A first date at McDonalds. For most of us, that idea sounds a bit odd. I myself enjoy the occasional Quarter-Pounder, but would I ever take a young woman to enjoy the fine cuisine of the dollar menu in effort to have a romantic evening? Most likely not; at least, not outside of some unusual circumstances. Staying on the subject of dining, can you imagine a high-priced civil lawyer taking a prospective client on a business lunch by inviting him to the employee break room for some microwave-heated pizza? Unless the client has expressed a desire for a nuked slice of meat-lover's, this certainly would not happen. Or, shifting the example to one closer to today’s topic, can you imagine going to be interviewed for an internship wearing basketball shorts and a wife-beater, and with hair suggesting that you somehow never moved your head from your pillow after getting out of bed? If you actually wanted to be hired, your appearance would never come even close to this. You would at least wear a sleeved undershirt. Jokes aside, the principle remains the same: showing someone that you are willing to be slightly uncomfortable in order to demonstrate that you take them seriously is a habit that will always help you in life as a lady and as a gentleman.
You and your date may find McDonalds to be very easy and very convenient, and the lawyer may really like microwaved pizza and knows that his client doesn’t mind spending lunch in a break room. But that is not the point. Everyone is willing to do something that is convenient for someone else. It is those who are willing to do what is inconvenient for another that truly demonstrate that they care about that person, that they take their relationship seriously.
And this brings me to the topic for this week: how you dress shows how much respect you have for others. Different occasions have different attire. Obviously, a sporting event requires little more than a pair of jeans and your team’s t-shirt and perhaps a hat. Conversely, we would probably all agree that a wedding held at a church should cause you to bring out your nicest suit or maybe even a tuxedo depending on the time of day and requested attire. But what about those events that fall in-between these? A church service? What about national holidays such as memorial day or patriot day (September 11th)? Or even class every day? The truth is, there generally is not a concrete answer. It is safe to say that one should not wear t-shirt and cargo shorts to a five-star restaurant, and it is generally agreed on that a business suit probably is probably overdoing your evening at the cinema. But the advice that my meager nineteen years of life experience allows me to offer is this: you will convey how seriously you are taking something by dressing more seriously; dressing more like an adult. If you think about how you wish to portray your feelings about an event, and you feel that it is very important to you, consider this when you decide how you will dress. And I believe it is important to ask yourself that question, especially in certain events that you may attend weekly. Yes, I am talking about church.
Remember that your personal comfort is not always the most important thing; what should matter is what you will be telling others when they see you dress. Do not use the excuse of wanting to “be humble” in the way you dress; humility comes in actions, not wardrobe. By dressing nicer, you are showing that you care. And everyone appreciates someone who cares.
-Author's Note: I apologize for the tardiness of this post. My post schedule will remain on a Tuesday once-a-week basis.
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