I just want to say I think you should be ashamed of yourselves. How dare you, and your readers, pass judgment on someone based solely on what they do or do not choose to wear? If you’re tired of women claiming time restraints to looking good, then perhaps they are tired of the pandemonium related to it. If a woman wants to dress up and look good for themselves, then I say they should rock on, but to do it just to get everyone else’s approval is bullshit. As women, we are constantly taught to fit into the rules of society. Be a lady and don’t curse, have sex for pleasure, be alone with a man, have an opinion, speak unless spoke to, blah, blah, blah. We’re told to take up as little space as possible, to have our hair done a certain way, to wear make-up even when we exercise, and most importantly to not stand out from the crowd. This sort of conformity has lead to countless females having eating disorders, and low self-esteem. Women are trapped in abusive relationship because they are told no one would want them the way they are, and they find it difficult to near impossible to adhere to the rules of our society for women.

As a fat woman, we have to walk out the door every day and be ready for a fight. We have to fight our doctors and family members, and our closest friends, to prove there is nothing wrong with us. We are not abnormal or hideous or broken. We do not have to camouflage ourselves with make-up and fancy clothes in order to quell the rioters at our door. Our desire to not play by society rule’s of dress is not unethical or immoral, nor does it mean we do not have pride in ourselves, our bodies or our life. And I think it is horrific that instead of bonding together and creating a united front, accepting each other for our differences and embracing the fact that not all of us has to fancy fashion or go to the salon or wear cute shoes to be beautiful, smart, wonderful women, that there are so many on this site looking down their noses at other women.

Whether or not a woman “looks good” when leaving her house has no bearings on her character.

Just watch a few episodes of say, BBC’s What Not to Wear, and you can very easily see a huge batch of women who go from wanting NOT to be fashionable, to blend, for whatever reason, and turn out to finding themselves beautiful, and even better, valuable again.

The desire not to join life and value yourself is a choice. I don’t mean to pass judgment, but not dressing yourself with at least the respect of a personal style that makes you feel good is like not keeping your house tidy enough for guests. Its your choice, and I’ll respect it, but don’t expect me to visit much.

So, to extend that, if your dream is to be the most fashionable Renn girl, SAHM, nurse, impoverished student, etc. on the block, then why are you resisting that? Is it because you think that if you really were that fashionable, put together, or whatever, that you wouldn’t be as accessible?

It’s a valid question, particularly when you throw in value judgments that can be made when dressing down is a sign of status or authenticity, as other commenters have mentioned. I’m an academic, and I’ve definitely heard professors criticized for looking too fashionable because fashion is supposed to be “below” intellectuals (which is of course bullcrap). Likewise, if you’re a busy working mother, will your fellow busy working mothers think you’re uppity or shallow or intimidating if they perceive you as worrying more about your earrings than your kids?

And for the record, I am juicy, on a budget, and still manage to look fab when I have to hit up the WalMarts. All it takes is a hairbrush, a little mascara, and clothes that fit properly and showcase my good points.

Maybe Concerned Reader Sarah doesn’t want to dress fashionably. Maybe she likes her sweats and cartoon shirts. There’s no use in psychanalyzing why, and unless you know her and have a degree in psychology, it is insulting to do so.

Looking a certain way is not a moral imperative. If you want to, fine. But I find the pseudo-outraged tone that many of these posts are taking about people not dressing the way you want to to be incredibly sexist and classist. And that makes me sad.

I come to this blog to get ideas, to see what’s out there, to check the discount codes, and to laugh a little. I do not come here to be judged and convicted without a trial because I do not follow every last piece of advice given. As a previous commenter mentioned earlier, if you’re going to dismiss every reason as an “excuse”, why bother to ask the question at all? Just say “You’re all weak…now drop and give me 20″ and move on.

Now, if someone dresses comfy or unfashionable to say to hell with consumerism or to simply dress comfy, that’s a different story.