Do You Know What You Look Like?

What can be more enticing than some sweats and your favorite old T-shirt?

Ahhhh, you wake up, and search your closet for the most comfortable thing you can find. It is usually baggy and has that perfect fit you like. The material is old and worn, perfectly shaped to the comfy lil piece of garbage that you just love.

You may think and feel as if you look like a Victoria’s Secret ad in those sweatpants, but I assure you, YOU DON’T.

It’s ridiculous.

I have started to notice a trend amongst our younger generation in airports in particular.

They seem to dress in a modern “airport chic” which is wearing their favorite flannel pajamas and carrying a stuffed animal, sometimes they pull it all together with bunny slippers!

It is as if they say, I couldn’t be bothered by getting out of bed, and I just want to wake up somewhere fab.
Maybe I am getting older, but this REALLY bothers me.

In Italy one time, I got dressed as “cute” as I could. Being from New Jersey, I put on my best Adidas gym pants with the white stripe down the side, my favorite shell tops, and ventured out into Rome.

The lady at the front desk noticed my nails first by saying, “American girls think they are all princesses”, then following up with “except they choose to wear their pajamas in public”.

Up until that point I felt kinda sporty cute. Not realizing that the woman behind the desk, and the majority of the population was wearing Versace and Prada.

On my return trips to Europe, I started to notice that Americans in general are very sloppy. You can pick out an American from miles away.

It’s embarrassing really.

It was starting to become apparent to me that our culture is not only fat and unhealthy but we were no longer giving a crap about what we even looked like while in public.

Around the same time, I was attending F.I.T. the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC.

We were given a project to do. I was supposed to go to Barney’s, a very high end department store, wearing sloppy clothing and write about what I encountered.

The second half of this project was to dress in my best clothing and act like I owned the place.  I had to write about how the employees and general public treated me during these two visits, and compare them.

It was SUCH fun!  I’ll take any excuse to sip champagne while shopping for things I could not afford.

What I found anyone could predict… while dressed like a slob not one sales person gave me the time day. While dressed in my Sunday best, they kissed my ass like I was royalty.

Obviously commissions were a huge part of this behavior, but also I started to notice that other patrons were making small comments to me when I was dressed well. They engaged me in their conversations and considered me one of THEM.

When I was dressed in my sweats with my hair in a pony and dirty sneaks, it was as if I was invisible.

The employees and the patrons alike just kind of pretended that I did not exist. Sort of like that scene from “Pretty Woman”, it was obvious that I was not considered an equal by any means.

Now, I am not oblivious to the fact that rich people do in fact dress in sweats and sneaks as well. Conveniently, this was my argument in my essay, BUT, as I have matured I am realizing the basic premise is psychology.

First impressions matter, and human nature will judge you based upon how you present yourself.  It only makes sense to be aware of this very basic fact while trying to culminate your dreams.

When you get dressed each morning, you make a choice.

Do you want to be comfortable and invisible? Or do you want to make a fantastic first impression by bringing the people into your world that may become a very important part of your future?

Imagine the opportunities you have missed out on, simply because you decided to be comfy cozy that day.

I am the first to admit, that I look like scum-bag central from 7am to 11am. I wake up and take my walk, jog or yoga, THEN decide to get a shower.

By the time I pick the kiddo up from school though, I usually try to present myself as a full fledged member of the human population. If it is 5pm and I am still walking around in boxer shorts and a tank-top, you know something is wrong.

Pulling out “old faithful” from your closet on a daily basis is never going to get you the respect you deserve. It is as if you are saying that you have given up.

If you don’t put a little effort into yourself, then what would make a prospective employer or potential romantic partner think you would put any effort towards them?

You don’t need to dress as if you are walking the red carpet for the Grammy’s, but some effort says a lot about YOU.

Think about it.

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