To not really get why people don’t like clothes?

Because I resent the effort I feel obliged to make in order to ‘look good’. So many other endeavours so much more worthy of my time and attention yet here we are.

my response is to work out the colours and shapes that work for my ‘geometry’ and then wear those shapes as a kind of uniform. I’d much rather not bother.

Oh I think this is an interesting point. MIL and SILs have spent a lifetime saying clothes are unimportant and nobody should care. To worry about appearance is shallow and vain, etc.

Funnnily enough, it has never stopped them criticising the appearance of others, calling people fat and also calling people vain and up themsleves and all for show.

I'd love to see an example of what you wear and what statement you think it is saying! Unless somebody is wearing something absolutely outrageous, I rarely look at someone at think "aw they must be X type of person".

When I was young I was a goth. I spent a lot of time on what I wore, how I styled my hair, makeup and accessories. As I got older I realised that what I was actually trying to do was to fit in with a particular social group that I felt represented who I wanted to portray myself as - an edgy, non-conformist cool person. This was more important for me as a young person than the considerable hassle of dying, crimping and back-combing my hair, painting the back of my leather jacket with cool band logos and trying to get the perfect winged eye liner.

Now I'm an old fart I genuinely cannot give a shit. I wear clothes that are comfortable and that more or less suit the social situation. If I'm going to a wedding or fancy event then I'll dress up because that's what's expected. If I'm just going out for errands and I can get away with jeans and a top then I'll do that. If I'm working from home then I'll probably be in a t-shirt, joggers and some fluffy socks. I cannot explain how little I care if someone thinks I should be wearing something else to conform to their expectations.

When I gained weight my interest in clothes waned, it was really all about whay covered the rolls, black, navy , all very drab, now I’ve lost the weight and am slim again, I love clothes, and have re found my vanity.

i think there can be multiple reasons people aren’t interested in clothes, lack of money, lack of enjoyment over their own appearance, significant stress factors in your life, mental health issues ie depression etc.

i don’t see it as making a statement though, I dress for myself, but I do agree that other people judge you on how you present, we can all pretend we don’t or it’s shallow, but we do, someone’s appearance says something about them, it’s a statement we make whether we like it or not.

i guess the statement I made when I was overweight was I was trying to cover it up, whether I recognised I was making that statement or not.

It’s unconscious. You either do it or you don’t.

Invested or interested?

I don’t care what people wear. Even that says something.

What l do care about is people dismissing it as lowbrow or shallow when they have no interest, and therefore consider themselves superior to someone who is interested in clothes. I can predict what they wear.

But why would you want to do so?

Why do you want to force your "self-expression" on people around you? What if they are not that bothered with you? Why do you want to "make a statement"?

I don't trust judgement of people who want to evaluate my mood, confidence or personality without asking me a thing. It's creepy. And it very presumptuous and error-prone, because you assume people use the same visual code as you do.

I think that's the only problem, sometimes your clothes don't always say to others what they say to you!
Today I was wearing a very loud maxi dress in fuschia pink, red and green. It may have been giving 'look at me' vibes to others but for me it's just an item of clothing that always makes me smile and feel cheerful.
It's that whole dopamine dressing thing. Wear what makes you happy or feel confident, regardless what others think.

I would suggest that if you have an MA in this area then you're more invested than most.

(I say this as someone with a related degree, albeit not a Masters level).

Typical unknowledgeable response.

Shallow in fact.

No. See my previous post. Clothing is about decoding the wearer. Faces aren’t really the same and you can’t change them every day.

I think it would be possible to express myself through clothes, but fundamentally I don't want randoms to know anything about me.

Polyester everywhere... I used to love clothes. Not anymore. The quality is crap, but the price is still high.

‘Deeper things🤔’

What people wear is Pyschology, sociology, anthropology, economics, politics, ethical, moral, historical, feminist and is symbiotic of many more things.

Can you get ‘deeper’ than that?

Just asking… l have an MA in this area……

Tbf I can see someone who dresses to make the statement "look at me" which is quite cringy when above a certain age. For the rest I just see clothes. Clothes are as boring to me as handbags, make up, home decoration etc. I'm very practical when it comes to all of this. But I probably lack something in my brain to explain it- never sees if a friend has got a haircut or changed their home decoration. What I do pick up on immediately is how someone is feeling which somehow compensates for my lack of aestethics for my friends I suppose.

I don't know any such people.

I love clothes, I wear bright colours every day. Basically I dress like a posh children’s tv presenter. I say posh because everything’s second hand cashmere/linen/cotton/bamboo/silk.

This is because I spent 30 years in navy or black leggings when I was fat.

I now dress like Iris Apfel, no accessory is too much, no colour is too bright. And I smile all the time.

Clothes nowadays are crap, even the "high end ones", shit materials, quality nowhere, very strange (oversized) shapes.
Speaking for myself.

Steve jobs was famous for always wearing the same clothes. Levi jeans and a black turtleneck.

i don’t go that far - I find jeans too hot in summer and too cold in winter but that is what I aim for.

I do not care about clothes at all and would very happily live in jeans and t shirt my entire life except for the weather.

nor do I care what it projects about me.

I’ve reported my post and explained I can’t edit it 🥴

Clothing isn't a code I particularly understand or am interested in. I don't really know what "statements" people are trying to make with their clothes beyond very broad ones ("I am feeling hot" / "I am going to bed").

I know and I can’t edit this response 😬 tech gremlins are getting me this evening!

Isn't that what faces are for?

I think you've got the wrong thread 😉