I Got Dressed Today, and I’m Not Even Going Anywhere

Why is it that we get dressed for strangers, but don’t get dressed for ourselves?

I’ve been in Hollywood for the past two days, and in a flurry of pre-trip excitement, spent some of our tax refund on new clothes, new make-up, and proper hair care products. And for the past two days I have been showered, well-coiffed, and nicely dressed. All for people I don’t know and may never see again.

But left to my own devices, at home, with only my 5yo for a fashion critique? I often look like a surprisingly well-fed hobo.

I’ve thought about this a lot over the years, and even written about it here. I wish I could be more disciplined about getting myself presentable every day, even if I have no one to present myself to. Because how I look affects how I feel, and I should be a good enough reason to get myself dressed in the morning.

Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of great reasons to wear sweats all day.

• They are comfortable.
• I don’t care about them getting dirty in the process of doing housework.
• They are comfortable.

But since I often stay on the path I set out on, I find that if I don’t get dressed in the morning, I’m about 1,000 times less likely to ever go out that day. Which means I skip errands or miss opportunities or end up getting stuck on the unhealthy hamster wheel of obsession with household minutia.

I’ve seen this humorous image floating around Pinterest lately, so I know I’m not alone in this:

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And I know this probably isn’t the same issue for women who work outside of the home. But I’m curious: Are you good about getting yourself up and ready for the day, even when you have nowhere to go?

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