How do you have the energy to get dressed every day?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have some self respect. Blow out your hair, put on some lip gloss. It's not that hard.

Yes it is. NP

It IS hard. I have to think about finding tops and matching skirts or trousers. I have to straighten or curl my hair which takes 12-15 minute. I have to wear makeup which can take 15-30 minutes. And at the end of the day, I have to wash it all off!

Agreed! And then when you’re getting dressed you realize that you need to switch out your underwear/bra/neckline/hemline for the specific thing you want to wear etc etc. A dress with a pattern makes you happy but you realize on your way out that it clashes with the handbag you grabbed. These days, just getting my skin to an even tone takes about 3x as long as the full face of makeup in my 20s! Extremely thick hair with a mind of its own is getting harder to wrangle with age.

I could keep going! But I still do it sometimes, and the motivator for me anyway is having something new to wear that I’m excited about.

Buy 1, maybe 2 nice neutral handbags that goes with your wardrobe. I hate “switching purses” so I refuse to have a ton of them. Also, have a general color scheme for your clothes. Most of my closet is either neutrals like cream/black/navy/gray mixed with varying shades of greens and blues. And a few things in colors like blush/purple. Mostly solid, but a few stripes and florals. Nothing that would majorly clash with a basic tan leather handbag.

You can have a few fun print things for one offs if your accessories are otherwise neutral, but otherwise it will be stressful trying to match a bunch of interesting pieces. And don’t buy clothes with weird necklines. I own one brand of bra and have shirts that work with that.

[Anonymous]

I don't dress up at hoe and I don't feel bad about it at all. LOL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't dress up at hoe and I don't feel bad about it at all. LOL

Same. I'm sitting in a room in my house, reading and writing for 8 or 9 hours with a 15 year old cat as my primary companion. (Don't necessarily interact much with DH when he is also WFH). I won't wear pajamas, but I might wear the same jeans for 3 days.

The cat wears a tuxedo daily but I feel this is overkill.

[Anonymous]

honey, you just don't see me on my WFH days bc I look a mess unless I have a meeting. But generally, I'll try to shower, dry/brush/iron hair, pick clothes before bed so it's easier to manage in the morning when my brain isn't fully caffeinated yet. It takes time to look polished and I have brain fog in the morning, so night prep helps!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't dress up at hoe and I don't feel bad about it at all. LOL

Same. I'm sitting in a room in my house, reading and writing for 8 or 9 hours with a 15 year old cat as my primary companion. (Don't necessarily interact much with DH when he is also WFH). I won't wear pajamas, but I might wear the same jeans for 3 days.

The cat wears a tuxedo daily but I feel this is overkill.

😄 So very dapper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Blow drying and straightening my hair takes an HOUR. Even if I want to go natural, I have to diffuse it so it’s semi dry - takes 20. I have to wash everyday so this isn’t a once per week chore. Grooming my hair to look presentable has taken years of my life.

Oh man, I sympathize. That would suck. I also blowdry and style (curl) my hair every day, but it takes me 20-30 mins.

I'm curious what type of hair you have? I always thought thick hair that would take that long to dry and straighten could go longer between washes without looking greasy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't dress up at hoe and I don't feel bad about it at all. LOL

Same. I'm in my nightgown and my hair is in a messy bun. I never have to do zoom meetings. I go so far as to get up in the mornings, toss on leggings and a t-shirt to go for a walk, then come home and change BACK into my nightgown for work - much more comfy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m not what you would say super dressed up/into fashion trends. But I get told often I seem put together (unless our kids are at the same bus stop and then you’ve seen me run out the door in sweats lol).

I tend to wear the same rotation of solids/neutrals that can easily rotate together. Today I’m in cropped jeans and a casual button down. It’s taken years to build up things that basically all go together without much thought.

