Closet Content Analysis: Appropriate-ness of Short Shorts
NICE NO THANKS NOTE-WORTHY NEED NEW
Know first who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly.
- Euripides
(BC 480-BC 406) Greek poet
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| Photo source: My Fierce Fashion blog by Veronica |
Summer heat brings out scantily dressed women of all sizes and ages. And that begs the question of what is appropriate at what weight and what age? Put the body from "habitually random"'s site into shorts with a proper waistband and cut just above the knee and she would be comfortable and appropriate. This NO THANKS photo is a perfect example of "a picture is worth a thousand words". Over a particular weight, short shorts should not even be an option.
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| Photo Source: http://www.habituallyrandom.com |
Now what about age? Last week, my husband and I went to a nearby lake for an evening walk with our neighbours and there was a woman, very fit, perhaps in her late sixties as revealed by her facial features. (I hope to have as fit a body at her age.) She looked fabulous from behind in her short shorts and then she turned toward me. Her face revealed her age and my assessment changed. After determining that she had to be in her sixties, I now felt that she should be wearing something more age appropriate. How fickle am I? She had the body and walk of a woman 20 years her junior - we hope to all be so lucky - and here I was criticizing her choice of apparel. I felt that she should be in walking shorts, above the knee and no shorter than mid-quadricept. Yet I would not hesitate to advise women generally to flaunt it if they've got it. Why am I not so generous with this woman in her sixties? She was tanned, her legs were fabulous and she had a curvaceous yet slim body. She obviously exercises, has not been cursed with varicose veins, eats nutritiously I'm sure and by all estimations, could wear whatever she wanted, and wear it well. My neighbour's raised eyebrows told me that even she, French woman that she is, thought the short shorts inappropriate.
Many will say, "what does it matter what anybody thinks, but the wearer?" If you feel comfortable then it is your prerogative. However, my mother's advice works well here, "when in doubt, don't". And unfortunately, over a certain age and weight, there is doubt.
NOTEWORTHY: As Euripides suggested, I guess I do know myself. The last time I had short shorts in my closet or on my body I was in my twenties.
Agreed! Just because you can doesn't mean you should...
ReplyDeleteFor the comment above^^^according to who, you?? What makes you so wonderful that you can judge how other people dress and what they should wear that is appropriate enough to make YOU happy. Let people wear what ever makes them happy and you just worry about how you look. No wonder this world is full of insecure women.
ReplyDeleteYou must have an amazing body, no wait, if you did you wouldn't care what anyone else wears or looks like. Only insecure people judge, because it makes them feel better about their own inadequacies.
Everybody judges...it's part of our human nature. And yes, I do have a pretty amazing body. No insecurities here:)
DeleteWow! What an awful thing to say to someone. Why so angry? Who cares?! This is a fashion blog. It's supposed to be fun. And there are some rules to fashion so if that's not your thing you shouldn't read it. If you are going to write abusive comments such as this you should have the guts to do it under your name, not anonymously.
DeleteIt is the anonymous nature of the internet in general that allows us to write what we want without care and so sometimes it can be hurtful. But then again each of us has different tolerance levels. Since I moderate the comments, I allowed the continuation of the debate. It is difficult to know, as a blogger, when one should stop the "discussion" or not publish particular comments. I do not mind disagreement or publishing comments that are questionable. This is the first experience I have had with a discussion as pointed as this one on my blog. The question now is: What should I publish; what do I delete from the comments that have been, are and will be offered on this venue?
DeleteI am so confused!!!! That woman is happy in those shorts and she is as entitled to her pursuit of happiness as you or anyone else.
ReplyDeleteI am too! Philosophically I'm with you, but often those ugly thoughts come to the forefront: products of our histories, of the society we grew up in, of image portrayed in media, of our own insecurities (as Anonymous2) said. When I wrote, "How fickle am I?", I was chastising myself for even going there. We are complicated creatures, along with being confused.
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ReplyDeleteonce аgain.
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