response 75 of 200:

Jan 8 22:55 UTC 1998

Mark, I guess I *have* met someone who can get away with sweatpants.   ;)
I'd never notoced that that's what you were wearing.

I guess I only notice when they're dirty and grungy or ill-fitting, which is
lamentably frequent.  

(But don't mind me, anyway.  I miss the days when there were more
opportunities to wear evening wear and tuxedos.  The casual look is, in my
opinion, carried too far these days.  It's just me.  I don't judge individual
people by it, though.  I just think the culture at large is missing out.)

response 77 of 200:

Jan 9 12:54 UTC 1998

It all comes down to this:
if it fits well, and you feel comfortable in it, it shows.
So, even my suits are based on this principle and overrules things like
corporate-ness.
IOW: they look great on me.

Can anybody tell my the historical purpose of a tie (cravatte)?

response 79 of 200:

Jan 9 20:49 UTC 1998

I've always felt that being neat and tidy is important, particularly since
I am defined as obese in our society. I would NEVER wear sweats except
when exercising (though I did buy a cute kitty sweatshirt to wear to work for
this winter), and I don't ever wear polyester pants, etc. I will usually be
found in a skirt and shirt with vest/sweater/blazer or jeans and a nice shirt,
though I do still wear teeshirts. I also have never worn leggings, simply 
because I don't think a large person would look good in them. I have been
working on expanding my wardrobe to items that are "classic" and look good
on me, and making sure that whatever I wear fits and feels good and looks the
best I can make it. 

response 81 of 200:

Jan 10 03:24 UTC 1998

Well, the fact is that you _do_ judge people by their appearance on first
glance.  Everyone does, try as they might to counter it.  It's just as much
a part of that initial impression as anything else, and it's a fairly reliable
way to judge what sort of person they are.

response 83 of 200:

Jan 10 08:29 UTC 1998

I tend to wear whatever I have that is clean, and generally not pay too much
attention to my appearance, because it generally doesn't seem all that worth
messing with to me.  I sit in an office and play with a computer.  My
in person contact with customers is pretty minimal.  Besides, whenever I see
a person with a job like mine who is dressed up all the time, I tend to start
wondering whether they're more concerned with their appearance than whether
stuff works.

On the other hand, if I see a sales person who wears jeans and a t shirt to
meetings with customers, it does get me wondering a bit.  Perhaps its because
it just seems normal for sales people to dress up, or perhaps it's because
appearance does seem to me to be part of a sales person's job.  Or perhaps
I'm just being way too judgemental.

response 85 of 200:

Jan 10 21:40 UTC 1998

I dunno.  There's a big difference between saying something ought to be true
and saying it *is* true.

I thought appearance made no difference until I bought my first suit as I
graduated from college.  Before then I'd been a poor welfare mom and student.
My clothes were clean, but old and worn.  And sometimes not very well fitting.
There just wasn't money to replace things as I needed to -- and I accepted
clothes from where I could get them.

When I put on my first suit and went out in public I could *believe* how much
difference it made in how pwople treated me!  So much for "looks don't
matter".

And I think *everyone* judges people on their presentation at least to some
extent.  Let me give you an example:

You walk into a very crowded cafeteria.  You don't have the option of eating
lter or taking your food elsewhere and you find only four seats available,
one at each of four tables.  At each table sits a woman, all about the same
age as you are.  Each seems to have just begun her meal.

At the first table is a woman in a conservative suit and pumps.  Her hair is
caught up in a simple but tidy chignon.  She's wearing subtle makeup if any.

At the second table is a woman in a very tight, eye-catching dress ans very
high heels. Her hair is painstaking done in a very fashionable 'do and she's
wearing heavy, but attractive makeup.

At the third table is a woman in a clean t-shirt and jeans.  She's wearing
sensible shoes.  Her hair is combed and hanging loose.  She's wearing no
makeup as far as you can tell.

At the fouth table is a woman in bizarrly combined, season inappropriate
clothes that look rumpled, faded, and not entirely clean.  Her hair seems not
to have been combed (or maybe even washed) very recently and her makeup looks
like yesterdays job, wandered.

You have no impression of who you'd most like to sit next to?  It seems to
me that each of these women is broadcasting something about herself and her
lifestyle.  Any one of us might very well choose a different table -- based
on what the woman's appearance tell us about what she might be like to chat
with for a half hour.  We'll choose the person who, to us, is broadcasting
"I'm interesting."  or maybe "I'm similar to you in outlook or lifestyle."

Warmth is only half the reason humans wear clothes.  Information is the other
half.

That said, the largest percentage of my friends wouldn't be caught dead
wearing anything but jeans or work pants and a t-shirt and think that my
concern with appearance is quaint at best.  But in Ann Arbor, that uniform
is the signal of the intellectual.  It's still information.

I guess what I'm saying is that clothes send messages no matter what.  It's
inevitable.  I  think that it's important to be aware of the message you send
-- and then any message is fine.  And I reserve the right to be a little
thrilled when someones "message" is that spending time with me was important
enough to take a little care in getting ready.  I don't demand it.  I don't
even expect it.  But I still feel honoured when it happens and always will.

response 87 of 200:

Jan 11 00:47 UTC 1998

I dunno. I do notice what people are wearing, particularly people I've known
forever (e.g., and in particular, my office mates). Of course, this usually
takes the form of saying, "Gosh, that looks nice on you!". I also assess 
whether or not I'd be caught dead in a certain outfit if I found one that
fit, or if the person is of a similar size to myself. This is why I have
decided that I will never wear leggings. I have seen too many people of
a similar size who look horrible. Jeans and a tee shirt may not be the
best choice, but it at least looks neat and tidy for the most part. 

