Why Don’t Men Ever Understand Our Clothes?
Posted by: Catherine Strawn
Filed in:
style
12:30PM, Monday March 23rd 2009
Michelle Obama’s recounting of what Barack thinks of some of her fashion choices made us laugh. And then we started thinking, The president really is just another man! He doesn’t understand women’s clothing choices, just like practically every other guy we know!
When we wrote up our list of 30 Things Women Love That Men Just Don’t Understand, five of the items were fashion/style-related. But there’s so much more where that came from.
It seems as though whenever we don’t dress for men—i.e., form-fitting skirts and cleavage-bearing tops—that’s when they get confused. They can’t understand why we wear tunic tops and chunky wedge heels, or why we decided to cut off all of our hair. Usually, when we take fashion risks like these, we’re doing so as a way to express ourselves or our creativity—or to impress the other girls in the office. But it does suck when you think you look super cute and your guy thinks it looks like you’re wearing a painting smock for pregnant women. Wouldn’t it be nice if women’s and men’s opinions about what makes a stylish outfit meshed better?
What are some of the clothing and style choices your boyfriend and guy friends don’t find appealing?
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Humble Bee
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 12:37 pm: [report]
My ex hated my Uggs, he always said I looked like a Chief Indian or would crack Eskimo Jokes. Yet I never made fun of his bright Oversized jerseys and giant work boots called Timberlands. They are so ugly.
Most men I know, can’t dress for sh*t either, so I don’t feel that bad. lol.
cphillis07
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 12:39 pm: [report]
Any type of trapeze dress or really loose top and you are right about short hair. That’s a big no no! Even though I think it can be sexy.
eden
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 12:42 pm: [report]
‘Solve world hunger, get out of my closet!’ Acceptable to use on my boyfriend?!
Jamie Lee
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 12:44 pm: [report]
yes i have been wanting to cut my hair and my man is not happy about it…he also does not understand my obsession with larger than life earrings and black/navy nail polish…
but then again i don’t understand his obsession with gross sneakers, pit stained t shirts and wearing the same dirty boxers for a week straight…i guess we all make our own fashion statements
Goldfinch86
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 12:46 pm: [report]
My shoes, I don’t wear heels, i wear flats and that is it. No sneakers unless I’m running. So i can’t walk as fast as he would like when we are in a big-ass holy #&@$% hurry. Even in winter Idon’t wear boots and I live in NYC. He cannot wrap is brain around I would rather look good than be comforatable. He also doesn’t like dresses that don’t show my figure, or scarves in summer.
retro chic
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 12:53 pm: [report]
Sometimes I think it’s a developmental thing, like men’s eyes need real outlines to color in. It’s such a literal and visual guidance thing that has nothing at all to do with fashion. After all, we’re created for their stimulation, are we not?
elizabethmarley
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 12:54 pm: [report]
I hear a lot of guys (and I do it too) complain about “tent dresses.” Most of these guys say that girls don’t need to be running around in skintight clothes 24/7, but massive dresses and leggings are pretty unappealing.
I have to agree.
joyy
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 12:56 pm: [report]
Hair for sure. I rocked super short hair in hs, then decided to grow it long during college ... which is when I met the bf. I talked for a while about wanting to cut my hair off, and he always cried the same “but I like it long” story.
I chopped it a year ago and I am SO glad that I did. Besides, you can’t have the same general hairstyle FOREVER - I’m a bit of a tomboy, but I definitely do know better than that.
@Jamie Lee: 1) <3 your icon 2) go for it! After all, it’s your hair, not his. Just make sure you get a cut that flatters your face shape, of course.
writergirl
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 12:59 pm: [report]
The only thing my husband has ever complained about after seven years of togetherness are a pair of work out pants I have with a double white stripe running down the sides. I’ve had the pants longer than I’ve had him and he hates them.
