Look At Me
does this fit
does it look good on me
do I look sane in it
does it turn you on
do I look educated in this
does it suit the occasion
will it get me laid
can it open doors for me
will it need to be ironed
can I wear it in public
will it turn heads
does it make me look old
look desperate
does it come in other colours
maybe a size larger
does it make up for my lack of style
do I have the guts to wear it
does it wear me
will it last longer than a glance
is it why you want me
am I anything without it
can it be replaced
can it replace me
excuse me
while I slip into
something a little less demanding
I loved ‘What Not To Wear’ & the stylists philosophical/psychological stance on the value of dressing in ways that enhance our self-esteem. But it is easy to mistake appearance for self & count on clothes take the place of the person. When I was featuring or doing an open stage I dressed as if I meant to be there & I know the power of the right shirt & the right pair of shoes. But also know the right shirt will not make a bad poem better.
This piece is a list poem – some items are our expectations of what we expect from appearance – how clothing can curate people’s perceptions of us. I’ve seen articles on power-suits, dress for success, jeans that will change your sex life. Yahoo is full of headlines like ’60 year old looks ultra glamorous in …’ ‘XX wears daring string thong to gala’ ‘Who are you wearing’ has taken the place of ‘How did it feel to be nominated’
An actor friend of mine said that they never really captured a character until they found the right shoes. I understood that. I also know people who dress defensively to deliberately put people off rather than inviting them in – one moaned about always attracting creeps but when suggested the way they dressed was doing exactly that I was told not to be so superficial.
I’ve always been amused how people who reject ‘lookism’ end up looking alike. Sometimes wearing clothes that say ‘don’t judge me by how I look’ & who judge others by how they look.I always wants that Taxi Driver scene: ‘are you looking at me’ to end up with DeNiro snarling ‘do these jeans make me look psychotic?’
TOpoet 