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?

same with seaside photos

A lot of those photos would have been people on holiday, as someone upthread said, people didn't have as many clothes, so you would have your work clothes and your "good" clothes, casual clothing as we know it didn't really exist for working people. So if you were on holiday at the seaside you wouldn't want to wear your work clothes so you would wear your best clothes so you looked smart and felt grand for a week.

*Sorry OP!

I promise I make an effort for things that need it!*

I'll forgive you, just this once.

I have noticed how during WW 11 the girls who worked in factories especially in engineering jobs had immaculate hair.
Yes a lot had permed hair but in film of WW 11 the girls looked well -'glamorous'.
Ok they didn't have FB to distract them or TV and had plenty of time for personal grooming but even so!

Yes, exactly this! I rarely go to the hairdresser these days, but I do wash my hair every day and try to keep it healthy looking. But looking at these photos, the women's hair looked beautifully cut and real attention paid to it. Now, they didn't have half of the products and things that we have access to these days so how did they do it?! Were hairdressers cheaper? Such pride in themselves.

Also to those saying they probably smelled bad...that's also something I'm noticing more of these days, so many people walking around town and the supermarket that smell like they've literally rolled out of bed.

It's standards that have changed..but when and why..

Sorry..highlight fail!!

I don't want to go back to the days of the sensible skirt, corset and headscarf, or a waistcoat and cravat but I do think the more you slob around in elasticated waisted trackies, the more it encourages a slobby attitude in general

I totally agree; worse still, folk can sometimes get so enmeshed in that "slobby attitude" that they forget what appropriate means

Just ask many interviewers ...

Catch her on a 'going out' day for a photo and she looked like a film star. Any other day, it'd be unlikely there'd be photos.

Yes this is true. My MIL who was born in the 1930s wore quite scruffy stuff around the house. But as soon she had to go out of the house, even-to the local shop, she would change into smart clothes and put a bit of lipstick on.

Quarrel they wore rollers or rags in bed. There are videos online of how to recreate these styles, they take a lot of work.

Working women often had their own dressing / eating standards as part of their tenancy / job contracts. For example women renting a room in a women’s hostel had to be fully dressed in time for breakfast and could only eat specific ‘ladylike’ portions of food. They had to use certain perfumes / have specific hairstyles / figures etc for certain jobs. I remember as late as the seventies my aunt being put on a formal written warning because she was over a size 12 and that was the absolute maximum size to work in a customer facing role in Barclays at the time.

Good job the photos aren’t scratch and sniff. Sunday best became Saturdays clothes. Saturdays clothes became weekday clothes. Men worse suits pretty much all the time whether sweeping chimneys or working in the pits - of course they stripped off for the latter.

Shirt collars were detachable to avoid changing a shirt daily - only the collar needed cleaning as it was on show. Same deal for the women but it was dresses. Clothes were worn til threadbare. They must have been Minging.

Nowadays people spend hours manipulating their appearance on social media. Not only are physical photos completely adjusted, but whole lives are presented and displayed in the best possible light

Nothing has changed. we sneer at the 'olden times' dressing up to go anywhere, but we are in the grip of the same thing, only far worse

Probably one of the most insightful posts I've ever seen on here ...

Yes in the days of old, people looked the part ,was basically known as Sunday best.
Today however people seem to think that going out in nightwear is acceptable.
Personally ,I think it`s trampy.
Just my opinion which surely I am allowed to the real people out there.

You could wear a sort of washable pad thing which attached to your dress under your arms to absorb sweat before anti-perspirents.

Some old photos of Glasgow
flashbak.com/powerful-photos-of-glasgow-slums-1969-72-54283/

Not very many well dressed.

Because I like to feel comfortable, and I feel more comfortable in loose trousers and a t-shirt and trainers than a blouse and pencil skirt and heels. I also work from home. And I look stupid in a hat.

Also, why would I wear gloves? I'm not a goalkeeper, nor do I work with hazardous substances or food. Gloves actually make it harder to type.

