Fashion???

Sorry your offended by women wearing short skirts when they have less than perfect legs.
I'm offended by men wearing socks and sandals with shorts and shirts tucked into trousers with big beer bellies hanging over the waist band.

However, it's their choice!

Referring to 'a number of specimens' is downright insulting, GrumpyOldMan, whatever your opinion of their fashion-sense.

Am I a "grumpy old woman" if I say I thinkGOM has a point? And if a woman had expressed the same opinion, would anybody be outraged? I too am constantly amazed that "slebs" with access to free designer label frocks and outfits, the services of stylists, the loan of jewellery of eye watering value and shoes/hair stylists etc etc, can appear on red carpets at film premieres or similar social occasions looking so dire!! Think Princess whichever one it was at the Cambridge wedding and that hat? The criterion at evening do's often seems to be to bare as much flesh as you can legally get away with. As we get older (men and women) what might have been our "best" points legs/bust/neck etc (OK talking women here) don't necessarily wear as well as the face - on which of course "work" may have been done. The wrinkled hands, knobbly knees and often wrinkly feet can all be a dead giveaway.
Hear hear GOM!!

So you think it's fine to describe a group of women as 'a number of specimens' then, Soutra...

" Specimen - an individual, item or part representative of a class, genus or whole"
So a representative of a group, such as "celebrities" can without any insult intended, be referred to as a "specimen".

Tell you what GOM, use the newspaper to line the cat's litter tray and pop out to garden to grow some pretty flowers for you better half. That should cheer you both up.

MiceElf

Absolutely disgusting to display themselves like that!! How long did you spend examining their imperfect legs and tut tutting about the fact that specimens women who look like that should be covered up extremely grumpyoldMan.

Just waiting for summer so that I can tut tut about beer bellies, vest tops, obese
specimens men in horrible shorts

This, to me, smacks of, every female should have the perfect figure!!! If not, cover it all up!!

Many of us are trying to steer our daughters and grandaughters away from this unhealthy brainwashing.

To an extent, I do agree with GrumpyOldMan that some of the outfits they wear does make you wonder where their sense is. I remember seeing a red carpet event on the tv with many of the female slebs turning up in outfits that left little, and sometimes nothing, to the imagination (they know what will get them photographed but, sadly, for the wrong reasons) then Halle Berry turned up in a beautiful long evening gown looking so refined and simply stunning; all cameras turned to her.

However, there should be no pressure on women to have perfect legs in order to wear short skirts - I detest this pressure on women to acquire the bodies of adolescent girls in order to be thought of as attractive.

Still, as the saying goes: there will never be true equality for women until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut and still think (and be seen as though) they're sexy.

BTW GrumpyOldMan - is your wooden spoon for hire

Perhaps there should be an emoticon for wooden spoon

I'd quite like an emoticon of a smiley devil

Of GOM has taken my wise advice he will be returning, tired but happy from his garden, changed into something modest and becoming and be starting to use his wooden spoon to whip up a tasty little something for his lady wife. Cheers GOM and don't forget to change pussy's litter tray, then you won't need to worry your pretty little head about those silly celebs any more.

A few weeks ago we met up with some friends in our local which happens to be opposite the church. A wedding was about to take place so we amused ourselves by commenting on the outfits as guests arrived. We were all in agreement that it's a shame hardly any women were wearing hats but DH was agog bemused by the sight of so many sculpted 'bottoms'. Dresses are getting shorter, necklines plunging lower but, 'Does my bum look big in this?' would receive a resounding 'YES', especially when the wearer is also tottering around on terrifyingly high heels.

I'm not being grumpy, I'm just feeling my age!

merlot the "sculpted bottoms" are mainly due to "spanx" type under-garments I suspect.

I'm often intrigued by the photographs of models and other beauties where their shoes don't fit! There's either a big gap behind the heel, or their toes are making a bid for freedom and they're "hanging ten" (to borrow from surfing lingo).

When I was in my late teens, a lad described me as 'a fine specimen'. I was chuffed to bits

There does seem to be a bit of outrage here at Grumpyoldman for expressing his views, and I think it's simply because he is a man.I tend to agree with him on the whole, a lot of women copy celebs now and look just as stupid.From the day-glo spray tans to the short skirts and high heels on the ends of pipe cleaner legs.The celebs should get it right [with all their money] but hardly ever do.Grannyknot I have had the same thought about the shoes [I only read mags when in the hairdressers] but have noticed this ill fitting shoe thing, as though they have borrowed somebody elses shoes? Weird.I used to wear mini skirts [in the 1960's, not last year] but had 'a fine pair of pins' then and I was young, but that was then , and this is now, and I would look a bit mad wearing them now.

Another thing about those feet in their too-big shoes is how veiny they often look, especially if the shoes have high heels.

Just seen your post Ana and I agree, the feet are always super veiny. This must be because it's the fashion to have spray tanned legs and to wear no stockings or tights.

Psst GOM I think some of us think you may have a point. Agree totally about the shoes too ana remember clip clopping round the bedroom in mummy's shoes?

I'm wondering GOM if your post is a wind up! Personally, I don't like to see male specimens bending over and displaying what is commonly known as a "builders bum".

However, turning to the female specimen variety, I do think the world would be a better place if we could see a little less of Kim Kardashian's butt! Is it perhaps that sort of non s'leb flashing pumpkin like derrieres that causes you to be so glum?

Where are Joyce Grenfell and Celia Johnson when you need them?

Just to add my two penn'oth, and leaving "celebs" and newspaper/magazine article aside, I often see both men and women disporting themselves in what I would consider inappropriate wear for the occasion in question, whether it be a wedding or a trip to the supermarket!

I would also query why it seems that the bodies that would be best covered up, always seem to be the ones displayed and decorated with tattoos etc.

Yes, I do both know and realise that everyone should have the freedom to dress as they like as long as it doesn't frighten the horses, but on some occasions certain dress styles are inappropriate.

I will agree it seems to be the fashion to 'let it all hang out' these days, whether celebs or the (younger) general public.

I think the feet, hands, arms etc are veiny because they spend so much time in the gym or with their personal trainers. Another reason not to exercise.

While everyone has a right to dress how they please you have to wonder whether some of them have mirrors! Some of them just seem to have no idea what shape they are and seem to deliberately wear clothes that emphasise their worst points.
In the case of Kim Kardashian, if the photo's I have seen lately are anything to go by, she is suffering from Body Dismorphia and needs help. To increase any part of your body beyond the natural range suggests a problem.