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Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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It seems in general European women don't wear as much makeup as Australian and maybe some American women, although I'd say the exception is Eastern Europe. Southern Europeans including Spaniards also less than expected, but maybe it was just the ones I met. Northern European women - Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, don't tend to wear that much makeup in general, some not at all, while Britain is similar to here. Do you think there's a relationship between places where there's more an emphasis on education/being a rounded individual (say Sweden) vs a country where women are more valued on their looks (Russia)? I'd say in this sense Australia is kind of old-fashioned, almost chauvinistic. Few women here enroll in engineering per capita, for instance, while I hear it's common in many European nations.
Fashion is influenced by things like climate, but also culture as well. The French and Italian are well known as snappy dressers, would you say Northern Europeans have a more casual style? I still wouldn't call it sloppy, just a little more practical/functional and less showy, befitting their personalities. Again, Eastern Europeans, particularly Russian women, tend to over-dress, wearing heels/designer boots or really fashionable clothes even to buy the groceries.
Can you drew any broad conclusions in terms of dress/fashion by nationality in Europe?
Yes I think it is different if we look at different countries, I have notice these facts:
Latin American women love make up and wear more than other nationalities or zones. It is a famous place also for a big demand of plastic surgery. They like tight clothes.
Nothern Europeans use more sport clothes, and least short dresses or exclusive femenine items, they use more jeans or sport clothes due to casual style, or maybe due to weather. Women also take care less of their image as well, not talking about clothes but the look, eyelashes, waxing legs, and have a perfect hair is less important.
In South Europe there are more variety, you can see elegant winter styles and really nice summer items, they care a lot the image, many of the famous brands are from there. (Zara, Pimkie, Stradivarius,Pull) A lot more variety in shops as well, and good quality.
OP, do you mean to imply that areas where women dress feminine and wear makeup to accentuate their features that it somehow translates to their lack of education or interest in such?
Hate to break it to you, but women have always been valued for their looks above all by men in their lives. That doesn't mean that an attractive Eastern European woman forewent the education so she could just bank on her looks, and frankly I resent the implication.
While I'm sure there are some exceptions to the rule, but most Europeans who only finish high school/gymnasium have better educations than compared on a whole to most of the US, even ones who have degrees. Check out John Stossel's Dumb in America for details - the standards most European countries teach to would blow many westerner's minds.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
24,544 posts, read 56,107,174 times
Reputation: 11862
Quote:
Originally Posted by DontH8Me
OP, do you mean to imply that areas where women dress feminine and wear makeup to accentuate their features that it somehow translates to their lack of education or interest in such?
Hate to break it to you, but women have always been valued for their looks above all by men in their lives. That doesn't mean that an attractive Eastern European woman forewent the education so she could just bank on her looks, and frankly I resent the implication.
While I'm sure there are some exceptions to the rule, but most Europeans who only finish high school/gymnasium have better educations than compared on a whole to most of the US, even ones who have degrees. Check out John Stossel's Dumb in America for details - the standards most European countries teach to would blow many westerner's minds.
I definitely have noticed some correlation. I'm talking about women whose existence revolves around their looks. They tend to be in professions where they 'use' their looks a lot
I definitely have noticed some correlation. I'm talking about women whose existence revolves around their looks. They tend to be in professions where they 'use' their looks a lot
Yes I think it is different if we look at different countries, I have notice these facts:
Latin American women love make up and wear more than other nationalities or zones. It is a famous place also for a big demand of plastic surgery. They like tight clothes.
Nothern Europeans use more sport clothes, and least short dresses or exclusive femenine items, they use more jeans or sport clothes due to casual style, or maybe due to weather. Women also take care less of their image as well, not talking about clothes but the look, eyelashes, waxing legs, and have a perfect hair is less important.
In South Europe there are more variety, you can see elegant winter styles and really nice summer items, they care a lot the image, many of the famous brands are from there. (Zara, Pimkie, Stradivarius,Pull) A lot more variety in shops as well, and good quality.
Sorry but the bit about Northern Europe is nonsense. I don't know anyone who wears sports clothes when they're not working out or heading to the gym. I don't see much difference between the way women dress here and in say, France. Obviously women are less likely to walk around in short skirts or dresses due to the cold weather but it has nothing to do with not caring about image or not being feminine. You mention Zara (which happens to be very popular in NE as well) but what about H&M for example?
