I don’t like to leave the house looking like a bag of shite, though that’s certainly not to say this doesn’t happen. I recall a conversation with a friend some years ago, (when I was younger and less understanding), in which I commented on the fact that as celebrities know that they are going to get photographed when they leave their front door, why don’t they at least make an effort to look half decent. I went on to say that I never leave the house thinking that I look like shit. My friend was appalled. She couldn’t believe that I was judging the celebs so harshly and added that she often leaves the house without having made any effort whatsoever. We were good friends and I still to this day remember being surprised at our difference of opinion – it’s one of those conversations that stays with you.

A selection of celebs who are looking a bit shit (or, as I would say now that I am older and more sympathetic to the above weary and stressed out appearances, the camera just caught them at an unfortunate angle)

Appearances are an interesting thing. We all know the old adage that appearances can be deceiving and of course this is true. However, quite often they are the real deal: the parent with baby sick on their shoulder tells a story of a family with a newborn child. The teenager with her tits hanging out tells us of her need for attention, me covered in dog hair shows that I own dogs and so on. It did amuse me when I heard about my little sister’s recent job interview for a job as a Hostage Negotiator. She told me that while she was waiting to be seen by the panel, she realised that her skirt was tucked into her knickers. Phew, she chuckled to the receptionist, can you imagine if I hadn’t noticed! That’s the least of your worries, ma’am, the receptionist replied, your knickers are on inside out!

Sometimes we get away with an appearance issue, like the time partner inadvertently wore his slippers to Co-op, and sometimes we don’t, such as the time he took my Taekwon-do trousers squad training instead of his own. When he got back and told me he had worn them I was mortified with embarrassment for him. He, on the other hand just shrugged his shoulders and said, “it was fine, no-one even noticed.” The following week I entered the changing rooms to hoots of laughter from the female squad, who were beside themselves laughing at the fact he had trained in my trousers. Sometimes, ignorance of others’ thoughts is bliss. (Partner did rightly point out, that had he not trained in my trousers, he would have been training in his pants…I shudder to think…)

So what are your thoughts on this quote:

“In your 20’s and 30’s, you worry about what other people think. In your 40’s and 50’s you stop worrying about what other people think. Finally in your 60’s and 70’s, you realize they were never thinking about you in the first place!”

At the end of the day, if someone’s appearance doesn’t have a direct impact on us, then do we really care? And most interestingly – SHOULD we?