I pretty much live in tracksuits and hoodie, work doesn't have a dress code and tracky bottoms are ridiculously comfortable. I don't care if I look like a scruff

Gloves weren’t worn all the time, they were for going out.

You beat me to it, FredaFrogspawn - I was just about to post a link to "sweat guards"

I was surprised to see you can still buy them, though I can see the point for menopausal ladies and wearers of intricate, dry clean only items I guess

Wow, @Venger, that priorattire link is fab. I've just watched 1740s, middling sort - imagine sweating your way through the menopause in that lot! On the other hand, much better in a cold draughty house than a pair of jeans

I think some of the huge dresses would be lovely in the winter - all those petticoats and underskirts, a corset, a chemise, and then a quilted gown over the top. Like wearing a dressing down all day long.

Not so much fun in summer though.

I remember my mum telling me how in the fifties her dad would wear his best suit to go into town and she used to be so excited. The woman would set their hair on a Sunday for the week x

It was a class thing, wearing gloves - certainly ore-WW2, and in some families, into the early 60s. Norland Nannies had to wear their gloves when out! White cotton ones in the summer.

Frankly this thread has made me despair. My Gran loves her jeans and t-shirts and has often told me how the fashion of her youth made her feel at best, constricted, at worst as though her whole purpose in life was to look appropriate or nice for others.

She hated being told to wear her hair this way, do her makeup that way, wear this outfit and those shoes. She came from a humble working class background and still had it in the neck constantly to put on the same facade as all of the other “young ladies”.

Scruffy or not, I’m glad I live in a world where I can choose. I’m not going to spend however long it takes to have immaculate hair/makeup/clothes for the luxurious tasks such as cleaning the house and getting the shopping done FFS.

As I recall those of mygrandmothers generation would be fairly casual about the house -slippers, loose dress maybe a pinny. Any trip out would involve putting on the good coat, hat ,shoes and gloves.

Anything more formal then the corsets and girdles were deployed. Not comfy.

Nobody took casual photos, my grandmothers would have been black affronted if anyone tried. Nearest I got was when she was in her 80s birling round on a swivel chair with my toddler on her knee

My Grandma always wore a 24 hour panty girdle and a wig. Thankfully I don't have to do that but I do judge people for being slobs. For example, a man in flip flops for a night at the theatre. A sea of nylon football shirts and jeans in the lobby of the Savoy. Pyjamas at the supermarket. People don't seem to understand that there is a time and a place for casual wear.

I always try to make an effort with what I wear, and I wouldn't dream of leaving the house in joggers/tracksuit bottoms. I don't actually own any so wearing them isn't possible. I did wear a pair of jersey harem trousers on a flight to Australia once but they were accessorised with a smart top and jewellery. I've gardened in a dress (and gold sandals), including putting up fencing and climbing stepladders to cut bushes down. In fact, I'm wearing a dress as I sit typing this on my sofa.

I don't do it for anyone other than myself. I love good quality, well fitting clothes and I get pleasure from wearing them. I wonder if it's because my grandparents always made a big effort (they looked after me a lot) and so did my parents. I've also spent quite a lot of time in France and/or working for French companies so maybe these various different influences rubbed off on me. French friends have described me as 'always well-dressed'. I just love clothes!

It makes me sad when some people are just so so scruffy. And dirty. I respect everyone's right to make their own choices but I admit that I do judge you if you have dirty (unpolished) shoes or dirty nails. To me it's about self-respect. Reading this, it makes me sound really quite vain and that's not me at all. I hate having my photo taken and I get ready to go out really quickly (quicker than most men - a side effect of working in a male dominated industry perhaps!). I just think it takes a minimal amount of effort/maintenance to look presentable so why not do it? I can wear comfortable clothes/shoes and still look presentable. It's not the extremes of boned corsets and girdles versus joggers and nothing in between. There's a huge middle ground.