My thoughts are a mish mash of present and past experiences. Early this AM, I was thinking about the casualness of our dress today. I went back to my childhood and remembered wearing these white gloves anytime we were taking a plane trip or even headed "To Town" (that would not be the small town I grew up in but the larger metropolis 30 miles southeast). We wore our everyday casual (or play clothes) only at home. You did not leave home without a dress on, and the place you were going determined the level of accessories required .
NOW, you all know I LOVE my casual wear. My yoga pants and a dri fit shirt ( or my beloved fleece in cold weather) are my go to. At one time I had a closet filled with "work suits" and dresses and a few casual clothing items. Today I have mostly casual items with a few dressy items. Everyone needs one good funeral dress. Our society has morphed into a casual society. It seems there is no longer a need for dressy. Why?
As I thought through this, I realized I "dress up" on occasions when I want to show respect. I would not go meet any important official in my yoga pants. Today I wear dressier clothing when attending a funeral or going to church or for any important meeting. Perhaps a night out on the town would require dressier clothing, but COVID has wrecked havoc on my nights on the town. My leaning toward casual has taken on more of a customary dress habit. There is a part of me that greatly misses those days of white gloves, hats, and heels. Perhaps I am not as casual a person as I once thought. Perhaps I did enjoy dressing up for the right reasons.
Going back to the question of why society has morphed into such casual dress habits, I have a theory. If we wear our better clothing to show respect for those we will be around, perhaps we have lost respect for our fellow man. I cannot believe it, but my casual dress is a by product of the "Me Generation". My being comfortable has become more important than showing my respect for those I am going to be around. I have slowly allowed my staying at home so much to influence how I dress even when I am not at home. Comfort has become my right.
The one place I do always dress up for is church. It is a sign of respect for God while in corporate worship. Does God really care what I wear? Probably not. What God does care about is my attitude toward Him. If I think wearing my best is a way of showing my respect and acknowledgement of a Holy God, then I should put on my best. This could open another can of worms, but I will leave it here to ponder.
"I give thanks to you,
O Lord my God,
with my whole heart,
and I glorify your name forever."
Psalm 86:12
You have definitely made me reflect upon why our society is so "into" the casual dress and look, Lulu. Yes, I remember those days when one would dress up to take a train trip, go to church or simply go shopping in the big city. I wonder how folks would react today if we started doing this again? We have, sadly, lost respect in so many ways for our fellow human beings; we should think long and hard about how to repair this rift.
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
I am thinking it begins with us, Martha. One small step at a time.
DeleteBlessings, My Friend!