Why Dress Up When You Are Not Going Anywhere, Really?

I was back home in India, talking to a relative on Skype. She looked at me and said, ‘Are you going out anywhere?’ I told her no—I was just staying in. She responded, “You might as well, as you are dressed for it.”

We had a release over the weekend at work, so we had a call on Sunday morning. One of my colleagues said, ‘Woah, you dressed up for the call!’

There have been enough similar comments that I realized my routine of wearing ‘nice’ clothes and jewellery daily is not common for most people. As far as I am concerned, I do it for myself; it makes me feel good. I don’t look at the mirror often, but when I do, I want to like what I see there - so I make an effort for myself. Also, growing up, you wake up, shower, and wear ironed clothes. And I married somebody who also follows the same routine - so getting ready first thing in the morning is the norm. The concept of staying in your jammies until noon is uncomfortable for me. I do not think the day started until you showered and dressed up. Even when we go out, I wear what will make me feel comfortable, even if others consider it simple and plain. If I have a difficult meeting at work, I will wear jewellery I like.

The moral of the story: I dress for myself. I do not understand why I should suffer in heels because other people think they look good. If I like something, you can be a hundred-ten percent sure it is not fashionable. It puzzled me why what I find good-looking is not what others find good-looking. I have a different sense of beauty. Or I do not have the capability to assess the looks of something. Although over the years, I have learnt what looks good at work - and have stuck to it, so I have learnt how to dress for work. But, the rest of the time, I am very clueless - I will be the only one wearing jeans and a nice top when everybody else wears a dress. Or, everybody will be wearing grand dresses - even though I am wearing the grandest dress, it is the simplest at the party. I don’t get the grandness scale.

Despite all this, I cannot not do what I do because it makes me who I am. I don’t wear makeup or nail polish because it feels like I have something on my face (stating the obvious here). Also, it is uncomfortable and adds another layer of something that you must always be conscious of. When I was younger, I tried to fit in, but it did not quite work - it was like I was blind to that department. As I have grown older, what has changed is that I have become comfortable with who I am and have accepted who I am.

So, I got up this morning knowing I was not going anywhere and wore one of my favourite kurtas with a matching jewellery set because I would spend the day with myself. Just because I spend most of the time inside and with myself is no less a reason to dress up than when I am going out; if anything, it is more important to dress up for myself than for others.

How About You?