North American slovenliness

[Guest Maria_B]

I like the freedom to dress as one pleases ^.^

I'm not sure what its like in America, but Australia is considered the fattest country, and it is -STILL- hard to find much more than shorts and a t-shirt for fat men. The selection for women is a little better, however.

Lets think about that for a second. As the world becomes poorer, people become fatter. Fatty, unhealthy foods are cheap, plentiful and easy to buy in bulk and prepare. So you have an increase in unwealthy fat people. Have you seen the prices on anything formal for an ''appropriate (though I use that loosely)'' weighted person? Add another 20 - 50 on top AUD for an overweight or obese person.

Poor + Unwealthy + Little Selection. Add in factors like environment, living areas (appearing rich can make you a target for theft quite easily) and social expectations.

In my personal opinion, that doesn't seem so unreasonable for someone to dress in shorts, a t-shirt.

So, let's not be too harsh on what is considered ''Fat countries'' Circumstance can permit or withhold fancy dress ^.^

(Yes, that does include smart casual :3 Not many Overweight young men want to go around permanently in checkered vests and slacks)

[Carolyn Marie]

One issue I have with some of the responses, are those that categorize an entire country as being one way or another. How can you take a country of millions of people, and say they dress any particular way? There are regional differences, differences among U.S. states, differences within Europe, and differences within rural areas and suburbs or cities. Not to mention that every individual is different.

I mentioned in my first reply that even on the west coast, people will go to the theater dressed up or dressed down. I happen to like dressing nice for the theater, be it a matinee or an evening performance. If its a country western or bluegrass artist, I might dress in western attire.

I have never liked the practice of stereotyping. It's rarely accurate, and is often offensive. There is, in my view, no such thing as a "North American" style of dressing, any more than there is a "North American" politics, or a "North American" religious view. We may all live in North America, but that's about the only thing we all have in common.

Just my opinion.

HUGS

Carolyn Marie

[Guest barton]

I wouldn't say people always dress like crap (the people of walmart blog aside), but that sometimes some people take dressing casual too far.

I consider wearing pajama pants out in public to be a bit much. But it makes sense of a sort if you're just running to the store on a Sunday morning to pick up more toilet paper or something. But that's the only time it's excusable in my book. Same with things like flip-flops. Unless you're doing some emergency shopping or are en route to/from a water activity, there's just no excuse.

Of course, I'm a closet fashion geek that lacks the funds and body type to sport the kinds of clothes I want, so I'm prone to taking out my frustrations by judging the sartorial choices of others.