I also get facials/botox so I can go for a lighter makeup look. Some moisturizer, brow tint, and maybe a bit of concealer/lip gloss only takes a few min. As you get older, a full heavy face of makeup ages you. I’m also really fortunate because I have hair that dries straight and looks like it’s been blow dried (I put in a little bit of keratin cream but that is it). Yes I realize this is genetic luck.

I’m also minimalist about accessories so I wear the same earrings/wedding band/small bracelet every day.

So bottom line is have a uniform basically that you don’t have to think about and that works for your lifestyle (as a WAH mom with young kids that means basic Vejas not heels, and jeans or leggings, not slacks). And find a low maintenance look you can do re: makeup/hair. Like if your hair is curly just embrace that and don’t try to straighten it all the time.

The uniform thing is spot on. Get rid of all the junk in your closet that you don't wear and find a few colors and silhouettes that work for you. Wear these things on repeat with good quality shoes and bags. Mascara, slick of lip tint or lipstick, and some concealer. I spend a few hundred dollars on each pair of shoes but I only have one of each item: one pair of pumps, one pair of black booties, one dressy sandal, you get the idea. The key to looking pulled together is a well-edited closet of basics where everything is flattering and you can grab something without much thought. If you're trying on multiple outfits before you get out of the house, it's time to clean out your closet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have some self respect. Blow out your hair, put on some lip gloss. It's not that hard.

This and woman that make comments to me on almost a daily basis are annoying. I am not dressing for other woman or men. I like to look good, I make it a priority in my day. It isn't hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have some self respect. Blow out your hair, put on some lip gloss. It's not that hard.

Washing and blow drying hair takes a long time.

Yes. Well, it depends on your hair. For years I couldn't figure out why friends had their hair ready so much faster than I did. It's because my hair is thick as hell. There is a ton of it, and it is 2b, so if I blow it out that means I'm using product and using a round brush well to create tension, and blowing small sections dry, one at a time. And to do that on my whole head takes a very long time. The people who either have hair that is easier to deal with, or just don't choose to put as much work into it, are never going to understand what a job it is.

So true. I'm very good at fixing my hair and it's probably not as thick as yours, but it does take time to wash and blow dry it every day and switch between products and tools.

Everyone who is saying their hair takes a long time - what would it look like if you just let it air dry and did no styling? Or just pulled it back in a bun?

I'm just curious because mine is straight, wash and go. It is usually still damp by the time I arrive at work, which is I guess unprofessional bur I just don't feel like blow drying it. After an hour, it's dry and looks exactly the same as if I had blow dried it, and I usually don't have meetings until around that time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have some self respect. Blow out your hair, put on some lip gloss. It's not that hard.

Washing and blow drying hair takes a long time.

Yes. Well, it depends on your hair. For years I couldn't figure out why friends had their hair ready so much faster than I did. It's because my hair is thick as hell. There is a ton of it, and it is 2b, so if I blow it out that means I'm using product and using a round brush well to create tension, and blowing small sections dry, one at a time. And to do that on my whole head takes a very long time. The people who either have hair that is easier to deal with, or just don't choose to put as much work into it, are never going to understand what a job it is.

So true. I'm very good at fixing my hair and it's probably not as thick as yours, but it does take time to wash and blow dry it every day and switch between products and tools.

Everyone who is saying their hair takes a long time - what would it look like if you just let it air dry and did no styling? Or just pulled it back in a bun?

I'm just curious because mine is straight, wash and go. It is usually still damp by the time I arrive at work, which is I guess unprofessional bur I just don't feel like blow drying it. After an hour, it's dry and looks exactly the same as if I had blow dried it, and I usually don't have meetings until around that time.

If I washed my hair at 7am and let it air dry, it would be dry by noon-1pm. Can’t go to work with wet hair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have some self respect. Blow out your hair, put on some lip gloss. It's not that hard.

Washing and blow drying hair takes a long time.

