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| Author |
Message |
keesan
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Feminine clothing
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May 5 19:16 UTC 1999 |
Jdeigert (Jim) and keesan (Sindi) both wonder why people enjoy wearing such
items as (from the bottom up): high heeled pointy shoes, nylons and garter
belts or panty hose, girdles, slips, bras, makeup, perfume, jewelry and other
things that are typically worn by women. We both realize that we are the odd
ones in that I, as a woman, have never been interested in them, and Jim (a
man in case the name did not give him away) does not find them sexy, just odd.
We have read various theories, but would anyone who actually enjoys dressing
this way explain why? No offense of any sort intended, this is just something
neither of us understands, and we are obviously in a minority. Does it make
you feel different to dress in more gender-specific clothing? Do people treat
you differently depending how you dress. (Studies have shown this to be the
case - women in high heels get more offers of help opening doors, men in ties
get more job interviews). Do you find yourself able to act differently when
you dress differently? Does it affect your mood? Your manners? Do you put
on a different personality with a change in outfits?
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| 73 responses total. |
gypsi
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response 1 of 73:
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May 5 20:41 UTC 1999 |
Well, some of those items are necessary when you dress up (a slip under a
filmy dress, nylons to cover your legs, etc), but I don't like high heels.
I tend to wear flats or something with a small, square heel. I wear a bra
because if I don't, my nipples show through fabric, and the bouncing around
is pretty painful. Plus, they tend to give your breasts the tiniest lift and
some shape. I hate when I can tell someone isn't wearing one.
Jewelry is a decorative thing, and I like wearing my earrings or barettes
because they accentuate the outfit...make it less boring, I guess. A person
looks "put-together" with a pair of earrings or a pin. Well, I've seen some
nice outfits sans accessories, too, but those tend to be weekend wear. =)
I don't usually wear jewelry with a sweatshirt and jeans...just when I'm
wearing a nicer outfit.
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glenda
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response 2 of 73:
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May 5 23:04 UTC 1999 |
Don't do heels, ever. Don't do panty hose (am allergic to nylon).
Don't wear bras (see above, just try to find one without nylon, can be done
but is quite difficult) and can't find one that fits right, am low busted
and the straps are too short. Would like to find something that fits and
doesn't drive me crazy with itching as I am beginning to sag after nursing
two kids.
Don't wear dresses often, probably have worn a dress/skirt less than 10 times
in the last 15 years. Prefer jeans and t-shirts or sweats. When forced to
by a job I will wear nice slacks and co-ordinating shirt/blouse and maybe a
vest.
I do like to dress up on occasion, but usually that means Medieval garb for
a SCA event.
The only time I feel different about what I am wearing is when I am in "garb"
because I then become a 12 century Welsh/Scots "Lady".
I get compliments when I wear other than the usual jeans, but won't give up
compfort for compliments.
Wear make-up even less often than I wear dresses/skirts.
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anderyn
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response 3 of 73:
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May 6 00:21 UTC 1999 |
Hmmmm. Let's see. I have *always* had to wear a bra -- no two ways about
it when you're my size, unless you want to beat yourself up when you run.
But I recently found some lace and coloured ones that really did make me
feel more feminine when I wore them -- just because they're so pretty and
lacy and all that. I only wear nylons when I dress up, like going to a big
party or a wedding, that kind of thing, but I wear long dresses and skirts
almost all the time. I like skirts much better than pants. They feel better.
Makeup is something that I never wore, never felt comfortable with, but since
my mother-in-law's death, I've collected quite a stash of lipsticks and eye
shadows and other things -- because I do feel more "girly" when I wear it.
Jewelry -- I wear a ring all the time, and earrings and necklaces less often,
but I like it. It's pretty and it is fun to look at and play with....
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abc
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response 4 of 73:
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May 6 00:45 UTC 1999 |
I wish I could get away with not wearing a bra but I'd need to be several
sizes smaller.
I often wear a bracelet I've had for over fifteen years and my class ring.
But I'll take them off if I go biking, fishing, etc. What I have trouble
understanding is people who wear wedding bands while scuba diving as I'd
be petrified of losing it.
I own one bottle of perfume. Once in a blue moon I actually use it. Sort
of in the sense of a child playing dress up.
