The Philosophy of Getting Dressed

Seriously?! The Philosophy of Getting Dressed? In the morning? Yes. I feel that, as a newly minted Retiree ~ officially effective February 28, 2019 at midnight ~ it is my right and responsibility to be autonomous in all of my choices. Today it is specifically about morning wardrobe choices. Of course, it could relate to any other time of day.

So here goes: First choices are often correct. Or maybe they are discounted because they don’t fit with some kind of social norm. Those first choices come from somewhere deep in our pysches and seem unrelated to any kind of social norm but do relate to our own preferences, situations or beliefs. In that vein, I did an experiment this morning about what clothing I’d wear based on my first thoughts. My goal for that particular activity is based on four things: 

1. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs 

2. Social norms

3. Available clothing

4. Personal preferences

As a child I definitely didn’t know anything about Maslow let alone his Hierarchy of Needs. As an adult, I know that there are conflicting opinions about this model. Like any other steps or paths to follow, I believe that to be an effective model, relationships between the five levels need to be recognized. The five levels of need are Physiological, Safety, Love/Belonging, Esteem, Self-Actualization. But I digress into philosophy when I’m really talking about the simple act of getting dressed in the morning. This really is serious psychological work!

My second category is social norms. Most of us, taught from childhood by our parents, have instilled in us that we just can’t run around naked. It’s often too cold to be without clothes, the neighbours would talk and if one trips and falls there is nothing between skin and sidewalk for safety. Thirdly ~ is that a real word? ~ I began with one available article of clothing: basic black leggings. Living in a condo building with the laundry room in the basement, and it is laundry day for me, the thought of sneaking through the halls in my pj’s carrying all my dirty laundry did not appeal at all. I prefer looking and feeling presentable, from earrings to shoes, not just throwing on anything serviceable. As this five minute task continued I chose one item at a time, dismissing any ‘change my mind’ thoughts. When I was finally ready to step out into the communal space of hallway and laundry room, I felt comfortable and confident. Fourth and finally, personal preferences came into play when I decided I wanted to add bright colour so it is turquoise accent pieces for this black and white colour scheme. (It really could have been just black and white, but I didn’t want to play into the monochromatic colour scheme of today's morning sky.)

So there you have it - The Philosophy of Getting Dressed. Important stuff!

“A day without laughter is a day wasted.”

~ Nicolas Chamfort