In my quest to find other blogs/bloggers that have similar interests as me, I've come across a couple of different blogs (i.e. 50s times and It'll Take the Snap Out of Your Garters) which currently have fashion-related posts. Since fashion is something I am also interested in, it got me to thinking... and, My! How times have changed! Our--shall we say--"dressing standards" have seemingly disappeared over the years...
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| Love this snappy suit! |
How often do you see people (and I hope you're not one!!!! *wince*) at the grocery or at a gas station with pajamas on (specifically, pajama pants)? Having taught high school for three years, I can attest to the common habit of high school girls (whom you would expect to be among the world's most self-absorbed, self-conscious creatures) wearing pajama bottoms to school. Now, don't get me wrong: I like my pj's, too! But...that doesn't mean I would wear them to teach school. This actually sparked a small bit of internal conflict in me a year or so ago. As a demonstration of school spirit, all students and faculty were asked to wear pajamas to school for "spirit day." (Now, what pj's have to do with school spirit, I'm still trying to figure out...) Some kids did, some didn't; some teachers did, some didn't. I didn't. I really thought about it, and took it so far as to have decided on which pair of pajamas I would wear--if I decided to do it. In the end, I could not picture myself putting on pajamas, hopping in my car, stopping for gas, walking through the school building and expect 180 adolescents to actually take me seriously in my pj's. I just couldn't picture myself saying to little Johnny, "If you do that again, I'll send you to the principal," while standing in my I Love Lucy jammies. Needless to say, I didn't do it.
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| OK--I know the skirt is a little much, but I love the shape of this dress anyway! |
If it were 1951 instead of 2011, I hardly think pajama day at school would have ever been suggested, and if it had been, I'm willing to bet that the "suggestor" would have been the scandalous talk of the town. But this just goes to show how much our social standards have changed. To show up at school in 1951 in your pajama bottoms (or in your--more probable--nightgown) would have been lunacy. In 2011, when someone shows up in pajama bottoms, we're just glad they have pants on.
One thing that attracts me to mid 20th-century fashion is the neatness of it all. People actually took pride in how they looked, and bothered to look in the mirror before they headed out the door. Don't get me wrong; it's not that I'm superficial, I'm just of the old-fashioned belief that everyone should take some pride in looking their best--within reason--when going out in public.
What do you think??
I definately have to agree that a woman really dressed like woman back then. The top photo depicts the age of ghetto...plain and simple. Also, I've always been attracted to a woman who dresses with class and mistique...not laying it out there like a street walker on a hot summer day. ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the pajama day at school; I refuse to let my children participate; because, as I tell them; I send you to school to LEARN, not to get comfy! I think the move in the last 50+ years in schools from serious education, to what I call the "feel good" things, is what is truly responsible for the decline in educational quality, not the amount of money spent. There's a million and half classes and programs about "feelings", and even the Health class is primarily about emotional health; so much time is spent on fun things and "spirit"; it really aggravates me.
ReplyDeleteAnd the pajama-wearing in public is a pet peeve of mine; although I have 5 children and a busy schedule, I manage to leave the house everyday with clothes, makeup, and earrings. If I can do it, ANYONE can!
No matter what, I will take a few moments to at LEAST slip on a pair of jeans before going out! PJs? Outside? Never!!!
ReplyDeleteI admit, I work at home. All the time. And here I wear comfy cloths and slippers if I feel like it. But that's one of the joys of working at home (the down side is, I put in more hours than anyone else I know).
But unless an ambulance is carrying me out, you won't see me out there in PJs! lol...
I try to put myself together before going out, I always end up running into someone I know! lol
ReplyDeleteSo glad I'm not the only one who feels this way! Don't get me wrong; I love my pajamas, too, and it's not like I wear high heels and pearls to take the garbage out (haha!), but I would never willingly run to the post office or the gas station in them! And Brandi: don't even get me started on all the troubles with school nowadays...there is WAY too much hype about "making school fun." School shouldn't be awful; but as a teacher, I see my responsibility as being to teach them--not to entertain them. Unfortunately, people who share my philosophy seem to be few and far between.
ReplyDeleteMaggi: it seems that everytime I don't put a lot of effort into "putting myself together" is when I run into people that I hardly ever see...I always want to to tell them "I don't always look like this!" Haha!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I definatley agree with you! Its kind of depressing to think how we have all gotten. What will we be like in another 50 years? I dont even want to think about it. I loved the way women used to look like women, and i think in some ways women were more respected back then, these days mothers let their daughters out wearing barely nothing and we wonder why men dont respect us.
ReplyDeletewww.christie86.blogspot.com
I have to say I loath p.j's. There is nothing worse to me then getting out of bed and leaving my bedroom without being dressed, and the same goes for trucksuits I just can't feel comfortable in them I would much prefer to wear jeans, dress pants, skirts and dresses, I have a few time had to rush to put a bin out because dear hubby forgot to and is blind in the morning, but still I get dressed first because pj outside is a big no no, that said my youngest has been living more and more in them lately because it is getting colder here. Pjs at kindy for one day I am fine with though because it is kindy
ReplyDeleteAlso, don't you just adore how older women of that era still uphold those same standards of dress even now? I mean, the housewives of that era are now in their 70s and 80s and yet they still have enough self-respect to dress well in public. Granted, I'm a bit of a hedonist in that regard--jeans, t-shirt, a sweater, and sensible walking shoes, thank you, especially when I am out doing errands for the day WITHOUT a car--but one has to admire this ability to present themselves well despite the issues of advancing age. If my father's mother was still around, I'm sure she'd whip my jean-loving hedonist bum into shape before long!
ReplyDeleteChantal: I agree.
ReplyDeleteJess: That is such a good point!! My sisters and I saw some ladies who fit your description in a store not long ago, and we admired them for the exact reasons you mentioned. I'm not a snazzy dresser every single time I go somewhere, and sometimes I will even lounge AT HOME in my pjs...but you're not gonna catch me at the bank in my pjs.