What I love about my job is that 80% of the time I can show up in t-shirt,
shorts, sneakers, and a cap. I have worked "suit jobs" in the past but
have not put on any of those suits in years. I do own dresses but only
wear them when necessary.
The last time I left the house with make-up was to have my high school
senior photo taken. I only wore make-up because the cap & gown in which
we were photographed, were white (for girls) My college cap & gown were
black so no make-up was deemed necessary (by me)
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keesan
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response 5 of 73:
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May 6 13:25 UTC 1999 |
Since it looks like the majority of people responding so far prefer to dress
for comfort rather than dress up in specifically female clothing, jdeigert
speculates that people who participate in electronic conferences get less
satisfaction from the common social interchanges that require adherence to
clothing standards. (I. e., they wear certain clothing only on occasions when
it is expected of them, not because they enjoy it per se).
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gypsi
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response 6 of 73:
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May 6 17:11 UTC 1999 |
He has a point. When I worked in an office, I was out of those clothes within
a half-hour or so. By the time I log on or make dinner, I'm in jeans.
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mary
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response 7 of 73:
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May 6 17:59 UTC 1999 |
Oh, I really enjoy getting dressed-up now and then and going
out to a fine restraurant and concert. I can be just as
comfortable dressy as casual. Doing it infrequently though
is probably what makes keeps it fun.
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orinoco
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response 8 of 73:
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May 6 20:19 UTC 1999 |
A friend of mine made the point recently that social expectations are nice
as long as they aren't _really_ expected. Most people recognize that it would
drive them crazy to have to wear ultra-formal clothing all the time, but it's
my friend's theory that we would also go crazy if there weren't some
established standard of formal clothing that we could go by if we wanted to.
I think that makes a lot of sense.
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abc
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response 9 of 73:
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May 7 00:50 UTC 1999 |
Hmm. At work, everyone dresses pretty much the same way. When I go out with
friends, people tend to dress casual, even those who might dress more formally
for work. Maybe it's the group of people I know in general - we all prefer
to dress for comfort. Of course, most of us also have internet connections.
Maybe we're all geeks who socialize both on and off the net :)
My standard of clothing usually implies it has to be worn. (Ever try chasing
a five-year-old boy in attempts to get him to put on ANY clothes before the
guests arrive?)
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beeswing
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response 10 of 73:
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May 7 16:00 UTC 1999 |
Bras are necessity for me. Need the lift. But I go for the most comfy
ones possible. Eddie Bauer makes some great cotton ones. They hold up
(ha ha) a long time too. Forgot the exact cost.
I only wear neutral colored hose or black hose. Tan looks stupid on me
because I'm so white. White hose are pointless because people think I
wear white hose as it is, I'm so pale. Yeek!
I like to wear black tights, they're actually quite comfy. I have so
many perfume bottles that I'll be 40 before I can use them all up. (No,
I don't wear tons every day, I just like variety). I have a drawerful of
makeup, but today I'm doing my usual of mascara, some eyeliner (I have
small eyes and a little bit on the outside corners makes them appear
bigger), and powder. Lipstick is cool but I get tired of reapplying it.
Like Mary said, it's just fun to dress up sometimes. I prefer skirts
over dresses... I usually don't do a dress unless it's something like a
wedding or some formal thing. I hate shopping for dresses; most of them
make me look like a grandma or something. They're either these tiny
things I can't fit into or these huge, drape-like things. Or they're
little girlish... lace collars? bows? little flowery things? Puke.
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otter
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response 11 of 73:
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May 8 08:12 UTC 1999 |
My office is "business casual" and I tend to dress a step or so up from the
standard. As a rule, I am *much* more comfortable in a skirt or dress than
pants because I'm a tough fit in pants. (small, high waist and wide hips)
I've found that by taking the time to shop carefully, I can find dressy
clothes that fit well and feel good.
Most of my office shoes have a 1.5" - 2" heel. My dancing shoes are all 3"
and I like them fine because I dance on the balls of my feet anyway. I have
never owned a pair of shoes that truly fit, so maybe I'm accustomed to a
certain level of discomfort and that's why heels are OK with me. <shrug> And
I'm probably going to Hell for this, but I like the way they look.
We'll get to the subject of frilly underthings later...
