Middle Class Ugly Clothing part two

[RoyalFamilyFan]

Original thread here.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4446999-To-think-so-many-middle-class-clothes-are-ugly?pg=40

I admit I am hardly a style guru. But when I joined Mumsnet people talked about lots of companies I had never heard of like Toast. So I followed links of clothes posted and looked at the websites mentioned. And was shocked at how ugly so much of the clothing was.
Shapeless grey dresses. Black loose trousers teamed with black tunics which make the model look like she is a member of a cult. Shapeless brown t-shirts.
They are just so ugly. AIBU?

@IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads

Heard somewhere that it can be boiled down to one question- what were your parents doing job wise when you were 14?

That’s interesting. This has recently become a question on my employer’s diversity monitoring questionnaire.

Hadn't heard that one before. My parents were a bin man and a hospital cleaner when I was 14, and continued to do those jobs until they retired. My life, it must be said, is entirely unlike theirs because I insisted on staying on at school, despite them trying to get me to leave and train as a hairdresser (something I never expressed the smallest interest in or aptitude for) at fifteen.

I agree about the term 'modest clothing' being loaded I don't think anyone on the thread has said that there's a deeply practical reason why some women prefer clothing with sleeves and more leg coverage having visible armpit or leg hair still exposes women to unpleasant, misogynistic comments, and some women simply don't want to devote time to hair removal to avoid this.

Ha ha! No, l quite like them too

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

Ha ha! No, l quite like them too

I am not very fashionable - that has been clearly established by this thread- but I am fascinated by the anthropology of fashion. You should start a more neutral thread, Arse.

Under style and beauty?

Here’s another little thing. During the French Revolution women in England used to wear a red ribbon around their throat and have short messy hair.

This style wa called ‘La Guillotine’😲

I’ve started it in Chat. No takers as yet!

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

Here’s another little thing. During the French Revolution women in England used to wear a red ribbon around their throat and have short messy hair.

This style wa called ‘La Guillotine’😲

I thought this so fascinating I googled and found this! I had never heard of this before www.messynessychic.com/2019/08/20/how-guillotine-haircuts-became-all-the-rage-in-france/

@SantaClawsServiette in the US, it's acceptable to wear a sleeveless shift dress to an office job. I couldn't imagine doing that in the uk

[quote FrazzledCareerWoman]@SantaClawsServiette in the US, it's acceptable to wear a sleeveless shift dress to an office job. I couldn't imagine doing that in the uk [/quote]
Yes, and actually I would say in the US it is regional somewhat.

What I have never seen allowed is something like a strappy tank top, the kind that is popular with teens and twenty-something when they are out in the summer or at a club. I've seen young office workers try to do it, but they are generally steered away.

@HeadNorth

Wow - I thank my lucky stars every day that I don't live in the UK. I couldn't be bothered with all this rubbish.

The class system undoubtedly holds the country back, I consider it a negative aspect of UK culture (there are many positive aspects) but it is well entrenched.

It is interesting that economic uncertainty and austerity lead to more covering up - that certainly seems to track. As an aside, I hate the way more body covering clothing is referred to as 'modest' clothing - it is such a value laden word, as if female bodies are somehow innately 'immodest' - certainly most religions seem to view the female body with distrust bordering on disgust.

It's really false to think this doesn't happen in North America. There are plenty of class markers and people who are observant pick up on them quickly. It affects people's career prospects too.

Did you ever see Working Girl? A class story if there ever was one.

I think you are bringing your own baggage to the word modest here. All of the major religions would say that both men and women can be immodest, and all have certain guidelines about clothing too which relate to that concept. But it's not just about clothing, it's about the reason for wearing it.

Or to put it another way, what would you call clothing that avoids sexualizing bodies? And why do you think it is that clothing so much more often tries to sexualize women, even in the workplace, compared to men?

You would be wise to keep a cardigan handy for the days you wore your sleeveless shift dress to the office in most parts of the US. That way you wouldn't freeze to death in the AC.

It's really false to think this doesn't happen in North America. There are plenty of class markers and people who are observant pick up on them quickly. It affects people's career prospects too.

Did you ever see Working Girl? A class story if there ever was one.

Who metioned North America?

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