I’ve written before about how some people who consider themselves “trad” pretty much just want to return to a time before women, people of color, and LGBTQ people had rights. But I think a lot of other people, even if they have some right-leaning beliefs, mostly just miss the aesthetics of a bygone era. And while you can easily point out the e-fascists who identify as Roman statues, I actually think this phenomenon is just as pervasive on the left, or with people who don’t have strong political opinions. People simply miss beauty.
The obvious examples of this phenomenon can be found across Twitter with engagement bait about how much better people—especially women—used to dress.
Without knowing this user, I’m getting general “women stopped being REAL LADIES and started being WOKE ONLYFANS LESBIANS” vibes here, with a sprinkling of “grifting for Elon bucks.” Maybe I’m wrong! Maybe this is just a person who genuinely misses 1950s fashion. But I think even aside from those weirdos, many normal people secretly share the view that clothing—and expectations for formality and beauty in general—used to be much better.
Maybe I’m biased because I do not think Patagonia vests have a place in fancy restaurants. Despite the Jezebel/Reddit-tier claim that it’s “not women’s job to decorate your world” I actually think that all people of all genders should be obligated to decorate my world, purely for my enjoyment.
You don’t have to be a based tallow-smearing trad to notice that clothing has gotten far too informal. Yes, it’s more comfortable to wear sweatpants and hoodies, especially for things like long flights and going to the gym. But surely, we can carve out more occasions for beauty, outside of the occasional friend’s wedding (where, according to Reddit, you can’t even wear pastels, red, brights, or anything that actually looks nice.) And since nobody has friends anymore, these occasions where it makes sense to dress up are lurching toward extinction. Office holiday parties aren’t as common, and are increasingly informal. Holiday parties at home have been downgraded to “ugly sweater parties.” Cocktail and dinner parties at home are falling out of fashion. The “fancy child-friendly holiday party” is more or less a relic of the past, as I’ve written about before.
Beautiful clothes still exist, and arguably it’s easier than ever to order a gorgeous dress that’s exactly your style, in your budget, and have it delivered to your house with zero hassle. But the problem is there are fewer and fewer places where wearing such a dress is acceptable. There is no law preventing you from wearing a belted poplin shirtdress to the supermarket, but as someone who has decided to dress up regardless of what other people are doing, it feels a bit empty, like you’re wearing a costume. This is doubly true if you are wearing retro-style clothing. People might look at you, perplexed, but nobody will compliment you because nobody talks to strangers anymore either. Yes, it’s nice when you walk past a mirror and see yourself wearing something cute, but when you’re surrounded by people who clearly don’t give a shit, it becomes less fun, and over time you lose motivation to try. Formality is a bit of a social contract and it doesn’t really work if you’re the only one doing it. Arriving at a dressy party and enjoying your own snazzy duds alongside others’ is an entirely different experience.
Granted, we are missing a lot of details about the past and filling them in with our imaginations.
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