I try to dress nicely, I really do. But it doesn't matter if I spend two hours or two minutes getting ready in the morning, I end up looking the same -- disheveled, frantic and overall clueless about what's currently fashionable in the world around me.
Liz Lemon gets it.
Anyone who also considers themselves to be oblivious to fashion will understand the challenge. The art of dressing for success evades us, and it takes all our effort just to look presentable. Where some people can make any piece of clothing look good, we struggle just to find outfits that don't cause any harm. We have to create ourselves a collection of bland and basic articles of clothing as our go-tos, such as jeans, tennis shoes and solid color T-shirts.
This can often lead to us looking like a cartoon character.
We have three general categories of clothes. First, there are your everyday pieces, such as T-shirts, cargo shorts and some sort of walking shoes. Next, there's the slightly nicer flannels, button-downs and dark washed jeans, with the occasion pair of Sperry's thrown in. And finally, there's "nice," or as the more sophisticated dresser might call it, "formal." This is a simply dress, pant suit or men's suit with the most basic set of flats or dress shoes. The three categories cover the requirements for all basic occasions.
Don't expect anything more elaborate than that. It ain't gonna happen.
But while our system gets the job done for us, there are always those friends and family members who believe it's their purpose in life to give us a "makeover" and take us shopping in hopes of "reinventing" our look. They drag us to the mall and make us spend all day humoring them by trying on countless articles of clothing that we know we'd never end up wearing even if we did purchase them.
I feel about as foolish as a sheep wearing boots made of its own fur over its actual fur when I'm forced to give a personal fashion show for hours on end.
Our personal shopper tries to get us onboard with the latest trends, attempting to sell us the idea that our life will improve in all areas if we stop wearing our old Mickey Mouse hoodie and swap it for a $300 name brand jacket instead, or that what's really holding us back from success is our terrible taste in hair ties. But no matter how hard we try to buy into the idea that fashion could have a positive impact on us, we can't help but think about how miserable the idea of fashion makes us.
Ron's face is an accurate representation of the way I feel every time I look in a dressing room mirror.
No matter what we try, we "non-fashionistas," will always be on the outside looking in regarding clothing trends, and I think we're OK with that. As long as we're appropriately dressed for a situation and avoid offending anyone too much, we try not to spend time worrying what others think about us and chose to be comfortable and relaxed instead. So the next time you find yourself judging someone's outfit and questioning in their choices, please remember that fashion may be fun and easy for you, but for some of us, it's a challenge and it's a stressor trying to fit into the ever changing social norms. We're doing the best that we can.