Other than that, I don’t think there was anything he didn’t like. Then again, I’m not sure how much he actually notices so….
lalaland
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 01:04 pm: [report]
Big sunglasses… apparently these get a thumbs down from most guys! (knowing this, I still wear them all the time!)
RachelSmiles
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 01:09 pm: [report]
my bf hates when my outfits are too “busy” ie any sort of patterns. i have found most guys like solid colors. he dresses well for the most part… except no collar stays!
CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 01:24 pm: [report]
Guy weighing in: I don’t care either way. As long as you are happy.
But that doesn’t mean I understand anything about clothes.
wildwildwest
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 01:26 pm: [report]
Pajama pants. My most recent ex was completely appalled by these, even when lounging around the house. But seriously - do you want me to run around in next to nothing in front of your creepy roommate?
vanya
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 01:29 pm: [report]
My husband is a sharp dresser, and I have to work hard to keep up, lol! The only clothes of mine I recall him complaining about were a few maternity outfits that made me look bigger than I already was.
Annika Harris
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 01:49 pm: [report]
My ex showed very little enthusiasm for my larok jumpsuit, which looks kind of like a prison uniform meets the Boy Scouts. I love it, especially since I bought it for a steal. But when I wore a form-fitting, strapless jumpsuit made from jersey, he couldn’t keep his eyes off me.
@retro chic Totally agree. Men do need actual lines to color in, otherwise, they’re clueless.
gillybeans
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 02:45 pm: [report]
Hats of any kind. Not if it’s winter, beanies etc. are totally fine, but if I try and rock my grandpa’s 1970s baby blue Kangol around town I am mocked. However, I would guess that the day I put on a Mets cap he’d be instantly more attracted to me.
Lynn
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 03:06 pm: [report]
I think men are generally mystified as to why a woman would ever wear anything that wasn’t meant for his sole pleasure and enjoyment.
Kiki T
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 03:08 pm: [report]
Men do understand our clothes, just not the ones we have sex with.
Lexie
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 05:39 pm: [report]
I have this pair of nude colored hanes underwear and my bf can’t wrap his head around why I rather sleep in them opposed to a thong. If it isn’t a thong, it’s all granny panties to him. Sometimes I wear them around the apt. just to spite him. He especially hates the nude color for some reason.
cjmar
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 10:10 pm: [report]
My boyfriend is so cheap! If I take him shopping with me, it’s a nightmare! If I find something I really like but it’s not a bargain, he doesn’t understand why I’m willing to spend money on it. He spends his money buying stocks, I spend my money on clothing. Plain and simple.
cjmar
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 10:13 pm: [report]
And also, he loves a girl in a dress and doesn’t understand why I’m not in a skirt or dress every day. Probably because I like to be comfortable, hate shaving my legs every day, don’t have tan legs, and I get ogled to hell and back by every passing man when I dress up (ok that one isn’t bad). Also, I work in a chemistry lab and my job requires I wear long pants and closed toed shoes every day. I can’t prance around in a frilly dress and high heels while working with dangerous acids!
jenzers
wrote on March 23 2009 @ 11:52 pm: [report]
My bf HATES big sunglasses - I wear them anyway and he mocks me mercilessly. He also is so not into tunics, or flowy dresses. He says it makes me look like I’m trying to “hide my figure” - which, hello, sometimes I am! I put on this really cute tunic over leggings to go out the other day and he actually pulled up a pic of Luke Skywalker to show me why I needed to change. Hmph.
juliePS
wrote on March 24 2009 @ 06:34 am: [report]
Guys doesn’t understand my taste in undergarments. which I totally understand, because I’m an epic tomboy and I wear a lot of black but I always have, like, neon-colored, super-girly underwear. They’re like “um, why are you wearing a hot pink bra?” Because I CAN, that’s why
oh, and control-top-type undergarments. I’m a chubster, so I always wear Spanx or something under my dresses; not so much because of my gut but because otherwise my thighs rub together and y’all KNOW where I’m going with this. I hate having to explain when things are all hot and heavy that I’m not wearing gigantic undergarments because I care about the flatness of my abs. I’m like, do you really want me to explain my saddle sores?
the guy I’m dating wears nothing but, like, busted-ass t-shirts with holes in them that are kleenex-thin, they’re so old. and he has, like, four pairs of the same awfully unflattering black jeans. THAT I shall never understand, but it’s not hurting anybody.