Yes. Well, it depends on your hair. For years I couldn't figure out why friends had their hair ready so much faster than I did. It's because my hair is thick as hell. There is a ton of it, and it is 2b, so if I blow it out that means I'm using product and using a round brush well to create tension, and blowing small sections dry, one at a time. And to do that on my whole head takes a very long time. The people who either have hair that is easier to deal with, or just don't choose to put as much work into it, are never going to understand what a job it is.

So true. I'm very good at fixing my hair and it's probably not as thick as yours, but it does take time to wash and blow dry it every day and switch between products and tools.

Everyone who is saying their hair takes a long time - what would it look like if you just let it air dry and did no styling? Or just pulled it back in a bun?

I'm just curious because mine is straight, wash and go. It is usually still damp by the time I arrive at work, which is I guess unprofessional bur I just don't feel like blow drying it. After an hour, it's dry and looks exactly the same as if I had blow dried it, and I usually don't have meetings until around that time.


Mine is wavy with curtain bangs and it never dries evenly - one side can be very curly and the other slightly wavy. Taming those curls is more time consuming than blow drying or using straight iron.

Sure, a bun is always an option, but...meh. I love straight hair!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have some self respect. Blow out your hair, put on some lip gloss. It's not that hard.

Yes it is. NP

It IS hard. I have to think about finding tops and matching skirts or trousers. I have to straighten or curl my hair which takes 12-15 minute. I have to wear makeup which can take 15-30 minutes. And at the end of the day, I have to wash it all off!

Agreed! And then when you’re getting dressed you realize that you need to switch out your underwear/bra/neckline/hemline for the specific thing you want to wear etc etc. A dress with a pattern makes you happy but you realize on your way out that it clashes with the handbag you grabbed. These days, just getting my skin to an even tone takes about 3x as long as the full face of makeup in my 20s! Extremely thick hair with a mind of its own is getting harder to wrangle with age.

I could keep going! But I still do it sometimes, and the motivator for me anyway is having something new to wear that I’m excited about.

What?! I don't wear clothes to work or WFH that require special bra or underwear, that sounds crazy. My clothes are opaque and full coverage...

Agree with PPs that you need a set of easy mix and match tops and bottoms or dresses and blazers/shrugs that basically go together. And not putting together some bespoke outfit like you're headed to a special event. But getting to that point (finding the right clothes, getting rid of a lot of old stuff that doesn't fit your lifestyle now) actually takes a lot of work and time. I'm not all the way there yet.

[Anonymous]

I guess everyone on DCUM stays the same weight. My weight swings and only a portion of my closet fits me at any one time. Trying to figure out what fits and if it’s comfortable takes time.

Getting dressed up everyday is way too much work for no real return. I don’t GAF what others think of me. I’m living my best life teleworking in pj pants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have some self respect. Blow out your hair, put on some lip gloss. It's not that hard.

Washing and blow drying hair takes a long time.

Yes. Well, it depends on your hair. For years I couldn't figure out why friends had their hair ready so much faster than I did. It's because my hair is thick as hell. There is a ton of it, and it is 2b, so if I blow it out that means I'm using product and using a round brush well to create tension, and blowing small sections dry, one at a time. And to do that on my whole head takes a very long time. The people who either have hair that is easier to deal with, or just don't choose to put as much work into it, are never going to understand what a job it is.

So true. I'm very good at fixing my hair and it's probably not as thick as yours, but it does take time to wash and blow dry it every day and switch between products and tools.

Everyone who is saying their hair takes a long time - what would it look like if you just let it air dry and did no styling? Or just pulled it back in a bun?

I'm just curious because mine is straight, wash and go. It is usually still damp by the time I arrive at work, which is I guess unprofessional bur I just don't feel like blow drying it. After an hour, it's dry and looks exactly the same as if I had blow dried it, and I usually don't have meetings until around that time.

I always let my hair air dry. It's frizzy and a little wavy/curly and generally doesn't look good. I'm really bad at doing hair. But I don't have $75 for blowouts weekly. Four times a year is a lot for me.