The pajamafication of America
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Lounge-pants my foot. I lived in Las Vegas for 17 years. I've seen plenty of lounges, and let me tell you, not a single person ever showed up in flannel anything to a casino that I ever saw. If it is made of a soft, fuzzy material like flannel, if it has flowers or animals or martini glasses or cocktail umbrellas or little pink and red hearts all over it, and has a drawstring waist-it's PAJAMAS. And it belongs in your bedroom only. OMG, have you seen what some people are wearing outside their homes?
The true purpose of 'bedclothes' is to keep our sleeping spot clean. The world is a dirty place, full of dust, bacteria, and lots of bugs. The idea is that you shed the dirt off yourself before you go to sleep so as to keep healthier and not be a host to multiple outside parasites like tics and lice. Tics and lice used to live in abundance in people's clothes, and to try to keep them out of your bedding, you took off the clothes. But what if you had to go to the outhouse in the middle of the night? And what about modesty in general? Most people back then were never naked except maybe during bathing. Even married couples seldom saw each other's bodies without clothes on. Bedclothes became a necessity for modesty as well as for warmth. (since we lose lots of heat thru the tops of our heads, we still have most of our hair there, and that's why Scrooge wears his 'night cap'). So, if you're actually going back to bed with those same clothes on that I saw you in at that store today, you are taking the filth of our world right into your sheets. Nice.
But the bigger point is this-how you look is how you act is how you really feel. It's true, try it. When you put some effort into looking your best, it somehow affects the way you carry yourself, the way you walk, the way you speak with others and the way they speak to you. It improves your self esteem, your mood, your outlook-it helps you feel like you can accomplish your goal. And that's just from the mirror.
The biggest point of all, though, is how you look has a great effect on how other people see you and treat you. Like it or not, right or wrong, we are judged by our appearance, and whether you admit it or not, you also judge others by their looks. And is it so wrong? It is wrong to judge others on the features they can not control-the natural color and texture of hair, for example. But if that hair is unwashed and ungroomed, that's a sign of a person's actions and their way of thinking. It doesn't only say that that person couldn't care less about what you think of them-it screams out loud that that person can't be bothered by the most basic needs of self maintainance. So, if they don't care about themselves, how can they be trusted to care about something/someone else? Could they, even if they wanted to? Your appearance speaks to the world of the person you are on the inside. Don't you want to control what is said about you, by your own self? And to make that message as positive as possible?
People back in the 'Old Country' used to dress. I say 'used to' because when I was in Hungary just this past October, I saw pretty much what I might see on the streets of most American cities as far as what people are wearing. Faded jeans, no collars, the infamous hoodie. Some in the oh-so-metro black leather jacket and boots with heals, including myself, but I dare say most put on their clothes thinking only of comfort, not what image they're projecting. Your grandparents are shaking their heads in disgust. They dressed for work, they dressed for church, they dressed for social gatherings and special occasions. It meant they respected the occasion, and took it seriously. Some even dressed for dinner in their own homes. Your grandma would have never gone out shopping or visiting friends in the same clothes that she scrubbed the kitchen floor in. I had 'school clothes' and 'play clothes' and 'dress up' clothes and 'home clothes', and my shoes were on my feet only outside the house. When you dress in certain ways to do certain things, the very act of preparation-of dressing-directs you to a certain state of mind, so you're bound to 'be better at it'. Just seems like common sense.
So, if you'd like better customer service at the mall or the supermarket, if you'd like to hear more 'have a great day' and 'come back again', if you'd like to be considered for that promotion or want that man/woman to take notice of you or show that you appreciate that invitation, DRESS FOR THE PART.
And even if you are looking for none of these things (because you already have them, of course), looking like you care about yourself as well as others will make your life only more pleasant and prosperous. And mine, too, thank you.
Lounge-pants my foot. I lived in Las Vegas for 17 years. I've seen plenty of lounges, and let me tell you, not a single person ever showed up in flannel anything to a casino that I ever saw. If it is made of a soft, fuzzy material like flannel, if it has flowers or animals or martini glasses or cocktail umbrellas or little pink and red hearts all over it, and has a drawstring waist-it's PAJAMAS. And it belongs in your bedroom only. OMG, have you seen what some people are wearing outside their homes?
The true purpose of 'bedclothes' is to keep our sleeping spot clean. The world is a dirty place, full of dust, bacteria, and lots of bugs. The idea is that you shed the dirt off yourself before you go to sleep so as to keep healthier and not be a host to multiple outside parasites like tics and lice. Tics and lice used to live in abundance in people's clothes, and to try to keep them out of your bedding, you took off the clothes. But what if you had to go to the outhouse in the middle of the night? And what about modesty in general? Most people back then were never naked except maybe during bathing. Even married couples seldom saw each other's bodies without clothes on. Bedclothes became a necessity for modesty as well as for warmth. (since we lose lots of heat thru the tops of our heads, we still have most of our hair there, and that's why Scrooge wears his 'night cap'). So, if you're actually going back to bed with those same clothes on that I saw you in at that store today, you are taking the filth of our world right into your sheets. Nice.
But the bigger point is this-how you look is how you act is how you really feel. It's true, try it. When you put some effort into looking your best, it somehow affects the way you carry yourself, the way you walk, the way you speak with others and the way they speak to you. It improves your self esteem, your mood, your outlook-it helps you feel like you can accomplish your goal. And that's just from the mirror.
The biggest point of all, though, is how you look has a great effect on how other people see you and treat you. Like it or not, right or wrong, we are judged by our appearance, and whether you admit it or not, you also judge others by their looks. And is it so wrong? It is wrong to judge others on the features they can not control-the natural color and texture of hair, for example. But if that hair is unwashed and ungroomed, that's a sign of a person's actions and their way of thinking. It doesn't only say that that person couldn't care less about what you think of them-it screams out loud that that person can't be bothered by the most basic needs of self maintainance. So, if they don't care about themselves, how can they be trusted to care about something/someone else? Could they, even if they wanted to? Your appearance speaks to the world of the person you are on the inside. Don't you want to control what is said about you, by your own self? And to make that message as positive as possible?
People back in the 'Old Country' used to dress. I say 'used to' because when I was in Hungary just this past October, I saw pretty much what I might see on the streets of most American cities as far as what people are wearing. Faded jeans, no collars, the infamous hoodie. Some in the oh-so-metro black leather jacket and boots with heals, including myself, but I dare say most put on their clothes thinking only of comfort, not what image they're projecting. Your grandparents are shaking their heads in disgust. They dressed for work, they dressed for church, they dressed for social gatherings and special occasions. It meant they respected the occasion, and took it seriously. Some even dressed for dinner in their own homes. Your grandma would have never gone out shopping or visiting friends in the same clothes that she scrubbed the kitchen floor in. I had 'school clothes' and 'play clothes' and 'dress up' clothes and 'home clothes', and my shoes were on my feet only outside the house. When you dress in certain ways to do certain things, the very act of preparation-of dressing-directs you to a certain state of mind, so you're bound to 'be better at it'. Just seems like common sense.
So, if you'd like better customer service at the mall or the supermarket, if you'd like to hear more 'have a great day' and 'come back again', if you'd like to be considered for that promotion or want that man/woman to take notice of you or show that you appreciate that invitation, DRESS FOR THE PART.
And even if you are looking for none of these things (because you already have them, of course), looking like you care about yourself as well as others will make your life only more pleasant and prosperous. And mine, too, thank you.