Lynn
wrote on March 24 2009 @ 10:49 am: [report]
@JuliePS - Why would anyone ask why you’re wearing fun underwear? WTF? Everyone likes fun underwear! I would be surprised if one guy asked you that. Multiples? I am baffled.
Angeline0
wrote on March 24 2009 @ 02:19 pm: [report]
My long hair, while very pretty and feminine, is more often than not a total nuisance. Some days, when I’m especially fed up with the drying and the flopping in my face, I tease my boyfriend that I’m going to hack it all off. He always gets a slightly horrified look on his face and proceeds to go on and on about how beautiful he thinks my long hair is.
nemesis1
wrote on March 25 2009 @ 12:54 pm: [report]
Wow, is this an awesome whinge-fest! I love it!!
The reason men don’t understand or care is that we’re usually too busy DOING THINGS - like working for a living, building the stuff you use, fighting fires, running companies, policing the streets, driving you somewhere, etc, etc. So . . . we really don’t have time for the non-essentials. That’s why whenever you ask us, “How does this look?” we just go, “Yeah, great.” Because you’re wasting our time.
Unless this is one of those, “Why do men do this . . .?” articles where all men’s responses are ignored because women only want to hear what other women say? Yeah, you’ll learn a lot that way. Keep going.
BTW - some articles of clothing DO make it look like you’re pregnant or wearing a painting smock. Period. That’s because you’re wearing a painting smock.
Then again, if you were truly empowered, you wouldn’t care what any man thought about your clothes, would you?
joyy
wrote on March 25 2009 @ 01:26 pm: [report]
@nemesis - right, because women don’t fight fires, run companies, police the streets, drive themselves, etc etc. All we do is frolick through our closets and think of stupid questions to ask the men in our lives! Stupid us.
This site is for entertainment, and we find these things entertaining, so we share thoughts and stories with each other. You obviously are here to pick fights with girls (something you obviously have to do on the internet since you’d probably get shut down if you tried this #&@$% in person). Talk about having too much time on your hands ...
cphillis07
wrote on March 25 2009 @ 02:04 pm: [report]
@nemesis1 Awww, it’s cute that you think your insights can wake us up from our bubble of makeup, clothes, and daydreaming about our big strong men. Joyy is right, you are here to pick a fight. I won’t indulge you anymore.
NeelyOhara
wrote on March 25 2009 @ 07:54 pm: [report]
My boy hates my large sun glasses, when i wear more than one necklace, this one jersey-knit cardigan i have (he asked me if i bought it in a maternity store, i weigh 115 lbs) and my lengthening hair. He loves my hair short (the shorter, the better) and he says i dress like a nun. I wear a lot of black and usually the skimpiest i go is a t-shirt, usually wear audrey inspired clothing. He likes it though, but I’m pretty sure it’s a jealousy issue.
Nemesis: if YOU were truly empowered, you would feel no need to go around posting negative comments designed to provoke women.
gskillz
wrote on March 27 2009 @ 08:51 pm: [report]
The thing is, if we stopped wearing our stylish clothes, they’d eventually notice. Just like if we stopped taking 20 minutes to put on our makeup, or go to great lengths to smell really good.
CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on March 27 2009 @ 08:58 pm: [report]
@Gskillz: Yes, we would notice, then we would glance at a clock and realize we have arrived on time as well.
tarebear
wrote on March 30 2009 @ 04:57 am: [report]
i guess i got one of the guys that doesnt need an outline to know whats what.. i wore this dress i made (red, has three quarter sleeves, it goes to high thigh and is sort of cinched..) the first time he saw me wear it he said i looked absolutely adorable.