July 3rd marked the 12th anniversary of yours truly moving out here to Podunk. And it occurred to me the other day just how much living here has effected my fashion choices. The first evidence of this began on the first day of school here. My entire life I (along with most of my friends) dressed in our best attire for the first day of school. I remember scouring clothing racks for back to school clothes, trying so hard to find The Perfect outfit. It's the whole "make a good first impression thing" at its finest.
So when I moved here, I luckily had a cousin to show me the ropes. I had a perfectly dressy outfit picked out for the first day of school. She and I were making small-talk as she showed me around the school (seriously, the high school here is a freaking MAZE! You need a college degree to navigate it properly. Or just have grown up here, but whatever!). Anyways, I asked her what she was planning on wearing the first day of school and she was all "eh, I don't know. Probably just a T-shirt and jeans." And I died a little inside. Why?!?!? Why would you just throw on any old thing and call it good? Now that I think about it, I suppose it's because out here everyone already knows everyone else, so there's not really that NEED for a good first impression.
I'll have you know that I settled for a slightly-less-dressy but nowhere near t-shirt and jeans first day of school outfit.
But today I was thinking about what's dressy out here as opposed to, say, Minneapolis. The only place where people actually dress up for work is at the banks. And even then, khaki's are acceptable. Most places of business are the jeans and maybe a polo kind of place.
So, is this the way it is today? Have we become that casual of a society? Or is it just out here in Podunk that this sort of fashion is acceptable?
It has effected me. More so than I had realized. I do work in a t-shirt and jeans type place, but I'm totally fine with that. I still dress up when I feel like it, but when I do, I feel awkward and overdressed. It drives me crazy, but I'll be damned if I'm going to let this place completely turn me into an uber-casual person with no thought put into their wardrobe whatsoever!
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9 comments:
It is like that where I live and last year, after working in a small office for 5 years and wearing jeans nearly every day, I went to work for a corporation and had to spring for a whole new wardrobe. But I really liked it! And now that I work in a small office again, I sometimes wear my jeans and sometimes wear my corporate clothes, high heels included. I don't feel overdressed, I just feel really trendy and smart as opposed to casual! It's all about your attitude - feel good when you glam yourself up. After all, you are a Glam Redneck!
Yeah, I'm not at all sorry that I've been able to get away with wearing the same old, increasingly hole-y jeans and T-shirts for the last few years!! I'm fine with shopping at the local thrift store! I'm in grunge heaven!! I always thought it was stay-at-home momhood doing it to me, but I'm definitely going to start blaming it on rural society -- sounds much less pathetic!
OMG! I totaly know what you mean! I had season tickets to the opera for opening night - a traditionally formal night - and I saw people come in dressed in JEANS! I was horrified. A mentor of mine once told me to dress for the job you want, not the job you have. It worked for me. Until I quit and decided to dress in men's clothes at work!
I've noticed things getting more and more casual over the years around here too. I guess it's just about making life easier.
We live in Redneck-Hic-tonville. The closest town is a drinking town with a farming problem. Some of the population only ventures out of the hills to stock up on supplies once a month and to enter in the tractor pulls. Seriously. So dressed up around here is jeans that aren't ripped, T-shirts that aren't used for the barn, and their newest trucker hat. Think Larry the Cable Guy.
I remember those school days of wearing brand new clothes and the excitement of school clothes shopping. No more here. When my kids are old enough to go to school they get to wear those trendy uniforms to school. Yeah! And they don't even shop for school supplies anymore here. You can give the teacher $xx and all your supplies are bought for you and in your desk on your first day of school.
But there are times that I do wish I could wear jeans to work.
Being a personal assistant it's all about being comfy, for me, that is jeans and a T.
However, I'm just not the dressing up type of gal. Even when I was a kid I fought my mom most sundays because I didn't want to wear a dress.
However, I think there are certain things that call for dressing up. Like a meal at a 5 star, okay 3 star restraunt in town. Or the symphony, or the theater. Those are things that you should dress up for.
also, if you're my interior designer, for example, not like I could afford an interior designer, but anyway and you're selling me something you need to look the part. I'm not going to let some chick have a hay-day with my house if you're dressed in overalls and flip flops. Okay, maybe if I wanted hay all over my house I would.
I'm rambling, but you get what I mean. You've got to sell yourself along with your product and if your product is glam you better be glam too.
I don't think it's an epidemic. I live in the boondocks and it's TOTALLY different in Napa, California (prestige capital of the world).
When I lived there, first day was mandatory new clothes, nice clothes and designer hell.
Here in the boonies, it's MUCH more casual.
But I do notice that when the rednecks around here hit Rodeo week, there are iron creases in the wranglers and those shirts look starched.
Whenever I go home, I wear what would be casual for me in NYC. And I always look like a fucking fashion icon, which I'm not.
Time for that again next week in Michigan... for my best friend's wedding where I'm wearing a fab vintage dress.
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