I think it ridiculous when I see a woman who has an oversized derrier that she feels she can stuff into a pair of tight jeans. Its a signal leaving the house in a yellowing stained tshirt with some threadbare too small black leggings and its not a good one. Even though America is still in an economic depression (yes, it really is! In the 90s, after all clothing manufacturing, even ordstroms, was move to china the powers that be recognised that the quality was not very good for fashionable clothes. And to make my point, all one has to do is watch the Oscars and see how the celebrities turn up at the awards, with their goofy outfits, or with some men wearing SNEAKERS with their tuxedos. What a moronic joke. But really, that's essentially what we are doing now as a nation, as Pam points out. The celebrities don't help any. These teachers dress like slobs. Stars like Jonah Hill, Shia LaBeouf, Post Malone, Wiz Khalifa and Justin Bieber dress like dorm-room slackers, supercharged with AmEx black cards. As I live in a German speaking country I have also noticed that formal greeting is being more and more reduced. It does not look pleasant. They're like spying on your next-door neighbor. I LIKE wearing a suit when I go out, though I may appear overdressed in even "fine dining" establishments. According to a paper from Social Psychological and Personality Science, a certain number of subjects were instructed to wear casual clothing and formal clothing before taking intellectual tests. Almost every time I go out anymore, I see countless men who look like they reached for the first t-shirt and jeans they found on the floor, then chose whichever pair of tennis shoes stank the least. Pajamas belong in the bedroom not at the store. It seems to get worse every year. I'm optimistic for the 2020s to see if we will see a fashion renaissance. The screens are getting thinner and the people are getting bigger. Groups of people working side by side like work horses, but who don't connect and form a community. 286 friends. I also own a lot of dressier clothing, which I wear when I can. Oh, and the "language", notice the level of profanity that is mostly bleeped out, radio, TV, etc..Great topic, Pam! I couldn't imagine seeing Elizabeth Taylor or Cary Grant with even a small wrist or ankle tattoo, let alone being covered with the goddamn things like David Beckham (nice body, yet he's covered with these obscenities which detract from the appearance!). When I was in my late teens and early twenties, I worked at a nationally known clothing and home goods retailer. Both of my parents grew up in thrifty households, but my grandparents always made sure they and their siblings had appropriate clothing to wear to school, church, etc. I personally feel like the 50s and 60s had the best balance between formal and casual fashion. People today just don't seem to give a s*it about their appearance and the way they present themselves. Anybody who wears sneakers with a tuxedo and is seen by millions of people ought to be laughed off the stage for being an ass. I actually think women dress worse than men in the city I live in. I find it off putting and want to tell these Hollywood and U.K. guys to spruce up and look like a successfully civilized person, not a digital age Neanderthal Man. I'd say it was around the late 1990s that people gradually started slacking off more and more in the wardrobe department, perhaps due to the widespread adoption of casual Fridays in the workplace (which eventually became casual Monday through Friday) and the rise of the dotcom industry, with its laid back company culture (which allowed people to ride scooters inside the office; I worked for one of these places myself.) What's more, if I'm not mistaken, the mania for tattoos really accelerated starting around 11 years ago, when it was still uncommon to see the average person with "sleeves" and the like. However, I do believe this condition of looking like bums seeming to have little to know pride, is all (Gov.) (please,take them, and far away if you do. Indeed, there is a consignment store in my town that carries some really cute items, most of them designer labels, for really reasonable prices. Women should never wear leggings - if only they can see how awful they look in it, or maybe they know but it is what the stores want you to buy so they all buy the same crap. I think it's so sad how sloppy Americans have become, even when they dress casually. and implants. Mr. Biebers saggy sweatshirts and stringy blonde hair suggest hes the lost long son of Jeff Spicoli, the surfing stoner in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Mr. Hill achieves slightly more polish overall, but his tie-dye T-shirts and short board shorts place him squarely in the slobcore category. Also, I realize that appearance isn't everything and that personality has to be accounted for when recognizing nice people. Well, its not a political thing so our President has nothing to do with this plague of garbage dressers.liberals are usually the biggest offenders, but hey. Its not just young people. Yesterday, after I had come out of the Fred Meyers East store, I saw an idiot young adult male wearing a toddler-like once-piece pajamas with cartoon characters on them, heading towards the entrance. What happened to the days when you had to go out "dressed appropriately"? Cleavage poured out of T-shirts bearing