College is over. Your fun and wild dress up parties now consist or Herbert sipping too much Champagne and busting moves to 'Freak Out' at Linda's Happy Retirement Party at the ol' office. Nothing seems to be as wild as it once was. And, in a way, you might just find that fashion parallels this mentality. Dresses that you once thought were so in, suddenly become so out. Some fashions recycle, others most certainly shouldn't. A very specific fashion choice comes to mind. In a flurry of difficult decisions, this one seems to steer clear away from the questionable pile. I know just what went wrong, too. It's that one dress that inevitably appears to people as though it was pulled right out of the sale bin at Sears. I'm not trying to get too specific. People often have their own interpretation of things and gear specifically to ridicule at the fashion faux pas that hit them personally. It is more so, the deliberate attempt to look cutesy or adorable at alarmingly older ages. Witness the photo above. While bizarre explanations are used to justify such atrocities, nothing hits harder than someone who tries to make others understand, not only why it's acceptable, but why it should be embraced.
With the exception of certain baby doll dresses, cutesy and girly dresses should not be worn by women exceeding the age of 13. It's just not appropriate. I have a certain understanding of the appeal. Yet, it sadly reminds me of the old woman who wears fishnets and heavy red lipstick. Being dressed age-appropriately is crucial. It defines the lines between a civilized grown up and a naive youngster imitating a dream of mystical and fantasy-like interpretations of reality. Suddenly, so not cute anymore. Why have we still held on to a part of our lives that serves more as an obstacle as opposed to an open door? Needless to say, it is always in our best interest to move forward in thinking and not stay stuck in the past. Of course, there will be that reader who will disagree with me, saying that I am too judgmental. Think of this as advice. I have spent many years in amazement over the ways that women mindlessly dress themselves in the attempt to look younger. Sure, your regular Halloween costume as Strawberry Shortcake or Little Red Riding Hood could be a good safe ground to pull off this look. How many of us actually witness these girls who dress like this on a daily basis?
I must have a word with these women to see just what they were thinking when they tried to pull it off. How can one exude such youthful clothing choices to make their entire appearance that much younger? There ain't enough MAC make-up on this planet to turn those wrinkles into 17 year-old sun kissed skin. Once again. Maybe I am being too judgmental. I shall say this as nice as possible. I believe that everyone is given a chance to make their own choices. Whether or not the rest of the world agrees with these people is irrelevant. Most of us consumer-obsessed, image-conscious shopaholics want to solidify some sort of message they deliver to onlookers who they believe judge them for their appearances. It is in our own best interest to follow specific guidelines in the realm of fashion in order to build and maintain fashionable credibility. Who are we to say you can't wear what you please? We can only focus on a universal and mutual understanding of what is, in fact, considered acceptable and what sort of personal fashion choices we make will be regarded as a favorable decision to the masses. In other words, what looks can we create that can please the most people, starting with yourself.
We could all stand to re-evaluate what sort of choices we make in our lives. The new car you are about to buy. The perfect apartment you want to live in, the dream job with benefits and bi-yearly bonuses. Just the way that our choices in life dictate the life we lead, we choose to robe ourselves in ways that accommodate our own fashion rules with perhaps a healthy balance of what others would deem acceptable as well. Not that we are too conforming. We don't tuck out jeans into our socks or rarely mix and match a shoe with another pair for a single outfit. We must remember that in the process of defining ourselves through dress, we must also keep in mind that certain guidelines are invisibly present; these guidelines will help us stay on the road, furthering ourselves into a better direction, without swerving onto the shoulders of the style highway. The foundation is pretty much basic: know your culture's guidelines. Dress in a manner that allows for others to understand your choices while still in the bounds of acceptable, leaving everything else to be completely up to you. For the love of God, have fun but be responsible!
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