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Friday, February 7, 2014

If you are 50, don't dress like you are 18 - please

I have never really been big on fashion.
For most of my life I have been more of a function-over-style kind of guy. I just never saw the point of wearing expensive, and sometimes uncomfortable clothing just because someone, somewhere declared they looked cool and a bunch of mindless sheep decided they were right.
A lot of people spend far too much money on the top fashions just so they can be 'cool.' Of course, the fashion industry does a masterful job of convincing people they need these clothes or their social life would be ruined and they would never get invited to the big party.
Teens are their favourite target as they play on the insecurity of youth and instil from an early age to be cool they must look cool.
For a few years during my teens, I was one of those fashion-conscious sheep.
But fashion, thou art a fickle beast, and the ever-changing fashion parade was hard to keep up with.
For a while in high school everyone was wearing a certain type of running shoe. If you did not have that particular brand of footwear you were labelled a fashion leper and everyone would laugh at you and you would never be invited the big party and would spend the rest of your life alone with your un-cool shoes.
But suddenly one day, that brand of shoe was out, and a new brand was the 'must have' foot wear. If you didn't have that type of shoe you were labelled a fashion leper, and...you get the idea.
Of course, everyone ran out and bought the new cool shoes for fear of never achieving anything in life and spending their days as a sad, lonely person who could have been popular if they only had the right shoes.
Such is the life of a teen, and yes, I bought into it and had to have the right footwear. What was that I was saying about being a mindless sheep...
Eventually, I grew weary of trying to keep up, and after high school I  decided to wear what I wanted and if I was not cool, who cares. Actually, I wasn't even cool in high school when I was wearing the right clothes, but that is for a whole different column.
I find the older I get, the less I care about what is 'cool' and what is not. I don't dress like a slob or anything, but if my shoes or jeans are last year's fashion, it just doesn't matter.
But I guess some people never grow out of that high-school mentality.
The other day I ran into some people I know who are both in their late 40s – their very late 40s - and he was wearing skinny jeans, pretty shoes and a designer shirt. He was dressed like he just stepped out of a teen magazine. He looked ridiculous. Here was man who was knocking on the front door of 50 and he was dressing like an 18 year old.
His wife walked up and she too was dressed like she was in Grade 12 and not a grandmother of three.
If you want to dress nice and in a fashionable way, go for it, but when you have been out of high school for 30 years, please stop dressing like you just came from Mr. Smith's math class.
My wife noticed as well and we had a pleasant chuckle (after they left) about them wearing teeny bopper clothes as they still tried to look young and hip.
Did I mention they are almost 50 and looked ridiculous.
There is nothing wrong with dressing trendy. If that is how you want to spend your money, go ahead. But please dress as a trendy 40-something, not a 40-something who is still trying to look like an 18 year old.
It's just not cool.

1 comment:

Just a Dad said...

yup if you are in school still pull up your pants please