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beeswing
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response 12 of 73:
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May 10 04:00 UTC 1999 |
At 5'9" some heels make me feel like I'm in Attack of the 50 FT Woman.
Skinny heels I never learned to walk in. My ankles wobble too much. I'm
glad clunky, thick heels are in style; the wide base makes them easy to
wear.
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keesan
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response 13 of 73:
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May 10 21:26 UTC 1999 |
How does it make people feel to wear clothing that is not in style?
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scott
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response 14 of 73:
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May 11 11:11 UTC 1999 |
Depends on the person.
I think Grex is likely to have a much greater percentage of people who don't
care about clothing that much. Computer people, don't ya know.
At my office most people dress fairly casual, T-shirts being OK but not
common. There are 2 people (one male, one female) who dress up even though
it is not required. They are both programmers, though, which is not typical.
Usually the guy who dresses up is the only one in the office (10 people)
wearing a tie.
(Both are good programmers, so they don't have any skills weakness to cover
up with fancy clothes)
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gypsi
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response 15 of 73:
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May 11 17:07 UTC 1999 |
I don't really care about fashion, and most of my clothes are pretty standard
anyway. Basic shirts, pants, skirts, etc make up my wardrobe. If I like a
new style, I'll wear it, but not because it's in "vogue". It may just fit
me. I often scoff at things that are out of fashion, but that's because
they're ugly and not because they're "out-of-date". (leisure suits, polyester
golf pants, etc)
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md
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response 16 of 73:
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May 11 17:44 UTC 1999 |
Polyester leisure suits are out of fashion? Uh-oh.
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abc
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response 17 of 73:
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May 12 00:46 UTC 1999 |
I wouldn't know what *is* in style. I wear what I like. What I've also
noticed is that I generally like the same thing over time; if a fad comes
through and I pick it up from someone, they will have moved onto something
new and I'll still wear it because I'll still like it.
I certainly spend enough time in front of a computer to be called a computer
person :)
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keesan
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response 18 of 73:
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May 12 00:58 UTC 1999 |
What professions require you to dress more fashionably? And how do people
who have to keep up with the fashions figure out what is required? I suppose
you could look at what other people wear, but how to tell which ones to
imitate?
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beeswing
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response 19 of 73:
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May 13 03:36 UTC 1999 |
People I know who are in sales (especially when they have to make
calls at customer's offices) almost always have to dress up. I guess if
you want to be fashionably hip, you go to the stores and check out the
newest stuff. Then you try on all those things and see what is
flattering and what isn't. Capri pants have made this huge comeback...
they're all over the place. I have yet to even try a pair on. I just
don't think they'd look good on me. Some people can wear them fine, but
I think on me it would just look like they shrunk in the wash.
I don't do trendy things either... I hate it when you look back on some
things you wore and think "What alien entered my head and made me wear
that?". I do like to reinvent my wardrobe though. I hate ruts of any
kind. I think we constantly have to reinvent ourselves.
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abc
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response 20 of 73:
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May 14 01:22 UTC 1999 |
Some of my clothes are more than ten years old. My friends are amazed by the
lack of holes in most. Jeans, on the other hand, seem to acquire holes quite
often. Shirts and sweatshirts seem to stand the test of time.
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keesan
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response 21 of 73:
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May 15 00:03 UTC 1999 |
Most of my clothes are more than ten years old. I don't like baggy shirts
which are all that have been made since 1985 or so until recently. Or
high-cut legs on underwear or bathing suits. My bathing suit is 1970s.
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otter
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response 22 of 73:
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May 15 21:43 UTC 1999 |
That is my bathing suit size, I think. 8^}
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gypsi
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response 23 of 73:
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May 16 01:29 UTC 1999 |
If I could wear clothes from ten years ago, I'd be in heaven. (I was twelve
and weighed all of 124 pounds). ;-)
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glenda
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response 24 of 73:
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May 19 01:19 UTC 1999 |
Have to start looking for "real" clothes. The lab I work at (in jeans and
t-shirts) is being closed at the end of July so I have to get interview
clothes (unless I accept the offered transfer to Chicago) and stuff to
wear at the new job (Chicago office has "office casual" dress code - whatever
the hell that means). One of the reasons I loved this job was because I
didn't have to "dress up".
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