Why I Dress Like Crap? (No, really, why?)

-
My husband and I have owned a house cleaning business for almost nine years. Somewhere deep down I must feel like that gives me a great excuse to dress like crap most days. Which makes me feel like crap, knowing I don't look good. I have about six or seven junkie tshirts that I wear to work: one is a tye-dye from Conesus Lake, a few have random slogans on them and the rest are just plain.

Now, I have an entire closet filled (and I mean filled) with nice clothes that I'm saving for sometime special. This is actually an older picture on the left. I have shirts, jeans, capris and summer dresses in there now with the tags still on. And, yet, every day I chose to dress like crap in jeans and baggy tshirts with my hair in a ponytail. I admit part of me is worried I'll get my nicer clothes dirty, but so what? We do have a washer. And it's not like anything in my closet cost more than $30 anyway.

I know my writer friends on here will understand this, but I have tons of notebooks that are too nice for me to even write in. So, if I'm not going to write in them, why did I buy them? Because I want to write in them.

And I'm not just like this about clothes and notebooks, but about everything. I have loads of body lotions, shower gels, body sprays, hair accessorries (I know I spelled that wrong) and make-up that I almost never use because it's for sometime special.

Well, the special time has come. I'm getting rid of my baggy, crummy tshirts and I'm going to start dressing how I want to look everyday: put-together and non-mommy-like. What did I rack up my Old Navy and Target credit cards for if I'm not going to wear all the cute outfits I bought? Why am I growing my hair long if I'm going to put it up in a ponytail everyday? Why buy Mary Kay makeup and put so little on my husband asks, "Are you sick, you look pale?"

Starting in about an hour. Right now I have to run to Walmart to buy shower soap so I can take a shower and get out of my jeans and tye-dye.

Comments

Leah (aka Mary_not_Martha) said…
Good for you! I did the same, shopped for casual short skirts instead of shorts paired with casual tshirt and cute flats. It DOES make you (me) feel better about myself and my day. I always consider myself a "user" rather than a "saver". I refuse to save my good stuff for it to be passed down to someone who will do what with it? They will USE it!
April 20, 2010 at 5:08 PM
Carolina M. Valdez Schneider said…
Yes, yes, yes!! I love this. BEST. Attitude. EVERRRRR!

Ok, so at home, I wear my grungies, but I decided a few years ago not to wear them out in public, um, any more. I decided to do something for me once, and that meant taking the time to wear makeup and use my good lotions, and straighten my frizzy hair. And you know what? One of the best moves I've ever made in my life. I feel so much more confident than I used to. But, the minute I get home, my husband always says, "time to frump down?" to which I always answer, "you bet."
April 20, 2010 at 5:25 PM
Terra said…
You are making a great change. I try to watch myself so I use the pretty clothes and dishes, etc. It is so sad to see nice things owned for decades and never used. Not me, I enjoy my pretty stuff and I am glad you do too :)
April 20, 2010 at 5:57 PM
Anonymous said…
Oh man. You just described me. But for me a "special time" never comes. I wear jeans and tshirt everyday even though I have a few cutsie tops from Kohls. I just don't want to mess them up. But eventually I'll get sick of never wearing them and give them to my sister who will wear the crap out of them. I need to get your attitude!
April 20, 2010 at 6:27 PM
Bossy Betty said…
You go, Baby! I try not to be so grungy at home but today is cold a rainy so I gave into my sweats!
April 20, 2010 at 7:49 PM
Delta said…
This post makes me think of two things...
Erma Bombeck - don't save the good china (nice clothes) for Sunday, today is the day!

What Not To Wear - Stacy & Clinton are all about dressing to make yourself to feel good. To that point, you can still dress down without dressing disgusting.
April 20, 2010 at 9:46 PM
Claire said…
I've been training myself to stop dressing like crap, too! Excellent!
April 20, 2010 at 9:48 PM
Sharon K. Mayhew said…
I'm stuck in workout clothes....I get up and go to the gym for about two hours a day, come home and take a shower and put on clean workout clothes...UGH...My daughter and husband make a lot of ironing for me. I think that's why I dress in fold only clothes....(Sorry I wasn't any help.)
April 20, 2010 at 11:03 PM
Sarah Ahiers said…
ugh i do that too. To top it off, i work from home, so that's even less motivation to "get dressed".
Still, i try to at least look normal-ish when i go out. sometimes. no promises
April 21, 2010 at 9:52 AM
Janna Leadbetter said…
I think now that you're thinking about it, you'll start wearing that cuter stuff. Break it out! It's spring! :)

And the notebook thing? So me. I have a hard time writing in them. Why is it I most often go for a scrap sheet of paper?
April 21, 2010 at 5:41 PM
Raine Chasing said…
I know exactly what you're talking about. I have so many nice clothes in my closet with the tags still on them. I wear my same old ratty jeans and my boyfriends t-shirts. I bought jeans the other day, but I'm scared I'll get them dirty so I won't wear them.

I figure since I work at home, I don't need to dress nice. When I go to the store, I figure I'm not there to look good, I'm there to shop.
April 22, 2010 at 12:05 PM
Melanie Hooyenga said…
I do this with clothes. It's silly, like you said, because why did I buy them if I'm not going to wear them? Every now and then I'll go through my closet and remind myself to wear my favorites.
April 25, 2010 at 8:58 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Name is Lisa and I Write Crap

-
Image
I used to be so afraid of writing something horrible, that I wouldn't write anything at all. I'd have a half-hour or so to myself and instead of getting as much down as I could, I'd type, delete, retype and delete again. I had to have perfect sentences formed from perfect ideas. It didn't work. It took me years to finally learn to just write anything. Even if it's crap (and it usually is first time around). But I'm finally OK with writing a crappy first draft. If it's still crap when I'm done, well, that's another problem all together. I used to think, What if I died tomorrow and my family found this notebook full of god-awful first drafts? They'd think I was a terrible writer! If I can write only awesome sentences, they'll realize what talent I had and be sorry they didn't take more interest in my amazing stories... or something like that. Anyway, now when I start writing a story (whether it's a novel or a screenplay) I just
Read more

Yet Another Embarrassing Confession (you would think I'd have run out by now)

-
The absolute worst part about being a writer for me is grammar and punctuation. With every post I put up, every email I send and every story I write, I am waiting for someone to come back to me and say, "Seriously? How can a writer not know where to put commas?" Commas are my enemy. I have no clue where they go. I try to put them where I think would be a natural pause in a sentence, but I know I'm usually wrong. I basically toss them up in the air willy-nilly and let them land where they want. Can you recommend a grammar/punctuation book that is easy to understand? (I never took a "real" English class in high school, so I'm starting fresh). The Elements of Style is too...sterile for me. I need something I can easily grasp onto. I'd greatly appreciate any, suggestions. (<< that comma was a joke. See, at least I can joke about my ignorance)
Read more

Out of the Closet in 1st Grade

-
I went to #30 school for first grade. Every morning I walked by myself down Otis Street to the school. There were always a bunch of kids outside the door waiting to get in. The older mature (10 years old) security guards wore their safety belts guarding the doors. No one was getting past them until it was time to go in. One morning when I got to the doors there was no one there. Not one kid was outside. I was super late. Or so I thought. I ran through the doors and down to my first grade classroom. It was completely empty. I wasn't late, I was early. Instead of going back outside to wait for other kids to show up, like a normal person, I decided to climb into the coat closet and sit on the floor and wait. I don't know how long I waited in the dark on the floor, but eventually I heard kids coming into the room. I nonchalantly slid the closet door open, stepped out, hung up my coat and sat down. If I looked suspicious, no one ever said anything.
Read more