Before I even begin, let me just state that in writing this, I do not labor under the delusion that teachers, as a group, are possessed of any extraordinary fashion sense. In fact, teachers are usually pretty abysmal dressers. However, that said, most teachers at least look professional when they go to work. Professional, for a teacher, means clean, somewhat matching clothing, and not slutty. If a teacher can get out the door in the morning having met all three of the abovementioned criterion, she's having a pretty good day. Of course, the issue with the male teacher's short sleeve, button down, polyester shirt, and the cheap brown rayon tie (Its always brown, isn't it? And not a nice soft or capuccino brown. And not with some nice little pattern. But rather unadulterated, un-fooled-around-with SHIT brown. I digress) is still very much present and on the table.
But here's the thing, there are other people whose line of work makes you expect them to dress nicely. And when they aren't dressed nicely, or appropriately for work as it were, it can be a bit surprising.
Take, for example, my encounter with a saleswoman at the Alpha Omega jewelery store this weekend. Stephen and I went in to Tiffany's first to look at a silver wedding band. It was only $135, and although the salesperson was very nice and friendly, he never even bothered to take out the little baton thingee and size our fingers. Clearly, the Tiffany's getto counter doesn't even warran a sizing. The guy there was dressed to the nines, with a full suit, vest, tie...the whole kit and caboodle.
We weren't sure about the ring at Tiffany's, so we made our way over to Alpha Omega. There, the salesman was as nice as can be and was dressed to kill. He took us through most of the process of trying on and choosing rings (and even though we were buying cheap-o bands, he still actually took out the baton thingee and measured our fingers...how nice!). At the end of our selection process, a female colleague of his walked over and started chit-chatting away with us. She seemed very nice, and very personable and was as pleasant as can be. However, the outfit she had on made her look more like she should be over at the Piercing Pagoda making eyes at the Orange Julius employee across the mall, than at Alpha Omega. Alpha Omega are in the middle of this huge push to make themselves one of Boston's first and foremost jewelers (they already have the fine watch market pretty much cornered), and they are always trying to present themselves as this posh store where the shopping experience will be sheer luxury.
So, what was with the woman's outfit, you ask?
Well, she was wearing the lowest slung pair of black, skin tight pants I have ever seen in my life. She was trying not to fall off her 7" platform wedges as she made her way around the store. Her painted-on white t-shirt was barely long enough to touch the top of her belly button (which made the pants seem even lower-slung), and she had a cheap-o belly button ring dangling in every direction. The t-shirt was mercifully "covered" by a jacket that was perhaps an inch longer than the t-shirt and had one button situated just beneath her boobs. The effect created here was, of course, to push the boobs up and out. She was wearing these wooden macramay earrings which hung well past her chin.
I know it seems like I'm being a total judgemental bitch. But keep in mind, if I were genuinely judgemental about this stuff, and if it truely bothered me, I would not have shopped there. If anything, I think its kind of funny, and I am just surprised that Alpha Omega allows that kind of workplace attire as it clearly in direct conflict with the upscale image they try to portray through their advertisement.
I admire a rebel. Rock on, rocker chick!
Today, when I was boarding the T, I was standing behind this young woman who clearly works as some kind of medical specialist. She was wearing pink nurse scrubs, but she had her own interpretation of how this look should be conveyed. She was wearing them "hip-hop" style, and, in spite of her tiny, diminutive frame, had put on at least a size XL pants. She then rolled the waist down about 14 times, until it was sitting just above her knees and she had to keep her legs spread 4 feet apart just to keep the things up. It was interesting watching her try to struggle onto the train while trying to maintain this hip-hop look with dignity. Come to think of it, as far as I can see, there is no dignity in wearing your pants ten sizes too big and walking around looking like you've shit yourself all day. Can somebody please tell me how people think this is supposed to make them look tough? Or cool? Or bad-ass? I just don't see it.
Again, if I had some medical emergency and she came up offering treatment, I wouldn't refuse. I'd be happy to have an expert on hand. But, Jesus, doesn't her boss at work say something to her about perhaps wanting her pants NOT to be falling down around her ankles? I mean, just from a practicality standpoint, the woman was forced to walk, nay shuffle, at such a slow gait in order to avoid any potentially embarrassing slippage, that if there really was a medical emergency that she had to walk to, the patient might die waiting for her to get there.
I was googling "baggy pants" and the first page of results yielded this picture of Manny Ramirez, of the Boston Red Sox. It is true that Manny's always had his own idea of just how a baseball uniform should look. But still, I always thought it looked ridiculous when he'd be out there with his arse hanging out of his trousers. You'd think at the very least, they'd get after him about the potential trip hazard over the seriously too-long cuff of his pants.
Screw it. I'm going to school tomorrow in a pair of those stupid pajama bottoms.
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