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To answer your question, there is no truth to this for me. I love, love all things fashion. I have my own personal style and definitely dress for my mood of the day.
That being said, when I dress I take my audience into account. If it's only women I tend to not show off cleavage (I've found that it often bothers other women), while if I'm out with my husband, I show it off. If I'm at a work event I like my clothes tailored but with little skin showing. If I'm out with my kids - I want to look nice but make sure that if I run around the skirt won't flap in the wind, etc.
Too many other factors for me to consider than "impressing" my girlfriends.
I dress in what's fun to wear. In the 70's I loved Gunne Sax and I still wear Gunnes to this day.
My husband says I "play dress up" (and he "thinks it's cute").
I make a lot of my own clothes, so I wear big fluffy, tiered skirts and peasant blouses and full pinafore aprons for work and for church I have basically the same thing, but I wear "proper" underthings, petticoats, pantalettes and sometimes a 2 hoop skirt, etc.)
Everyone gets a laugh out of it, the little girls think "Ms D's a princess" and I get to wear what I like to wear. Several of the women have gotten my 1800's blouse patterns and are making themselves "frontier" blouses.
(I'm making a dirndl for summer...if I ever learn to properly post pics, I'll post em.)
To answer your question, there is no truth to this for me. I love, love all things fashion. I have my own personal style and definitely dress for my mood of the day.
That being said, when I dress I take my audience into account. If it's only women I tend to not show off cleavage (I've found that it often bothers other women), while if I'm out with my husband, I show it off. If I'm at a work event I like my clothes tailored but with little skin showing. If I'm out with my kids - I want to look nice but make sure that if I run around the skirt won't flap in the wind, etc.
Too many other factors for me to consider than "impressing" my girlfriends.
Absolutely. I have a walk-in closet & several closet racks filled with all styles of clothing, all that I wear regularly depending upon what I'm doing. I dress for myself first, secondly considering the event & companions for the day. I don't wear heels to the beach or a bathing suit with a mesh coverup for a night out. However, a NYE dress for me would differ if with a bf than with a group of friends or family. A dinner with a bf would be one dress, a dinner with my mum & her 80-yr old friends would be another, because I'm choosing to show different sides of myself. We all differ & I enjoy wearing a whole host of styles, from sporty to artsy to girly to tailored suits to gowns... mainly, the event or occasion dictates the fashion choice. I like them all at varying times, but for the most part, I like sexy-sophisticated or dressy-casual, but don't cross the line into naughty bits on display. No judgment to others, but that's for the bf at home, by my choice. I'm comfortable enough with myself & always have been, that I don't need to placate the masses or show them how sexy I might think I am. I never have needed that sort of esteem boost from others or strangers.
Most everyone, even those of us who walk to our own beat, enjoy being complimented by others, so saying we dress for women or men doesn't matter... it's ourselves first, then if others appreciate it, great, if not, we're still wearin' what we want. But, my choices aren't predicated upon by others... those of us who are confident in who we are wear what we like & are confident we've made the right choice. I've never once asked someone 'Do I look xxx in this?' or the like... I have a full length mirror... I know full well what I look like & don't need anyone's approval to satiate insecurity.
Lastly, polls are pointless in most circumstances. What are the criterion? Oftentimes, it means polling 25 people outside the TV studio & then taking the entire 330M US population & garnering an average based on 25. Honestly, the 25 people I've seen in my apt complex don't dress like me (I've been accused of being dressed up for no reason... what can I say... guilty... I like to look/smell nice, my choice), so if those 25 people were polled, how can they speak for me, or you, or the whole country at large? We've also read enough about studies in which those scientists given $$$ grants set out to prove a preconceived idea via fabrication or manipulation of facts & figures. Not all, but look at the mainstream news... breast milk or coffee are damaging one day, great the next month, bad again the next year & so on... they still haven't decided, but scientists are being paid millions to nail it down. Good bleedin' luck. Forget what others say, within reason (e.g., don't interview for a corporate job wearing jeans/bodycon/gown) & please yourself. Life is far easier when not aspiring to others' ideas. But, that's just me...