vulgar messages. ), I think it repulsive when I see big ugly people wearing their "jammies" to the store, or sagging their grungy pants as if they flaunt being a lowlife. Thoroughly enjoyed reading the article and all the comments! But I can't help feeling that there are too many dirty ingredients in the melting pot now. Not many slobs, are there? I'd rather see a return of the old "zootsuits" than what I see people wear nowadays--or at least some of the 1960-1970 clothes. I was reminded of a David Sedaris essay where he suggested to North Americans visiting Paris that one shouldn't visit another person's country dressed like they have come over to fix the plumbing. So I'm thinking that now even dining out has been monopolized completely by technology. I know this was kind of long but I wanted to get some of thoughts out their on the whole americans dressing like slobs issue. What the hell happened? In a society like ours where half of the people are either overweight or obese, it doesn't help for the fashion magazines to portray unrealistically thin models wearing the latest spaghetti thin garments. His jacket length was too short in the body, his sleeves also too short. Sure, everybody thinks that because they live in the United States of Moronica, have tattoos, piercings or want to look as though they have been living in a homeless encampment (even if they really don't) that this is freedom of expression. Consider a recent story in the news about Mitchell Casado--a. working for uFly--who was fired for not dressing professionally enough. Yeah great makes me want to ask them out! No class whatsoever. I guess that this is supposed to be cute, to live in a so-called "culture" wherein manners and educated speech are for the dogs, and having an intellectual disposition is considered strange. Showing up on time, looking nice, and sitting in the front attentive and off your phone ought to go a long way!Lastly, let's talk about body shapes. I am male and am of the larger variety. While he was wearing a nice, flannel, striped double breasted suit, he looked ridiculous. Going to the grocery store especially when I'm inundated with foul dress. The wealthier people here dress in a different way than the middle and lower middle class people. Part of looking like you care about yourself,is taking care of both how you dress AND how you take care of the only body you have. I've copped a few comments about trying too hard and things like that which i just let wash over my head. If you've ever been called an old soul like I have, or you were lucky enough to actually live during the mid-20th century in America, then you're in the right place! Ye Gods! Even the so-called heart throb actors appear to be in need of a long hot shower and the services of an expert barber. Dressing up is a lost art and it's rare to men put together, (even rarer for women). The one store "associate" who was there never greeted me, and looked at me as though I was in her way, while she was more interested in pretending that she had to tidy up. That really got 'em going. It was especially shocking since I expected casino-goers to be as well dressed as they were depicted in movies and on TV shows.I was wearing business casual -- dress shirt, tie, nice slacks and shoes -- and people stared at me. I posted about my distaste for tattoos on the Facebook page for this blog a couple of weeks ago, along with how I feel it's a serious sign of the lack of self love people have for themselves and their bodies (and also a denial of their natural beauty.) He looked like a geek! So while you can hold on to your crop tops and ratty band tees, you may also think twice about where and when you wear them. It's a trend that started a good 20 years ago, most notably when companies started casual Fridays and it kind of permeated society from there through the years. Variety is the spice of life. Am I saying we need to go back to dressing like they did in the 1920s. Hey Pam, I'm not American, i'm a young male living in Brisbane Australia but we've picked up the super casual slobby dress here too especially in my generation. I've read that on the whole, Europeans are far better dressed than Americans. I love dark colors, and you could say my style is dark as well. Where is the decency?I'll probably be "overdressed" in their eyes, but I intend on showing up to class in a nice dress and heels everyday with my hair neat in a braid. I mean, c'mon, it looks like they just fell out of bed and put on some baggy pants, and take their greasy hairew!and cover it up with a backwards cap and, like, we're expected to swoon? or just about anything. Adobe Stock. Personally,I fail to see how any of these teens expect to be taken seriously in the real world,when they dress like dumpster divers,street walkers,and wannabe gang bangers,and are covered with tattoos,body piercings,and other mutilations.News flash child,nobody wants to see your underwear,or your scrawny (or giant) backside. In one image, he stands there in baggy, cornflower-blue track pants with mismatched sneakers and an unzipped cycling jersey. Bra less too. I was out shopping this past week and I was horrified to see so many women look like they just got out of bed. In the 90s you had the start of the grunge rockers and the leftover crazy look of 80s punks, then you got into the whole gangster look from rap and hip hop. This explained all the jamming