Why are Americans so unfashionable? (hairdresser, shaved, Sally, European)
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I'm still yet to see someone answer my question: why does everyone think of Europe as only Paris and London and Rome? No one in Europe dresses frumpy or in dirty clothes, eh? For those going on and on about how well-dressed the Europeans are- have ANY of you been to the Balkans or anywhere in Eastern Europe?
Even in Paris or London or Rome you will see lots of people dressed in simple, casual ways - and I don't mean tourists! Non-Europeans should really stop thinking European people were born in a fashion magazine!
I am French, and I also lived in England. I visited other European countries, especially Italy and Spain. Believe me, I saw every style possible, including casual, "American style" clothes (i.e. what many people in this thread describe as not fashionable)!
Annika, I don't dispute your point, there are people who dress shoddily, however, in America which is supposed to be so great, I hear a lot of negatives about the way Americans are perceived in other countries.It is shaming: and years ago Walmart was not the norm....I'm not talking about the impoverished, who have no choice. I'm talking about soccer moms who wear dirty sweatshirts or halter tops size 3x,blubber hanging out, its just offensive, and over-prevalent in the US suburbs, and not in cities here.
Which U.S. suburbs are you talking about specifically?
This is a good thread, again if u read my earlier posts, I'm not critiquing the impoverished or working poor; I am in NE Tennessee (temporarily,lol) in a nice suburb, BUT a county away Carter Cty, is like stepping into a time warp......people wear dirty shoes(crocs), ripped and stained t-shirts and seem to never shave...the women (in their 50's) wear greasy hair to the waist line....I never saw this before but its sad and no, it doesn't represent normal suburbia....
This is a good thread, again if u read my earlier posts, I'm not critiquing the impoverished or working poor; I am in NE Tennessee (temporarily,lol) in a nice suburb, BUT a county away Carter Cty, is like stepping into a time warp......people wear dirty shoes(crocs), ripped and stained t-shirts and seem to never shave...the women (in their 50's) wear greasy hair to the waist line....I never saw this before but its sad and no, it doesn't represent normal suburbia....
I will give it my best shot and tell you what I think the problem is. I think it started sometime in the 80s or 90s. Women fought for equal rights in the 70s, the whole "I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan"
thing, but then a decade or so later there was a backlash and the Mommy wars started. A lot of women gave up trying to make it in the world and started to go back home, gradually leading to a rise in Mommy Chic. I'm not sure if it is an economic thing but a lot of people in the states, married or not, kids or none, don't seem to want to go to the trouble of spending tons of money on themselves to look good past a certain age. There is a judgementalness that it should not be necessary, and if the woman does not work, she may not have any money of her own to spend, and probably has decided with her husband to spend most of the money on the kids. My sister is married, makes $25 an hour as a consultant, her husband makes good money, but does not have a pair of jeans or a wardrobe. She told me there is no way she would ever get Botox, she "would not want to take anything away from her kids". Women who spend a lot on themselves in the U.S. can be considered high maintenance and pretentious. But if you don't have a husband or kids and don't have a good look then you're a loser. It's all real hypocritical.
It does not matter how many diet books are written, Americans do not take the time to read them or to learn which ones really work, often labelling all diet books as scams. Morning TV shows are fond of bringing the fad diets on their show so they can shoot 'em down. Americans believe the only way to lose weight is to cut calories and exercise, never mind that those people are said to not have permanent results either. A few years ago there was a best seller from a French writer, French Women Don't Get Fat. No American has read it even though it was on the best seller list. The Zone, Blood Type... forget it. Even though all these diets have merit and are true in some way, the average American will tell you it's all crap and that diets don't work. In the last 25 years fat acceptance and appreciation has become the norm along with the plus size lines in almost every store. God forbid should one of these lines, such as the one at Old Navy, be pulled from the store. How fattist.
I will be 39 next week and am much more in to clothes and looks than I used to be. I am childless but even if I had kids I would have strict dress rules. My dad was/is a clothes horse and a lifelong dieter, my mother goes to a gym and has always dressed well. I was not raised with elitist values though, and never spent much on designer stuff. My wardrobe is quite modest actually but I try to make upgrades and improvements as I am able. Life is too short to look bad!
This is a good thread, again if u read my earlier posts, I'm not critiquing the impoverished or working poor; I am in NE Tennessee (temporarily,lol) in a nice suburb, BUT a county away Carter Cty, is like stepping into a time warp......people wear dirty shoes(crocs), ripped and stained t-shirts and seem to never shave...the women (in their 50's) wear greasy hair to the waist line....I never saw this before but its sad and no, it doesn't represent normal suburbia....
OK, never been there, but I agree with you, doesn't sound fit for public viewing. Maybe they are just downright poor; being fashionable is out of the question. It's a matter of survival.
I think it's because dressing nice takes a long time and I'll say that most Americans are always on the run, so they slap on something quick and easy and dash out the door.
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