Do you really think anyone here is going to publicly admit we do anything to impress anyone other than ourselves? Puhhleeeeease!
I can go either way. Sometimes the gf and I like to wear nice clothes out, often I will wear sweat pants, a t-shirt, and a hat.. All depends what I feel like. The only exception being is if it is a very very nice restaurant that basically requires a dress code. Other than that, I could go to some place like olive garden wearing $350 boots and $150 jeans, or my sweat pants and flip flops.. Really depends what I feel like..
Gentlemen; how many of you have heard this before?
Ladies; how many of you have said this before?
I want to hear this from our lovely ladies themselves, a lot of times when I have read articles about the dating and relationships worlds and men complain about women dressing up and going out but not mingling and all that I have heard the expression that women don't get all dressed up and dolled up for men but for other women instead. The reasoning behind some of these articles has nothing to do with sexual orientation but instead with the gossip or competition world. I have heard women say that they dress and look their best to impress other women or to avoid being criticized by other women. I want to know from these ladies here how much truth there is to this belief.
What is so unbelievable about the notion that women dress up for themselves?
What is so unbelievable about the notion that women dress up for themselves?
Because the general idea here on CD is that as soon as people wake up and get dressed the first and only thing on their mind is "I need to find a mate". So people cant fathom the idea that some people arent looking for mates or looking to attract anyone; theyre simply dressing to feel better about themselves and to in their opinion look nice regardless of what others think.
I have heard the expression that women don't get all dressed up and dolled up for men but for other women instead. The reasoning behind some of these articles has nothing to do with sexual orientation but instead with the gossip or competition world. I have heard women say that they dress and look their best to impress other women or to avoid being criticized by other women. I want to know from these ladies here how much truth there is to this belief.
Very true, unfortunately. If you don't want to be the center of snark or ridicule, as a woman you make sure that your appearance is pleasing to other women. Even if your man tells you that "you look fine", it doesn't matter because a female co-worker, relative or neighbor told you (or someone behind your back) that you look fat in that dress.
Women can be vicious to other women. Not all, but there's quite a few of "those women" out there to unnerve the rest of us.
Very true, unfortunately. If you don't want to be the center of snark or ridicule, as a woman you make sure that your appearance is pleasing to other women. Even if your man tells you that "you look fine", it doesn't matter because a female co-worker, relative or neighbor told you (or someone behind your back) that you look fat in that dress.
Women can be vicious to other women. Not all, but there's quite a few of "those women" out there to unnerve the rest of us.
You know a former hooters waitress who used to wait on me regularly said exactly the same thing to me one night when she was having a bad night at work, she said girls are vicious. You sound like you speak by experience.
People want interactions between females to be all about competition, jealousy and envy, but that's generally not true. Especially once you're all paired up and have achieved some of your personal goals in life. Most of my girlfriends couldn't give two hoots about what men think about how they look.
The women in my family and circle of friends tend to dress to fit in with (not necessarily mirror) and please each other. Women generally feel very good about themselves when favorably noticed by other females. Girls just seem to get it when you put forth the effort.
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Absolutely. I have a walk-in closet & several closet racks filled with all styles of clothing, all that I wear regularly depending upon what I'm doing. I dress for myself first, secondly considering the event & companions for the day. I don't wear heels to the beach or a bathing suit with a mesh coverup for a night out. However, a NYE dress for me would differ if with a bf than with a group of friends or family. A dinner with a bf would be one dress, a dinner with my mum & her 80-yr old friends would be another, because I'm choosing to show different sides of myself. We all differ & I enjoy wearing a whole host of styles, from sporty to artsy to girly to tailored suits to gowns... mainly, the event or occasion dictates the fashion choice. I like them all at varying times, but for the most part, I like sexy-sophisticated or dressy-casual, but don't cross the line into naughty bits on display. No judgment to others, but that's for the bf at home, by my choice. I'm comfortable enough with myself & always have been, that I don't need to placate the masses or show them how sexy I might think I am. I never have needed that sort of esteem boost from others or strangers.
