Hide or Flaunt?

I'm appalled by the men who are coming into the tribunal (which is court) dressed in minimalist vests and baggy shorts. I have to spend 45 minutes confronting sweat stained near naked overweight men.

I flaunt - in the garden and on holiday. I tend to cover up a bit when going out. I have a few lumps and bumps here and there but not too bad (as Grannyknot says) for 64 years. The only reason I say that I'm not so bad is when I look around at some of the younger women who are terribly overweight but wear exactly what they like, whether it suits them or not.
I try to have a little decorum. If I ask my DH if my skirt is too short he'll say no, you have great legs. I think to myself, did you last look at them in 1969?

That last bit sounded a bit unkind to my DH! What I meant was he still sees me as I looked in 1969 which is lovely of course

Flaunt but carefully! Never show my midriff unless on a beach or by a pool and think I wear clothes which suit me. I do wear shorts a lot and wear them for shopping too in this weather. No strappy tops, never have but I don't know why. At size 12 (some trousers say 10 but they lie!) I think I look rather better than lots of the youngsters and don't actually care any more what people think, if I like the way I look, that's fine with me. .

eeuw galen
Occurred to me that unless you do a bit of flaunting in the day then you won't get any vitamin D. Older skin makes it more slowly, and if you cover up as well...

bet you were a little cracker , KATY !

Do I remember correctly Katy that you are a Brummie? DH is one too and he still thinks I'm the girl he married in '68. Keeps telling me how great my legs are!

I wear anything I like and feel confident in. That includes sleeveless tops, scoop necks and jeans. I even went braless one hot day but I do not fall into the well-endowed category.

Weren't we all crackers Nonu. Yes Moved I am a Brummie. My husband thinks I look exactly the same as when he met me in 1967 (I wish). When some lovely creature comes on TV and I say I wish I looked like her - he says you look better than her. I have been through some bad stuff looks wise (I won't bore you with the details) but he still says this kind of thing. It's nice to hear - even if it's not true!

JessM you should see my tan

KatyK I'm from westbromwich, Wednesbury and Walsall myself.
Do you live in Sutton coldfield?

No Galen I don't live in Sutton but not far away. Near Walsall.

Oh! I used to live in Park rd. just off the great bar rd.

Galen the sweaty men sound ghastly
Would it not be possible for the court to insist on a dress code?
i wouldn't have thought it was too much to ask someone to wear a pair of trousers and have their shoulders covered. Nothing extreme like long sleeves or a tie!
Oh and socks too!

We arrived at an Italian airport with quite a few of the shorts, vest and beer belly brigade and the expressions on the faces of the polizia spoke volumes! Then my daughter (even looks great in a bin bag type) came through and the expressions changed completely

You could be right KATY . Bless your Hubby for his niceness , sounds like my one.

We are supposed to be 'enabling' ? But personally I find it disrespectful!
I am supposed to dress appropriately! So if I'm waring a sleeveless dress I normally wear a jacket. But this week I've been too hot, so I haven't. Some of the judges have been sitting in shirt sleeves
What are things coming to?

Galen, I agree with you, but I think one of the problems is that a woman can wear a sleeveless dress or other light clothes that are smart and professional looking, but this type of outfit does not exist for men.

Back in the 1950s when my family lived in the Far East men used to wear tailored shorts, smart short-sleeved opened necked shirts, long socks and proper shoes as smart business wear in the heat. The shirt was quite a thick cotton and was tucked into the belted shorts. Perhaps this ought to be introduced over here as hot weather wear.

I do think those taking part in legal proceedings, whether tribunal or court should be dressed appropriately, Serious matters are being dealt with that affect peoples lives for good or ill. When I worked for a charity I used to accompany older people to Social Security tribunals and I would always dress appropriately, looking smart and well groomed. It showed a respect for the process and for my clients.

In my work as an ESOL oral examiner I meet students of all ages in all different sorts of garb when they come for their speaking test. There are great differences between the nationalities. Even in the heat of the summer the Indians will come in suits and ties and the women in beautiful saris. The Japanese are always smartly dressed too but most of the Europeans look as if they have just come off the beach with the girls wearing very skimpy clothes. Obviously we can't award marks for smartness but it does create a good impression and shows respect for the examiner and for the exam they are taking. I agree with FlicketyB

I have been wearing shorts because it has been too hot not to. I know they look awful even though my legs are not too bad. Sadly I hate how I look (vastly overweight) and I do wish my OH didn't look quite so scrummy in shorts and tee-shirts!

Liz - my OH is the same. Slim, and now tanned from his hols, Although 3 years off 70, he looks good in everything he wears. Hasn't gained an ounce of weight since we married 44 years ago. And I'm sure you don't look awful. We can be too self critical.

Thanks KatyK that's kind. Yes our two chaps sound similar and the same age too.

Everybody flaunts to some degree here (sub tropical Australia) because sometimes it's just too hot to care! My summer 'uniform' is shorts and tshirts - jumpers and long pants in our brief winter. That's around the house and garden. Going out, I wear linen-type long pants in summer, with a cotton top or tshirt. I'm about a size 16.

Mind you, I do see some sights - and in my mind I'm very mean about some women. They are obese, but wear close fitting stretch tops and pants, often with a band of bulging flesh in the middle. There are tattoos, making them look like mobile graffiti. Some are so fat, they have to walk with their legs apart, and their arms stick out a bit. Such people are usually eating junk food or drinking soft drinks as they walk or sit on a bench. Then there's the men - great huge beer belly sticking out a mile, which they seem to be so proud of, pants sliding down their bum and showing the male cleavage......yukkk.

I tell myself not to be judgmental, that they probably have health problems, are not well educated, know nothing about nutrition because no-one has taught them, that it's not their fault, that they may well be doing comfort eating because of depression - but - when you are uncomfortably and dangerously obese, sweating and having difficulty walking, why would you eat like that??

Mea culpa! I confess, I'm not very nice.

yes, over 60s of both sexes in shorts are the norm aren't they Joan

I heard on the Biggest Loser Oz (I am watching on DVD) that Australia has overtaken USA on obesity figures. I don't suppose the UK is far behind. I try not to be judgmental too, joan, having had weight issues myself, but it saddens me to see grossly overweight small children, for whom it should be easy for parents to limit the intake of junk.
Because I have been really feeling the heat, I have been on ebay at the weekend, searching for longer shorts, as the shops have sold out, and are now stocking for autumn and winter (sigh). I have successfully bid on a few unworn pairs for 99p each. Also got 6 new vest tops for £2.99 per set of 3, and two Monsoon sun tops for £4.99 each. I expect the summer will have ended, by the time I receive them!