issues and stoppages they continually experienced during the contact we were engaged in. Burlington Coat Factory, Filene's Basement, and Marshall's all have designers clothes marked down to ridiculous prices. But, I digress, it pains me that young people today dress as though they've swept their clothes up off of the floor. Now that I'm more mature, I want to completely revamp who I am and have a classic wardrobe with mostly dresses and skirts. Here in the U.K., unless I'm at work (I'm a military consultant), then you wouldn't catch me dead looking like most US citizens. Even wearing this which i don't think is overly flashy I stand out like a sore thumb in a decent size city amongst my age group and older ages. I'm finding it more difficult these slovenly days to find male attire that is with the classic look, and which doesn't look hideous. I had a couple of social justice warriors tell me that I was judgmental and that I had nothing better to do then complain. No one would ever consider me overdressedor overeducated, for that matterbut if I am now regarded as well-dressed . I hope this idiot trend of looking like slobs will eventually swing back the other way. We were being robbed from the Japanese. And we're smart enough to know that clothes aren't that important and we can weed out women from our lives who judge us on our clothes. To me it signals low self esteem, laziness and no pride in yourself. The worst I've seen was at a grocery store in Moberly, Missouri a few years ago -- a young woman and her 8-10 year-old son were both wearing matching white terrycloth bathrobes and flip-flops. Another point of contention is how everyone gets away with using profanity, whether they are politicians making a speech, or even Ken Jennings on Jeopardy, who was "bleeped out" on a recent episode. Well, if everyone is tattoooed then they all look the same, which is to say they all look like shit together. Can we judge an entire country by its clothing choices? Here in Europe, if a man is wearing jeans and trainers (sneakers for my US friends) and a t shirt, they won't be baggy, sloppy looking items. Others are just plain lazy. When I still worked as an engineer and an I.T. People don't think for themselves anymore. We must be the worst dressed country in the world. I went to my local grocery store which is now in a somewhat run-down shopping center in what used to be a better area of the "Dump." If there is any question that the masses of "God's Country" have been dumbed down to idiocy, then one only need look, if you are able to, at the hideous way most people are "dressing." Most are males wearing ties and coats. A young male yesterday that came in wearing flip flops, tank top, shorts and it was 40 degrees. I don't consider the Kardashians a good example of the point you're trying to make, because a lot of what they wear is trampy. I sometimes feel like we are heading the wrong way and have thrown all common sense out the window. Public slobbiness started earlier than you noted. But yet people get offended if you voice your opinion about this. I'm an American professor in Kurdistan and even here, people when they dress casually look put-together and not unclean. Female athletes haven't. I am an apple shape and look for clothes that will look nice on me. I'm still waiting to see if it will. Also agree with Bill on the tie thing, at least in socal. Even the way they dress casually is heads and tails above us. I will not wear the rags. When I do see someone dressed nicely, theyve usually added some touch thats supposed to be quirky and cool but is actually unflattering or just looks stupid. Hot pants are maybe not the best idea at a gourmet restaurant. People looking like potato sacks. Loving the commentsBobby, I wonder if that travel guide you mention was responsible for starting the phrase "ugly American." I see plenty of people who should know better. The dress pants that were available were of cheap fabric, studded with rhinestones, and had fake pockets. When people were invited onstage at a recent performance of Penn & Teller on Broadway, many women looked as if they had stepped out of a jazzercise class, while men ambled around in hideous cargo shorts. They may claim no money,but even thrift stores,have nice clothing. Sadly, you are right, only now we have miraculous technology instead of religion. Now I see twenty somethings who, when trying to wear semi-formal or business attire, are doing so in the wrong way, such as leaving the shirt untucked, or wearing sneakers with a suit, etc. All you could find was dotted bras, leopard patterns and colors like orange and green an purple, but notam something as classic as ordinary white. Sadly, it's probably because things haven't gotten any better, but have instead become worse. And from what I hear, slob nation is making its way into those social situations, too. We're supposed to be policing the earth and waving chinese made flags, and inducing foreigners with our "standard of living", and yet we cannot even look respectable to ourselves. I found this by accident and wanted to contribute too. Tell this to the same idiots who make stupid faces on snapchat or like to bullshit there lives on Instagram. Partly this has to do with the visual erasure of style barriers. The Grandmother Who Fought Porn: Mary Avara, Mother's Little Helper: Vintage Drug Ads Aimed at Women, The Curious Case of Freddie