She walks with her "family" into the store. I notice those physical traits, too, but also the way he is dressed. Not everyone is or can be a size two. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. So while you can hold on to your crop tops and ratty band tees, you may also think twice about where and when you wear them. What the hell happened? The status marker . Why would you want to emulate a style that's notoriously associated with gangs and criminals? I thought I was the last one out there who missed the "Carey Grant" look or the beauty of Grace Kelly and I'm in my 30's! The Grandmother Who Fought Porn: Mary Avara, Mother's Little Helper: Vintage Drug Ads Aimed at Women, The Curious Case of Freddie Mercury's Teeth. Hi Pam, I just came across your page and the "class" part is spot on. On a recent visit to LA calling into a Walmart was depressing. And no,I am not by any means rich or well off. Obesity is a problem (latest report out said -- SURPRISE -- it's increased among American adults AGAIN) but if anyone says they are only physically attracted to someone their own size they get attacked. It's also due to the usage of technology and exposure to the information sewer which is the internet. I'm finding it more difficult these slovenly days to find male attire that is with the classic look, and which doesn't look hideous. Slob Nation: Why Do So Many People Today Dress Like Hobos in Public? I don't wanna be a traitor to my generation and all, but I don't get how guys dress today. 286 friends. Suits, ties, and dresses: Ah yes, the way people used to dress for summer BBQs. On that related note, I don't get anyone that wears shorts in the winter. Now I see twenty somethings who, when trying to wear semi-formal or business attire, are doing so in the wrong way, such as leaving the shirt untucked, or wearing sneakers with a suit, etc. Leave your hair looking like a bird's nest and conveniently forget you own an iron, and an ironing board. I'm still waiting to see if it will. P.S. Yet, I trust that Pam is continuing to keep up appearances, and hasn't succumbed to the low mindset of looking like them? China would probably invade us if we cut them off and started manufacturing real clothing of our own again, like we once did. This nonsense has to stop right now. I work in an elementary school and always dress professionally even though my title is not a high one at this point. and not to mention the tight down to the ankles pants, men and women look so stupid in them. Throw them in jail for indecent exposure already! I'm not trying to say the 50s and 60s were perfect but at least they had interesting subcultures. Although that probably won't change until women stop allowing it. She's right, by the way. Because of fear of communism, all kinds of social organizing has been discouraged, and now they are reaping the rewards. I'm actually taking a little break from blogging but am already getting inspired to resume posting soon. Ye Gods! We're supposed to be policing the earth and waving chinese made flags, and inducing foreigners with our "standard of living", and yet we cannot even look respectable to ourselves. And Mr. LaBeouf belongs in a loutish league of his own, wearing hot-pink running tights underneath tattered denim cutoffs, ripped-collared hoodies and Uggs. If Justin Bieber gets twenty tattoos on his body, then this must be okay and cool for the young and dumb kids to do. Classy, wouldn't you say? We dress like slobs because we're cheap, we don't chase fashion trends, we get fat and we still wear the same clothes with our bellies hanging over our belt and we actually do like the plumber's crack look. I did say in the post that both men and women are dressing terribly these days. I don't get it. Not many people mentioned women's hair yet, besides their greasiness. I am striving to dress better every season. US fashion.Why do american men dress like kids? : r/AskReddit His pants didn't come within two inches of his shoe tops, so that his striped socks were exposed. I just don't get the whole "grunge" look. Never Yet Melted Why Americans Today Dress Like Slobs I might otherwise resemble my Norse ancestors, though even they cared about their appearance. I can't believe that this is where being a diner in a service restaurant has come to. Very true article, the men today dress like they just rolled out of bed.The typical male attire is a wrinkled up T-shirt, baggy shorts, no socks and flip flops; pathetic!Truthfully, is it asking too much to wear a clean pair of jeans, a dress shirt and shoes with style?Also make sure to button-up the tunic, wearing a dress shirt with the top unbuttoned is a no-no. I get "dressed up" to go out. Look at old Kodachrome photos from the 60s or look at old film videos from Disneyland in the 60s on YouTube. Whatever the reason, I refuse to believe that lack of money is the main cause for dressing like slobs. What's more, if I'm not mistaken, the mania for tattoos really accelerated starting around 11 years ago, when it was still uncommon to see the average person with "sleeves" and the like. I doubt people will look back fondly at this decade with how much garbage is being pushed into our kids and teens now. Dress well: get crap from people Dress like a slob: no one cares I guess that this is supposed to be cute, to live in a so-called "culture" wherein manners and educated speech are for the dogs, and having an intellectual disposition is considered strange. It derives from the Irish Gaelic slab, meaning mud. Maybe don't spend $5 on starbucks and $15 on a pack of cigarettes and instead go to Target or Kohls and look through the clearance racks and I bet you anything they could find something affordable. Every roll shows the fat. Basically, we don't have an audience. The cleaner cut look will always be timeless as far as I believe. It also doesn't help that at least 95% of the clothing one finds at the