To wonder why there are so many scruffy people these days

[Quirrelsotherface]

I've been looking through old photographs lately, from the 20's through to 60's probably, my grandparents era. What I absolutely couldn't get over was the amount of people who were so well dressed back then! There were group photos, photos of streets with lots of people in the background and to be honest, I couldn't really pick a scruffy looking one out of any of them. Not particularly affluent areas, just everyday public. The clothes, though, look expensive and well cut, the men in hats and the women with beautiful haircuts. Beautiful coats and shoes.

Why then, these days do we not have this pride in appearance that they had back then? Walk out now in any town and smart people are really in the minority.

AIBU to wonder why this is?

@Alsohuman No, I am just gobsmacked at the amount of policing and criticism of what women wear. As a PP has said, there’s nowhere near as much criticism of what men wear.

And @Quirrelsotherface yes - I absolutely think you don’t have to wear a bra to work. As long as they’re not on display (including sheer tops etc) then I couldn’t give one shiny shit what underwear someone has or hasn’t got on.

@Quirrelsotherface

Because that isn’t how the thread has developed is it? It isn’t about smelly scruffy people

It is:
make up worn by women in distasteful times
Leggings worn by women in distasteful tones
Ugg boots worn by women in distasteful times
How women dress in public

Distasteful TONES

not Times

Still a thing in Italy too, all my cousins and aunts wear leggings/tracksuit bottoms etc at home to do the housework and look after the DC but get changed to go out, even if it's just to the supermarket. DM still does it and she's lived here almost 30 years. The 70+ nonna's still have housecoats/aprons.

I generally wear the same clothes all day but change into something old and comfortable if I have to clean the bathroom etc.

We live in a throw away culture where people would rather spend £100 on 10 items poorly made, than on £100 on well made items that would last long time. The likes of shops like Zara encourage people to do this. Hence the horrendous outfits you get. Take for example a well made suit that costs a lot of money, but will look immensely good because of the cut and the way to makes you feel, to that of a £150 off the peg suit that looks awful because its too generic.

Clothes are incredibly cheap nowadays, but also more informal than in previous eras. People have masses of clothes but very few "smart" outfits.
Slightly off topic, but it's staggering to me how many clothes my grandchildren have, compared with what their parents had as children and with what I had as a child.

People were thinner too. We are getting bigger and bigger as a society and clothes don’t look as good on overweight people, hence models are thin

there’s nowhere near as much criticism of what men wear

Oh God, why does everything on MN have to be about men versus women. It gets tedious.

Of course men are criticised - we do it all the time - there are some seriously scruffy blokes out there. Plenty of times, I've avoided a salesman in a shop/garage because he looks like he's just walked off the local tip, and waited for a smart salesperson to become available instead.

Most fat people look scruffy and unkempt whether male or female. Even if they're wearing smart clothes, they're usually having trouble holding their pants up over their rolls of fat.

Ah Poffle, you have descended into insults

Won't lower myself to your level, suffice to say I have a lovely life, thanks.

Agree, Kazzyhoward.

PookieDo, as much as you want this thread to be solely about the oppression of women, it ain't. People have mentioned their granddads wearing hats and suits for almost any occasion. I think we are concentrating on women's dress because we are mostly on MN women, and so probably our attention is drawn to women.

How were men ever oppressed by wearing a HAT?

@lavenderandthyme

Are you seriously judging people based on how they look when sitting at home watching TV?

They didn’t take selfies and photos of the children every day, having your photo taken was a special event so they obviously dressed up for it.

They also just wore what was available at the time, they didn’t have such a vast range of clothing as we do now. I think the clothing was quite impractical for day to day stuff tbh. I would not want to do the school run in a tight dress and heels...