Mercury's Teeth. Comedian Bill Maher questioned why celebrities and Democrat politicians do not address issues like the Black-on-Black crime wave in cities such as Chicago. I dress in accordance with the weather and make sure Im properly covered. You dont have to wear athletic shoes everywhere! At the end of our meal, the waitress brought back the little computer monitor to my table. Lived a couple of years in Japan. What a dreary culture. I'm a guy and I feel like you about this issue. Its not just younger people. Now in winter everyone looks the same with the same over the knee length cheap looking mass production made coats and jackets. They have ruined their otherwise good looks. I really long for a return to the days when men looked somewhat respectable even when wearing what was once considered to be casual clothing. If Justin Bieber gets twenty tattoos on his body, then this must be okay and cool for the young and dumb kids to do. More often than not, you can find nice clothing in thrift stores. People have cast off classical beauty and age old esthetics for what they think is the new thing, when it really is the old abnormal. Is it because they are trying to imitate little joke ass punks like Justin Bieber? Yuck. It's all being done by design on purpose and it's happening with everything not just the way people are dressed, not just with them being extremely fat, and not just with them having tattoos all over their bodies, it's happening in every single solitary possible way it could happen within the USA. I might otherwise resemble my Norse ancestors, though even they cared about their appearance. Whatever happened to company dress codes? What looks best on me are a-line skirts and dresses, and flowy tunics. Technology alone, including . Being 18, I'm part of the uncaring generation and I have to admit that for years I've been a slob. Annie -- I think it's a combination of several reasons: laziness, lack of pride, lack of common sense, the spilling over of casual Friday (which I never had a problem with) into places where one shouldn't be so casual. I wear mens jeans and button up shirts. what happened to nice variety of long and short woolen coats? :). Giorgio Armani designer fitted jeans, a fitted Stone Island, Dolce & Gabbana or other designer Italian t shirt, smart trainers such as Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana or even Adidas Gazelles. Partly this has to. So did Kurt Vonnegut and Gore Vidal, all whom I miss, with their varied works that satirized the foibles of We the People and the hideous and incompetent "leaders" we "elect.". I see the latest Issue of GQ with the newest sportcoats from top designers and buy an identical one for pennies on the dollar. Too much soft-pedaling stuff/PC ,these days,is another part of the decline in class,IMHO. Justin Bieber in all of his tattooed, T-shirted and untamed hair glory earlier this month . So if someone looks like a slob, it's completely their fault. Many might point to the younger generation, its not. I went out today to go clothes shopping, hence being on this site now. Casual fashion was just starting to become socially acceptable but not allowed obscenities in public. Because of fear of communism, all kinds of social organizing has been discouraged, and now they are reaping the rewards. About tattoos and piercingsI have a lady friend in Ukraine, and we've both noticed that the younger women in Eastern Europe are now following the American trend of covering themselves with tattoos and getting piercings (nose, lips, etc.) 12 Courtney Love Courtney's style has always been along the lines of grunge/alternative so the preppy pant suits and super sexy dresses were never exactly her thing. I have a busy life and chronic pain. variety. I'm not saying that I have a problem with people wearing t-shirts, shorts, etc. It's kind of sad that wearing a suit and tie would make one overdressed in certain environments I remember when some restaurants required jackets and would lend them to men who walked in without wearing up. But you've got to realize that we live now in an age of post-1984 surrealism and computerized fascism. Sadly,so many women also do it too. However, whenever I go out I at least bathe first and put on clean clothes. What is notable in both countries is that the standard goes up with the average income of the shoppers.Ties I can live without, but there are plenty to be had in UK shops, and if anything they seem to be having a revival especially with younger men. But now I'm starting to blame the so-called fashion gurus for the problem of people being so poorly and slovenly dressed and having no sense. But, after looking through the shops, I can offer one reason (among a few) for why people look so terrible--I went looking for dress slacks or chinos for work, and couldn't find one thing. Sky News Australia pays tribute to comedy legend Barry Humphries, with friends joining Sky News host Rowan Dean to remember a life dedicated to laughter. Dirty shoes and unwashed hair and these are females!Has anyone noticed these DAY GLOW yellow t shirts? When I was a boy, I remember my mother once telling me she couldn't go to the store until she took the curlers from her hair. April 26, 2023. Burned, frayed, roots grown to their ears, two or three colors at the same time (not to mention all the blues and pinks and purples), long, puffy, messy, uncombed..