response 89 of 200:

Jan 11 06:29 UTC 1998

I always notice what people wear. I cannot help it. Particularly if it's
unflattering... I just think "Oh honey, you don't need to be wearing that!".
But I would never tell a person that, unless they asked me. Like last week I
saw a middle-aged woman in a black shirt and these brightly colored, snug
leggings. But she was rather bottom-heavy, and the bright pants made you focus
on her butt. (I am bottom heavy myself and make sure I wear stuff that is
flattering, I sure as hell don't want to accentuate it). It looked ridiculous
on her, and I couldn't imagine how she could look in the mirror and think she
looked good in such an outfit. It's like wishing your feet were smaller, so you
buy smaller shoes. But your feet ache when you walk! Better to accept the size
you have and buy things that fit accordingly. Yes I'd like to wear halter tops,
but I look horrible in them and thus feel unconfident in them. So I don't buy
them.  

I agree with Misti. I am so tired of seeing people throw on whatever's there
and go out. On Saturdays, I wear a sweater and jeans. But the jeans do not have
holes or rips, nor are they tight or those baggy things that hang on your butt.
To me when a person is dressed sloppily, I wonder if they just don't care what
they look like or what, or if maybe that is all they have. I also think
depression... the effort of getting dressed well is just too much. (And one
sign of suicidal ideation or depression is when a person neglects to groom
themselves, especially on basic levels like brushing teeth).

I'm ME, I'm special, and not just any old scrap of clothes will do for me. You
can look nice without having to put on a suit or dress and heels. I for one
loathe heels. 

Like Misti said, it's not as much the price of the clothes as much as you
maintain them. T-shirt and jeans? Fine. But tuck in the shirt, make sure the
jeans are clean and not shredded. Comb your hair. I really don't notice a
person's exact clothes as much as the person just looking nice. Accessories
show attention to detail. Yes it's wrong to judge people by how they
dress/look, but that is how it is. If that weren't so, you'd show up at an
interview in sweats. 

response 91 of 200:

Jan 11 08:47 UTC 1998

   I don't like seeing women in a lot of makeup. I believe in the natural
look, because that says to me "I accept myself for who I am and I am not
afraid to show it". 
   I really hate the blue eyelids and the heavy lipstick that looks like it
goes out of the lipline. To me, that's a trashy look.
   Personally, I find a little lipstick and a little pinch on my cheeks to
give them color to be enough for me. After all, Mother taught us that only
whores use rouge. Nice girls pinch. ;)

response 93 of 200:

Jan 11 17:49 UTC 1998

I've always thought makeup looked a bit rediculous.  I probably don't notice
it a lot of the time, but I've certainly never struck me as at all bad that
somebody wasn't wearing it.  If somebody is wearing makeup, I generally assume
that they must be pretty insecure.

On most of these clothing issues, I think I have about the oposite opinion
from beeswing.  Sure, if somebody hasn't taken a shower or brushed their teeth
recently, or smells bad, it seems pretty gross.  Beyond that, it really
doesn't matter to me that much.  I tend to grab whatever is clean and put it
on.  That's not insecurity, as beeswing suggests.  It's just that I don't
consider it to be very important.  I do find myself wondering how insecure
somebody must be if they think what their clothes look like is actually
important.

response 95 of 200:

Jan 11 20:15 UTC 1998

Hmmmm... I think of it more as a pride aspect. I'm special, so I want to look
special, or at least like it matters to me. I was brought up to think that way.
I said a lot of MAKEUP is a sign of insecurity, not lack of dressing up. And
I'm sure Steve doesn't have the makeup issue to deal with. :)

I also hate blue eyeshadow and lipstick outside the natural lip line. Any
eyeshadow I wear is subtle and very light, and only serves to enhance my eye
color and make them look bigger. I love big, expressive eyes. I don't like
obvious eye makeup, because then people notice your makeup and not your eyes
themselves. I need blush to warm up my very pale cheeks... people have asked me
if I have the flu when I wasn't wearing it. But I hate those racing-stripe
slashes that some women glop on their face. I like powder because my nose is
sooo shiny, and the paleness factor. But I'd never wear brozing cream or
anything to make me look darker all over... it would look ridiculously fake. 

As for tanning beds, there's a reason I call 'em Cancer Beds. No thanks.

response 99 of 200:

Jan 12 03:46 UTC 1998

I get the impression of a bunch of mini-cultural gulfs here, with people
on the opposite sides saying stuff like "why would anyone care" and "there
must be something wrong with you if you don't care".  That i'd feel more
at home with a vi vs. emacs discussion probably lets you figure out where
i stand...

On clothes, i figure that dressing up is better than a prostate exam.
Usually.  Jeans 7 days a week is my choice, along with sweat socks and
a casual top - usually a knit shirt in summer, or a turtleneck (tucked
in) and flannel button-down (untucked) over it in winter.  I find that
i don't judge people by their clothes at work, but do away from work
(where i figure the-less-like-me the worse).  

On the odor front, i don't wear anything and generally don't notice
what anyone else is wearing, but maybe that's because hayfever, etc.
keep my nose semi-functional most of the time.  War stories told by
those allergic to perfume have made me somethat biased against such.

I don't like pierced ears or earrings, but have mostly gotten resigned
to them as unavoidable.  Though it's depressed me to see each of my
nieces in turn succumb to peer pressure and do it.  The newer piercings,
though, REALLY turn me off.  

For makeup, i'm probably in valerie's "great unaware" category.  If i
notice it, i don't like it.  I'm sort of philosophically opposed to
it, but if it's someone else's face, money, and time....their business,
not mine.