Call the Fashion Police on America

Read this first.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-57585174/dressing-down-a-culture-for-refusing-to-dress-up/

This was on the Sunday Morning show today. I was glad to hear someone talking about this. I feel that dressing down is a big issue in our culture, especially when you have professionals going to work in pajamas ( I have witnessed this.) and students doing the same at school. This trend is starting with the younger generations and, at the risk of sounding like an old biddy, I fear it will become a social norm for everyone by the time I'm an old and wrinkled woman. I teach high school and I've had students come to school in their pj's. I don't know about you, but when I was in high school, you had to call home for a change of clothes or go home if you wore pajamas to school. The one time I wore pajamas to class (in college), I felt so uncomfortable that I had to go back to my dorm room and change clothes between my classes.

I'm not saying that I'm the best when it comes to fashion, but I do try to do my best when it comes to dressing well. I will be the first to admit that I have days that I wear sweats and a t-shirt, but I don't wear them to work. Dressing well shows that you care about yourself and that you may even want to reach your full potential, whether in the workplace or in your personal life.

Today, it seems as if people don't respect themselves enough to present themselves well. I understand that we all have days where we feel like being slouchy, but this shouldn't be the norm. I'm not saying we need to wear elaborate gowns and suits everyday, but, as a nation, we need to do better about the way we dress. We would do well to take some pointers from the Europeans. In general, they take dressing well very seriously.

This is my last point before I end my rant. People tend not to take you seriously when you don't present yourself well. They judge you before they get to know you. Yes, we've all been told that it doesn't matter what you wear; it's what's on the inside that counts. While this is true to a certain extent, it's also a bit false. It is what's on the inside that counts; however, it does matter what you wear. You wouldn't wear shorts, t-shirt, and flip-flops to an interview at a big corporation. Your interviewer would take one look at you and think that you don't take things seriously and wouldn't hire you. Just as there are times and places to act certain ways and say certain things, there are times and places to wear certain clothes. Don't let your clothes be a hindrance and hold you back from your full potential!