Things I'm Not Wearing Anymore
1. Makeup
2. Jewelry
3. Wristwatch
4. Wedding ring
5. Bra
6. Fussy Shoes
7. Glasses with those nose pad thingies
Let me be clear: I have not Given Up. I don't drag around the house in sweatpants and slippers looking slovenly and pathetic. These are all things I stopped wearing well before my recent diagnosis. I still look Very Nice and Presentable. At any given moment, I could answer the door and be perfectly fine if it were, say, a handsome dignitary or sophisticated billionaire offering me a generous check. I do still wear mascara, geeze.
Many of you might be Nitpicking and say, "Nance. Wristwatches and Wedding Rings are Jewelry. You are redundant." To you I would say Perhaps, but I think of Jewelry as things such as earrings (I donated all my earrings and let my three earlobe holes close); bracelets (I have a huge collection of sterling silver ones); and necklaces (I have lots of sterling silver chains, too--necklaces began to trigger migraines). I stopped wearing my wedding ring when my weight kept going down, down, down, and it fell off. I also had to have it cut off once when I injured my hand, and that was awful.
Years ago, I wore wonderful high heels to work every day. My students were astonished that I didn't own any sneakers. How devastated they'd be to know that I wear sneaker-type shoes every day now--soft, rubber-soled slip-in shoes that are comfortable but still attractive, like these. Or black Mary Janes that are knockoffs of these. Of course, I have many others because some habits die hard. I'm especially fond of these. And I have them in white, too.
Have you given up on Wearing Some Things, too? Why? Do you think I'm giving up too easily? Chat me up in Comments.
First of all, jewelry, watches, and wedding rings are very different animals, so your list is correct. Second of all, bravo for ditching things that aren't comfortable or have outgrown their purpose.
ReplyDeleteThe order that I abandoned these things is:
- I never had glasses with nosepad thingies
- Fussy shoes
- Makeup and jewelry fell out of my life at the start of the pandemic. I'll wear them for special occasions, and to the best of my memory the last special occasion was my niece's wedding in 2023, and the next special occasion on the calendar is a nephew wedding in 2026.
The keepers are:
- I'm surprised as anyone that I am able to wear a wedding ring without fuss. I always detested wearing rings, but somehow my wedding ring is different. I don't wear it at night, while exercising, or when cooking/cleaning/other activities where it feels ill advised.
- Watch. Of course I have one billion other ways to tell the time, but its handy for getting phone notifications.
- Bra. If I was less well endowed, I'd ditch it in a heartbeat.
Birchie--Thanks for the validation. Like you, the last time I wore actual makeup was for my son Jared's wedding over a year ago. Before then...?
DeleteI had to give up contacts several years ago and switch to glasses for distance. I made the mistake of ordering metal frames, and they have to have those funny, pinchy nosepads that attach separately to the bridge of your nose. I now make a point to order only plastic frames that are all one piece and much more comfortable.
It was the advent of the smartphone that made me give up my watch. That, and my tendency to develop a skin allergy to the backs of metal watches. No way am I buying a gold or platinum watch, so it was easy to stop wearing one. Now, anything on my wrist feels odd.
Isn't it a pain to keep taking off and putting on your wedding ring?
I haven't worn any makeup for years and years. I do wear sweatpants and sweatshirts as being warm and comfy is good for me. I don't wear a wedding ring because I am happily divorced. I do wear a diamond ring that was handed down through my family but I don't wear any other jewelry. I wear a wristwatch that counts my steps.
ReplyDeleteI wear what I want when I want as I don't need to worry about what others think anymore.
Ellen--Hi! So nice to see you here.
DeleteI agree with warmth and comfort as primary motivators. I like leggings and sweaters and the occasional sweatshirt. Jeans almost always make me feel cold and bulky.
Like you, I wear what makes me feel put-together and comfortable. I have my own personal style, and I don't worry about fashion and trends. Thank goodness those days are over.
I wear all of those things except fussy shoes. Now if I wear a heel it is a big chunky heel or a wedge, but the truth is I don't really have occasion to wear those very often. I just never take off my wedding ring, ditto my watch (it's a Garmin, so I take it off to charge it and otherwise watch all my "health indicators" with bated breath). I love jewelry and I love makeup, so I'll probably be wearing those until I die. And I feel so uncomfortable unless I'm wearing a bra, like I don't like the feeling of being free I guess. I was telling my friend this, she's a lady who removes her bra the second she gets home. I even wear a bra to BED (a soft sleep bra, but still a bra). I don't know, I'm a compression kind of gal - we all find different things comfortable!
ReplyDeleteNicole--I don't often have occasion to wear heels, either, or any shoes that are considered Dressy. When I first retired, I still wore my dressier flats, but I gave that up after a few years in.
