"You are who you wear it's true. A girl's just as hot as the shoes she choose"

Lady Gaga

(belatedly edited and posted) So my new job has definitely edged me into a different view of the fashion industry but in some ways just made some things more apparent.

1- Women have mad body image issues. I get ladys in (yes I was tempted to call them 'broads') that are size 8s in AU sizing; American sizing is so weird, so lets say an aussie 8 is small, like a 2-4 small; and they talk about needing to lose a couple of kilos. It's madness. I had a few mates who thought that working this job would make me more self-concious, but if anything I think I'm less. For one, the sizing is still so arbitrary at times from garment to garment. And two, strangely; even if I look a bit rough at work people still assume I'm stylish - even more so then them. Guess it's part of the persona of the job but still - bit weird. Anyways, I'm more concerned with my customers looking good and spending heaps then doing an overhaul on myself.

2- Trends are boring, but hell so am I. I still think the perfect day to day look for me is boots, dark pants (jeans or casual slacks) a t-shirt or button down (or both) and a jacket. Yes this makes me androgynous as but I tend to counter it with my fabulous hair (which I won't cut short ever again (I miss my mane so) and make-up.

3- I've had a gander at the 'Man Repeller' blog and overall there is a divide between womens fashion in that 1/2 is attractive to men & the other to women, with a little cross over in between. The irony in my own situation is that if I lost weight and thus became more "attractive" I would actually wear more 'man repelling' outfits. To start with I already do. For example my father calls my glasses 'BC'* and many a man has questioned my taste in footwear. Well, if I lost 5 - 10 kilos it would be far worse. Baggy jump suits, 'boyfriend' jeans, big clunky boots, suits, maxi dresses and full length skirts, more t-shirts, ties, braces, massive Scarves. Ok- so I already do the scarves but you get the point.

4- dressing in your twenties as a woman is HARD. You're at that point where balancing classy/funky/sexy and how formal an outfit an outfit should be seems near impossible. And every work outfit turns you into a stewardess/secretary.

and as a side note, I haven't really gone shopping since I started working in retail. True story, now that I spend all day selling stuff to people I have no desire to have stuff sold to me, to window shop, or to even think about spending my hard earned cash on clothes. I still want my RM Williams boots but I'm not dying from the lack of them.

*birthcontrol