The reason why this is focused on women is because women have experienced the greatest changes in terms of fashion and liberation

Men’s fashion has not changed dramatically at all. Men still wear suits, albeit different styles for work, weddings, occasions. Men wear shirts and trousers, T-shirt’s and shorts

Women on this thread have commented on other women’s eyebrows. Not men’s. Whether women wear bras. Not something a man would ever be questioned on. Men would never be questioned on whether their leggings were bulging around their waists or see through to their knickers or even better, what they are wearing on the school run. A dad on the school run in his gym wear would probably be admired. A woman in casual clothing is called scruffy

They didn’t take selfies and photos of the children every day, having your photo taken was a special event so they obviously dressed up for it.

Plenty of pictures on the internet showing normal people dressed smartly in normal life, such as leaving a factory at the end of their shift in waistcoats etc!

A dad on the school run in his gym wear would probably be admired

So would a fit looking woman!

I don't think a fat frumpy bloke in gym wear would be admired on the school run??

It's NOT a men v women thing!

This isn’t about size or weight. It isn’t about cheap or expensive. It isn’t about whether someone’s male or female. It’s about presentation.

It’s just as easy to look neat and tidy in cheap clothes, at any weight for either sex. It’s about effort and self esteem.

And did someone really say hats are a symbol of oppression?

Although people are insisting it is about fashion, i think to some degree it is, that and choice.
60 years ago there would be nowhere near the number of different outlets to buy clothes and i know in my dads generation (hes in his 80s) they had very few sets of (probably better quality) clothes. He probably got most of his older brothers clothes, then hand knitted stuff etc, so there probably wasnt the quantity or variation to have different styles of clothes.
Sometimes i like a boho type of look (floaty tops, layers etc) which maybe is scruffy to some people, compared to more tailored clothes. In my teens, i wore grunge, gothy type clothes which my parents absolutely hated and thought were inappropriate for almost every and any occassion. It doesn't mean i haven't consciously thought about my clothes, or putting together an outfit or that i have just thrown on the first thing i came across but some styles are naturally less "smart "than others.

Man, I love comfy clothes, so much so that I have indoor comfies and outdoor comfies. All with elasticated waist bands and all natural fabrics, usually worn with birkies. I would have hated my life stuffed into a steel Women were expected to spend all day, everyday in those things, with high heels.

Can you imagine how grim this felt for people with sensory issues? My father died after a long illness recently, and all my mother was obsessed with was making wear a fucking starched shirt and tie to sit around the house. All he wanted to wear were soft comfy clothes.

Walkameinmyshoes

Yes, eyebrows are part of the same thing, as is Botox, contouring, hair extensions, and removal of all body hair.

Not sure where we go from here, but the next thing l feel will be something to do with microchips inserted under the skin. You can already upload someone’s DNA profile into clothing.

I don't think my mining ancestors dressed up to go down the pit - that's for sure!
People tended to wear at hat as it was so cold you needed to stop your heat escaping from the head or you could not afford to wash your hair much so it was better covered up.

However I agree that some people ( depending on income level - very rich couldn't care less and looked and look scruffy and very poor then and now no money for mush that is smart) did put more effort into putting on different clothes to go out of the house in, trying to keep up with the neighbours.

not sure if the picture will load but here is one of part of my family from about 1898 with my grandmother (the youngest) on it. They have obviously dressed up for the occasion.

(Picture upload didn't work - I thought you just clicked upload after browse)

(Sorry you got them twice..... my poor great granny had 10 children and only these three reached the age of 22).

It did upload @Xenia.

Personally I think it’s disingenuous to assert people only dressed up for formal photographs. They must have owned the clothes in the first place to be able to do it. This is my dad’s family, also from a north eastern mining community.

Personally I think it’s disingenuous to assert people only dressed up for formal photographs. They must have owned the clothes in the first place to be able to do it.

Well, yes, but that doesn't mean they wore them often. That's like using wedding photos to conclude that in 2019 men wear suits, women wear formal dresses and around 1-5% of women at any one time are wearing white dresses. People do own all the clothes that you see in wedding photos, but they're hardly representative.