DeleteI've considered many times putting my wedding set--or at least the band--back on, but now it feels so There when I do. Maybe I'll try it again.
Rick got me one of those fitness tracker watches, but I'm not sure I'm going to use it. Especially now. It will likely make me feel even more frustrated and sad.
We had the bra discussion on a previous post of mine. I'm still all about the cami, and as long as I can get away with it, that's my thing.
Bravo to wearing what works and letting go of the rest. For the longest time, I wore makeup and jewelry every day, even though I work from home and the only place I go most days is the grocery store. It made me feel put together. But as my daughter got older and I noticed that she didn’t wear makeup when she wasn’t going out anywhere fancier than the grocery store, I thought…what a good idea. Partly I wanted to model confidence to her, that one doesn’t HAVE to do all of these things. Partly I was inspired by her.
ReplyDeleteI haven’t worn a watch in years. I don’t have a smart watch of any kind, just a pretty gold bangle watch, but the clasp broke and I need to get it fixed. Like Nicole, I am team bra and sleep in a top with a built in bra. Were I smaller chested, I might let that one go, but doubt I could ever go without during the day and still be comfortable.
I just ordered new glasses on Friday. No way in hell I was going to get those little nose pads, though I do have them on most of my sunglasses.
J--I'm noticing more and more young women going fresh-faced, and I love it. It was a big reason why I chose to give up foundation and blush. Kudos to you for doing the same and for your reasons behind it.
DeleteI hate finding cute frames and then seeing that they're metal and have the pinchy nosepads. I've almost relented so many times, but found my true courage and remained steadfast in my resolve. It's not been too difficult to find suitable frames in plastic. But UGH! I MISS MY CONTACTS!
I bought a pair of glasses maybe 10 years ago that looked rimless, and had the nose pads. I HATED THEM SO MUCH. So uncomfortable. I’m sorry you can’t wear contacts anymore, I love mine so much. Though I feel like I am wearing glasses most of the time anyway, because with my contacts on I need reading glasses. Getting older is awesome.
DeleteI gave up makup- I can't put it on without looking like a clown. I wear wedding ring and a religious necklace always, and earrings sometimes. I wish I could wear fussy shoes, but my feet have gotten finicky, so short heels only - no flats either.
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one who likes bras? And I'm not even that well endowed. I like things to stay in place.
- mbmom11
Watches and wedding rings are different from jewelry. You have not given up too easily - or even 'given up', really, just given away what doesn't serve you. I wear a bra and a bracelet most times when I leave the house, but I am not fine to answer the door at any point because I usually don't wear a bra in the house because they hurt my neck *shrug*. I have never worn heels - I'm clumsy, and they don't look good with my body shape anyway. I discovered Doc Martens in university and never looked back. I don't wear a lot of makeup, often none. I find all-over foundation uncomfortable and it doesn't look good on me. I wear mascara sometimes and almost always a bit of lip colour. I think people wearing what makes them comfortable generally equates to them looking more attractive than wearing what they think they should and looking uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you 100%, Nance! My husband and I are both anti-wedding ring because he nearly lost his finger when we were newly married. Now I just feel like rings are dangerous. I like comfortable shoes and clothes.
ReplyDeleteI've given up all of these things too! It feels so much better, doesn't it? 💜
ReplyDeleteI only wear make up when I go into the office or have zoom calls. I stopped wearing my engagement ring years ago. I still wear my wedding band but it is very small and I don’t even know it’s on. Phil doesn’t wear a wedding band. He used to but he has horrible eczema. He does black light treatments to make it more tolerable, that’s how bad it is. The ring makes it worse so he skips it.
ReplyDeleteI very rarely wear heels. I haven’t since being diagnosed with RA. It’s just too hard on my joints.
I still wear some makeup; but my makeup routine is VASTLY slimmed down and I'm fine with it. After I lost my job, I quit wearing earrings, wedding and/or anniversary ring or anyother jewelry (why? I guess because I felt if I was just wearing a t-shirt and jeans I wasn't "dressed?). I've had to re-visit that when my husband noticed I wasn't wearing my wedding ring and for some reason it seemed to bother him. Now, if I remember I'll wear the anniversary band (the wedding rings need to be repaired). I still require a bra sadly but after COVID lock down, I have ditched any and all wired bras for wireless ones. And yes, I still remove it as soon as I possibly can.
ReplyDeleteHi Nance, it's so good to come by here to catch up a bit. I'm with you on everything on the list but I am definitely not presentable to open the door at any given moment like you are, lol. I'm so sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis, I hope you are doing well. I'm happy to know we will be spending a lot of time together this month. I've missed you!
ReplyDelete