local retail store is insipid and made in China out of synthetics that are cheap. s-a-h-d. Another excellent post! If one wishes to appear in public at large with tattoos, and looking like the circus freaks of old (often worse) than that is indeed one's choice. Most Americans dress like absolute slobs and should be ashamed of themselves I've been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to travel outside the US. For me, part of the appeal of going to such a restaurant (or other similar places, like the symphony) is the opportunity to dress up. I noticed how scruffy everyone was when I was over there. America definitely needs a renaissance not just in fashion but in general. I see plenty of people who should know better. I go for the traditional, timeless look that has now become passe. Can we assume that the USA is a decadent nation that has given up trying to maintain what was once considered a decent standard in clothing and fashion representation? Sure, everybody thinks that because they live in the United States of Moronica, have tattoos, piercings or want to look as though they have been living in a homeless encampment (even if they really don't) that this is freedom of expression. Tell this to the same people who walk down the street with iPhone in one hand and Starbucks in the other. Today I saw what had to be the world's ugliest lesbo walking into my local grocery store. Better yet, look at photos of bands like the Who, moody blues, the small faces, and the Beatles in the mid 60s during the height of the mod movement. A slob is, to put it charitably, a person who aspires to have the energy to be merely untidy some day. It's all being done by design on purpose and it's happening with everything not just the way people are dressed, not just with them being extremely fat, and not just with them having tattoos all over their bodies, it's happening in every single solitary possible way it could happen within the USA. Sores like HM and Zara have the nicest clothing for the same price you would pay for what you usually buy. It's interesting to look at vintage photos of any decade of the 20th century through the 1980s, and compare it to your average shopping mall photo of today. The people don't try to look their best because they live inside a marxist fever dream where everyone is their best buddy and everyone is so very equal. I also believe the idea of having a foreign substance such as ink -- which is often made in China -- could have side effects years from now. I think all the excessive tattooing which has apparently become "mainstream" is indicative of an ill society that is in a sad stage of deterioration. Did you see the recent Academy Awards in HOLLYWEIRD and notice the absurd outfits that the male celebs were sporting, as though they weren't supposed to be ashamed? And its not just at the theater where folks have simply stopped trying: Offenders turn up at the Metropolitan Opera in Crocs. You are growing up with your decision to look good. There are slobs all over the world, but we always have bigger expectations when it comes to a celebrity. Partly this has to do with the visual erasure of style barriers. This look ruins some nice designer made pants and you can't even sit properly in them without feeling tightness around your knees. People at my age with several tacky tattoos, girls with half of their heads shaved, boys only wearing basketball shorts and baggy t-shirts. I'm an American professor in Kurdistan and even here, people when they dress casually look put-together and not unclean. In re J D Lowe's post, there was a popular series of travel guides published back in the 1960s and 1970s with titles like "Europe on $10 a Day" or "New York on $5 a Day." I'm just thankful that their are still a few clothing companies out their who still know how to make nice clothes for people. Even the mod youth culture of 1960s England was made up of some pretty snazzy dressers(picture via. That quote must be extended today to both sexes. ), baggy shorts or PJ bottoms, their clothes are dirty/stained/ripped/tattered or otherwise inappropriate, look (or smell) like they hadn't bathed in a week, or have poured on a bottle of heavy, oily perfume that will gag anyone two blocks away downwind. But then they still wouldn't care. Red velvet suits with white shoes, "Aquaman" in a light pink suit. They never look good. To me it's no different then saying you don't like a certain artist and their artwork. Opinion: American Men Need to Stop Dressing Like Overgrown Toddlers Look at what's being sold in the stores, and there's your answer. Take a look at television shows from the 1950s or at "Mad Men," and note how stylish people dressed when in public. Sadly,so many women also do it too. Shortages of drugs like Adderall are growing in the United States, and experts see no clear path to resolving them. However, I've read the book "The Peter Principle," and although it was published about fifty years ago, the same practices it satirized are still being committed by the ignorant to this very day. I also own a lot of dressier clothing, which I wear when I can. Looking around the restaurant I noticed one woman who was at table with a Bluetooth in her ear. I am sure there is some blame to be put on the top fashion designers who dictate what should be in fashion but come on, bring back real clothing.All this from Canada, I might add. Why Are Male Celebrities Dressing Like Such Slobs? - WSJ Hi, Pam! I don't consider the Kardashians a good example of the point you're trying to make, because a lot of what they wear is trampy. A person can always change his clothes, but he can't change ugly tattoos. The screens are getting thinner and the people are getting bigger. The people nowadays don't seem to care about anything important or any basic cultural and social norms. But really, that's essentially what we are doing now as a nation, as Pam points out.