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I was taught that when you set foot outside of your house, you had to ensure you were ‘public ready’. This did not mean covered with slap and dressed to the nines. Just have a general sense of pride in how you look.
So often we see pictures of ‘celebrities’ looking their worst for wear – I am sure Pamela Anderson didn’t think she would be snapped wearing no make-up or bra when she quickly decided to pop out for bikini-whitener.
I am not a celebrity so there are no paps waiting to snap me looking all washed out and bleached out, nonetheless, what I learned as a child is difficult to erase. In the words of my granny and mom: “Lyk ordentlik as jy by die huis uitstap.” In English, that says: “Look decent when you leave the house”.
This brings me to something that has been bugging me for quite some time.
I used to work with a woman who, in my mind, had her version of a Charlie Brown outfit – she wore same thing every day. Let’s call her “Sarah”. Picture this: Sarah is about 1,5m, had this worn-out mousy (and at times – musty smelling) bob, wore brown hi-tech hiking boots that were popular in the ‘90s, black ill-fitting jeans and a weird navy sweater. This was Sarah’s every day outfit. Yes, everyday.
Sarah was a journalist at the time, so I guess she thought she had to look hardcore to be Miss Pulitzer 1995. But she actually looked like a hobbit wearing hi-tech boots.
I recently saw Sarah’s pic on Facebook and I’m glad to say that she learned something over the years and she got with the program. She will probably never be a style maven, but I give her props for realising the hobbit/Charlie Brown look was doing her no favours.
It seems I am destined to have a hobbit in my life because once again I am faced with someone that looks like they went through the bins at the Salvation Army. Now look, I got a beautiful coat at the local Hospice charity shop, so I am not knocking the charity shops. But knowing how to rock it? I guess that takes time.
This new person (let’s call her “Mary”) amazes a lot of us everyday with the amount of carelessness that surrounds her dress sense.
Mary is on a senior level and has to be in meetings with the big dogs a lot and I know from experience that people judge you on how you look. When your look says “I just don’t care and don’t care enough to at least look like a professional”, then why should anyone else care? And also, if one person looks like that it’s a bad reflection on the rest of us.
My thing is I have to look at this mess everyday… The other day Mary’s outfit resembled a Neapolitan ice-cream. All that was missing was the green in the ice-cream. This ensemble was topped off with white bobby socks and white trainers. Now, unless you are a professional tennis player, white trainers should not be worn to work.
Look. I have picked up some weight over the years and although it’s hard to acknowledge, I put on my big girl panties and embraced it. But I don’t go wearing stuff that is 20 years out of date. If it doesn’t fit, I give it away and buy new clothes.
There is nothing sadder seeing a grown woman in three quarter pants that are too tight and about a lifetime out of date.
I compliment Mary when she looks good, in the hopes that it will spark a clothing revolution, but the next day she is back to her hobbity ways (by the way, she is very similar to the other hobbit I knew). Maybe there is a wannabe stylist in me wanting to help the fashion lost sheep. Or maybe the advice of my gran and mom should be heeded by more people in the workplace.
What you reckon? Can people dress like slobs to work or should there be a standard that must be kept at a certain level?
Follow Women24 on Twitter.
So often we see pictures of ‘celebrities’ looking their worst for wear – I am sure Pamela Anderson didn’t think she would be snapped wearing no make-up or bra when she quickly decided to pop out for bikini-whitener.
I am not a celebrity so there are no paps waiting to snap me looking all washed out and bleached out, nonetheless, what I learned as a child is difficult to erase. In the words of my granny and mom: “Lyk ordentlik as jy by die huis uitstap.” In English, that says: “Look decent when you leave the house”.
This brings me to something that has been bugging me for quite some time.
I used to work with a woman who, in my mind, had her version of a Charlie Brown outfit – she wore same thing every day. Let’s call her “Sarah”. Picture this: Sarah is about 1,5m, had this worn-out mousy (and at times – musty smelling) bob, wore brown hi-tech hiking boots that were popular in the ‘90s, black ill-fitting jeans and a weird navy sweater. This was Sarah’s every day outfit. Yes, everyday.
Sarah was a journalist at the time, so I guess she thought she had to look hardcore to be Miss Pulitzer 1995. But she actually looked like a hobbit wearing hi-tech boots.
I recently saw Sarah’s pic on Facebook and I’m glad to say that she learned something over the years and she got with the program. She will probably never be a style maven, but I give her props for realising the hobbit/Charlie Brown look was doing her no favours.
It seems I am destined to have a hobbit in my life because once again I am faced with someone that looks like they went through the bins at the Salvation Army. Now look, I got a beautiful coat at the local Hospice charity shop, so I am not knocking the charity shops. But knowing how to rock it? I guess that takes time.
This new person (let’s call her “Mary”) amazes a lot of us everyday with the amount of carelessness that surrounds her dress sense.
Mary is on a senior level and has to be in meetings with the big dogs a lot and I know from experience that people judge you on how you look. When your look says “I just don’t care and don’t care enough to at least look like a professional”, then why should anyone else care? And also, if one person looks like that it’s a bad reflection on the rest of us.
My thing is I have to look at this mess everyday… The other day Mary’s outfit resembled a Neapolitan ice-cream. All that was missing was the green in the ice-cream. This ensemble was topped off with white bobby socks and white trainers. Now, unless you are a professional tennis player, white trainers should not be worn to work.
Look. I have picked up some weight over the years and although it’s hard to acknowledge, I put on my big girl panties and embraced it. But I don’t go wearing stuff that is 20 years out of date. If it doesn’t fit, I give it away and buy new clothes.
There is nothing sadder seeing a grown woman in three quarter pants that are too tight and about a lifetime out of date.
I compliment Mary when she looks good, in the hopes that it will spark a clothing revolution, but the next day she is back to her hobbity ways (by the way, she is very similar to the other hobbit I knew). Maybe there is a wannabe stylist in me wanting to help the fashion lost sheep. Or maybe the advice of my gran and mom should be heeded by more people in the workplace.
What you reckon? Can people dress like slobs to work or should there be a standard that must be kept at a certain level?
Follow Women24 on Twitter.
