by people around during that time period that they washed (face, pits, bits and feet) daily, twice a day if they worked in a manual job because they had pride in themselves.
Some people I have had the misfortune to encounter recently certainly are not washing anywhere close to once a day.
You don't stink of strong BO from skipping a day, you can almost see the grease seeping out of some people's pores, not everyone can claim its a mental health issue, some people are just foul.

So what’s an unreasonable amount of time?

In the 60s/70s many people only bathed once a week.

There’s a general time and a place to be smartly dressed. My pet peeve is people turning up for interviews looking like they’ve come from a day at a boot fair, dressing far too casual for an interview.

@Waferbiscuit when I flew recently everyone seemed clean but dressed casually. People dress for comfort, and that is okay.

I work at home most of the time. I'm middle aged. Post lockdown all my colleagues still work at home. Dress code on virtual mtgs has gone more and more casual.
I have to go to the office tomorrow and realised I f nothing smart to wear!

@Kooples Fair point, I don't disagree.

I agree that we hear it cited as a reason for a lot of things such as those you mention but I also think poor mental health is an increasing actual problem. I know things like ‘anxiety’ and OCD can be used a little liberally - thinking of a couple of teens in my family in particular. But, to go off on a bit of a tangent, I’m also sure we will only really learn the extent of the effects of the pandemic, phones and social media etc on mental health in particular in a couple of decades when young people are older.

@Kooples I knew someone was going to come along right away and challenge this. But as someone who has had a suicide in my immediate family I am aware of the preponderance of poor mental health by many but I still stand by my statement.

'Because mental health...' is pretty much the response/ answer to ANY question/discussion about academic performance, child behaviour, adult job performance and adult behaviour generally.

What so, so many things do you think is it is used as an excuse for, out of interest? I don’t entirely disagree, btw, but knowing people who chose not to live anymore due to poor mental health colours my view on this (poor mental health as an ‘excuse’ for lack of self-care, I mean) somewhat.

I really think we have to stop blaming poor mental health as an excuse for so, so many things.

sure it’s been said but I would put scruffiness in terms of unbrushed hair, perhaps obviously unironed clothes, generally looking unkempt etc down to worse mental health - for some? Of course some look the part and really suffer but I didn’t have the energy or will to take pride in my appearance (usually do!) when suffering with a bit of PND but I showered. I doubt this would account for many cases of scruffiness though and I appreciate this isn’t exactly what you’re referring to.

As for houses, if others’ jobs are anything like mine and DH’s, there’s hardly any time for scrubbing tiles outside like the old days. We’re very much on the hamster wheel that’s the rat race.

I have never got up and had a shower in the morning. With the exemption to Saturdays. When I clean my upstairs first and then have a shower after, so technically still morning

Have RTFT now and my feeling is that standards have changed. I was at the airport last week and was completely shocked at how other travellers looked. Sure lots of comfy clothes, but just sloppy. Men in joggers without wearing underpants. Women in super crop tops and just really inappropriate clothing. Flip flops on the plane. Scruffy, really dirty looking worn clothing. Greasy hair and not great grooming. People sitting beside me on the plane really stunk, like they hadn't showered after getting up that morning.

I don't expect people to get dressed up for flying, like it's a special occasion, and I do get wanting to be yourself etc... but do make somewhat of an effort when you are in public.

These are people who can afford to travel so clearly have some money and probably not that depressed as off on holiday, but still just can't / don't try.

yes exactly get the fathers to start paying for these kids rather than the taxpayers.

She doesn't do clothes washing daily, watches the weather forecast like a hawk to see when the weather will be suitable. There are enough dry days year round, you just have to plan when you'll do washing. She's been doing it 70 years so has got it to a fine art.

Fair point! I don’t suppose I do know for sure, other than with some friends and family. But they are a pretty mixed bunch of people from different backgrounds and upbringing, so as a varied sample of people they do all bathe every day, so I will admit there’s an amount of presumption from me there. I really don’t know anyone who washes in whatever way every two or three days.

’I don’t know anyone who doesn’t bathe / shower daily’

Not targeting you, but this kind of comment fascinates me on Mumsnet. How do people know how often all the people they know bathe or shower? I feel the same way when people talk about finances or day-to-day habits.

I just about know what my mum and sister do and maybe one or two friends. But on the whole I have no idea how often all my friends, extended family, colleagues, people I know through school etc wash? Do people actually talk about this stuff to all and sundry?!

‘mum has never had a tumble dryer and lives in rainy Wales, but looks at the weather forecast and hangs her washing out to dry all year round. Obviously she has to sometimes dry things indoors but mainly hangs them out.’

I am very surprised to hear that Wales is dry enough to keep washing hanging outside most days of the year. I would not do that daily and I live in London, which is one of the drier and warmer places!

I think it takes a lot of effort to keep a home imacculate. I have to Hoover the kitchen daily and every single ray of sunlight seems to shine upon new scuffmarks stains and dirt.

You must live in a nice bit, where I am this is all really accurate