Many girls get more dolled up for a girls night out than they do for a date with their boyfriend/husband. That might not seem to make a lot of sense but it's more true than you would think. Girls are kind of funny like that. Getting their nails done, make-up, jewelry, purses and frills... there's no way that all that fluff is for the guys... Admit it ladies, we often do it for each other. And when it comes to name brands or where you shop, you know that the girls will understand or recognize the details that the guys would never notice. Most men just give a thumbs up or down to the "overall look" and could care less about the fact that your earrings match your necklace or that your sunglasses were Gucci or that you had a clutch verses a hand bag which is supposed to be very in right now. However, although men won't often notice the details they like, one little item can ruin it for them- perhaps a headband that they think makes you look like a two year old or they hate leopard print so they write off the whole thing just because of your belt. This may be why it's safer to go plain with the guys and save your accessories for lunch with the girls.I would be quite interested to take a survey and ask a spread of women to rank these three reasons of why they get dolled up, pamper, wear name brands etc... 1) It's for the guys, 2) it's for the girls, and 3) it's for me. I'm not talking about why we get dressed in the morning, obviously that's a must, and we have to wear what is appropriate for work or comfortable around the house... But what is the motivation behind why we choose what we do? Why the details? That third option, "it's for me" is for those who do it for a little self esteem boost, or to express some of their creative side. Putting an outfit together, doing hair and make-up really can be an art and despite our ability to pull it off, it's fun to be creative and in this sense you do it for you as a hobby or creative outlet. You know it's not for the guys when you wear something that you know your significant other is not a fan of... this means you are doing it for you or for the girls! On the other hand, you know it's for the guy when you wear something that goes against the fashion rules just because he said he liked it.
So who is it for? Why the braids and the bows and the bolero or the lace and the kitten heels or patten leather? Why are there hundreds of fashion magazines targeted toward women? Why are there rules about what to wear and what not to wear and why are the women always the target of the "best dressed" and "worst dressed" in Hollywood? (although I admit I have noticed an increasing male population featured in the past few years.) Women not only wear certain things hoping for compliments from each other, but their attire is often an attempt to stay out of the line or criticisms or just to blend in.
Perhaps it began in the dress-up closet as children, comparing and contrasting who is wearing what and who looks better in it? Girls can be so weird and petty and vain... And yet so beautiful and elegant and glamorous. It's interesting how trends come about but still exist within various styles. "Trendy" is not unique to frilly girls or metro guys... These same social phenomenas happen in every circle- The outdoor type with their fancy gear or flaunting labels like Patagonia and Northface. Some women socialize within a circle where being "au naturale" is the trend, and even if they wanted to wear make-up they won't do it for the very same reasons the glamor girls don't dare to be seen without it, they worry about what the others will say? There are always a couple trendsetters within the group that the followers fear the most. Even teenage boys who are trying to make a statement against fashion by shopping at Goodwill or Thriftown- find themselves caught up in the trend and bragging how cheap or old something is to each other... It's a silly game that we all play to some degree. We see, we shop, we wear and wait for some sort of feedback. Who is it all for? Perhaps it's for whoever notices, or perhaps it is to be noticed. I don't think there is really a right or wrong reason, and for most of us the reasons change depending on the day or circumstance. Most people do it without really thinking about it, it's subconscious or tied to where we came from, who and what we are exposed to. Life is interesting, we often do funny things for all the reasons we can't really explain.
