Michelle Says: Style
If you own a pair of high heels, or Spanx, or have ever lain on a bed to zip up a pair of particularly skinny jeans, and yet you still profess that you choose comfort over style – you, my friend, are a liar. J’accuse!
I don’t count slobbing around on a Saturday morning on the couch in sweats as choosing comfort over style. Your style is something you show off to the outside world, so by all means in the confines of your own home wear whatever the hell you like. I certainly do.
But, when you step outside your door every morning it’s a different story.
I don’t believe I know a single woman who hasn’t suffered for style at some stage in her life, and I would guess that most girls do it, to a small extent, every day.
Of course we’d all love to be comfortable enough with the bodies life gave us to say ‘I always choose comfort over style’, but the fact is, if that were the case then no uncomfortable fashions would exist, because they simply wouldn’t sell.
Try telling me most sexy lingerie is comfortable. Just try. Like hell it is! Does it sell? You bet your silken-covered ass it does. And it’s not there just to tease and tantalize the menfolk, much as they’d like to think. In fact, surveys have shown that women feel more confident and attractive if they’re just wearing nice lingerie under their work wardrobe, and it’s not meant for anyone’s eyes at the end of the day.
When you put feeling stylish and attractive on one side of a scale, and the minor discomforts that wearing current fashions can cause on the other, very often the balance will sway towards looking good and, as a result, feeling good.
And so it is for me. So when I’m heading out this weekend the Wonderbra will be on to, um, flatter my frontage. My very average body will be plucked, tanned, coiffed and styled, before I don a highly impractical but pretty summer dress and pair it with towering heels to take me through the night. When 3am rolls around I might well be hobbling home, but I’ll be hobbling home happy.
Rebecca says: Comfort
I’m not going to pretend that I’ve never spent a night in heels I can’t really walk in or a dress I find it hard to breathe in. Let’s face it, every woman has!
And I’m by no means attempting to argue that I on every single occasion step out the door wearing something comfortable. Otherwise the only outfit I would ever wear would be a tracksuit bottoms and hoodie combo! And that just wouldn’t go down well.
What I am arguing is that when it comes down to it, I would prefer to be comfortable than stylish. And I would also like to say that I believe that the two can in fact go hand in hand. But that’s a whole other argument.
So it’s a Saturday night and I’m heading out for the night. I’ve got my dress on and all I need is a pair of heels. Do I go for the four inch ones or the two inch ones? I opt for the two inch ones because I want to be able to walk properly and for more than ten steps!
Also if I feel comfortable when I’m out and about, I’ll have a much better night. And so too will everyone in my company because I’m not complaining about my sore feet!
Similarly when its winter and I’m going out, I will wear tights and a cardigan because I don’t want to be one of those girls shivering in their bare legs while waiting for a taxi. I mean, it is literally freezing, why would you not be practical and wear a pair of tights? Yes the dress looks better without them but you could catch hypothermia for goodness sake!
I also choose comfort over style for work. Why would I want to wear stilettos during a 40 minute walk to work? That’s right, I don’t. I also want to be able to eat my lunch without fear of my bandage dress bursting. So I wear things that I can eat in, bend over in and walk in. It’s not like I’m due to walk the red carpet every day!
As for those of you who do choose style over comfort, hats off. But I would ask if you actually spend all day in your heels? Or do you carry a pair of flats just in case? If you do, I would argue that you too pick comfort over style.