Sorry but the bit about Northern Europe is nonsense. I don't know anyone who wears sports clothes when they're not working out or heading to the gym. I don't see much difference between the way women dress here and in say, France. Obviously women are less likely to walk around in short skirts or dresses due to the cold weather but it has nothing to do with not caring about image or not being feminine. You mention Zara (which happens to be very popular in NE as well) but what about H&M for example?
I noticed this as well. Complete nonsense. Sports clothes can be seen on some 16-year olds as they walk to school (as being underdressed is a sign that you don't appreciate the institution), but I find it nonexistent that women wouldn't care about their appearance.
Don't know as I'm i guy, but I've heard that the assortiment in Zara or H&M here and there (The Netherlands) is a bit different from Spain.
I visited The Netherlands less than two years ago, and didn't find the clothing style being different from Finland at all. Of course, June in Amsterdam is not really that great there, either.
I can agree that the clothing style here is not as feminine or light as in Spain, but what can you expect if it's -5C outside? During the warm period as well, jeans are the predominant choice accompanied with skirts, but so what? I find a good posture, jeans, a regular top and a tongue in cheek appearance very appealing. A dress reminds me of the 60's.
To say that people don't care about their image or go around unshaven is proposterous and insulting. As a comparable insult, I could claim that at least Finnish women don't have to shave their moustache and arms to look feminine. But again, if you are going to the local store to buy some milk, do you have to make your hair look perfect? And so what if you don't? The bella figura attitude all the time seem just stupid. The more east you go in Europe, the more you'll find it predominant, but we have chosen to take the middle way.
As a man I also care about my appearance, but not going to the barber once a week, being unshaven for a couple of days, or wearing sports clothes when fetching some bread, I don't mind. There is big a difference in being careful about your appearance all the time, and caring about it just 80% of the time.
And I've heard it all before. Some people especially from Spain, Italy and Russia tend to cherish that stereotype that women from Northern Europe don't care about their appearance that much due to gender equality, feminism and the changing society. As the women seem to have somehow lost a part of their feminity in the process, they are middle in a process just becoming half-women. Never mind the climate and the individual style of each city and country. Accompanying this with the old and diminishing macho culture in Southern Europe, being a very feminine persone protects and strengthens your appearance, choices, and the balance of power (or anything else) of the past.
As Catbelle already said herself, the difference in attitudes can be clear. If a, say, Swedish woman wears jeans and a hoodie, she must be less feminine than me, and probably she doesn't even shave her legs. To put it further, her biggest dream is probably driving a race car.
The climate is not a scapegoat, not at all. The biggest noticeable difference between the West and East is probably in my country. We see Russian tourists coming here on a shopping spree all the time. They are dressed in animal fur coats, perfect hair and nails, and balancing in high heels when walking the slushy streets.
Animal fur clothing is here considered thoroughly politically incorrect, as it's practically murder for your appearance, and the high heels just being impractical. Long nails are perhaps the most impractical thing I've ever seen if you are to do anything with your hands. I'm quite certain that long nails are a same new style as a tan, to show that you don't have to do any work being wealthy.
The same difference has been seen in Finnish-Russian marriages when interviewed for a TV-show or newspaper. When a (randomly) picked Russian woman says that "I don't care about finances. Let my husband care about them, I just want to look good", it feels like that's from another world to most people. And this is the predominant attitude of many Russian women.
Sure, some men love this attitude, many Russian women look absolutely gorgeous, their appearance, makeup, hair, everything is just perfect, and there's a lot of Finnish men that want their wives to be held between the bed and the stove. But even if she would look good, I could never marry a woman that is practically my serf. That doesn't seem right.
Not excactly on topic, but this was a sidenote I see frequently.
As another sidenote, "what if you are a housewife and have lots of time caring about your nails, makeup and children?". Being a housewife here is not really glamorous. It ranks around at the same level as a drug dealer and college dropout. Something that contributes nothing to the society, and have no ambition. The government put forward a proposition this year to get the remaining mothers out of the living room and into the work force. The kids go to the kindergarten, you'll pick up them at 5pm.
Last edited by Ariete; 03-20-2013 at 11:44 AM..
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