It was a holiday weekend night downtown Chicago and five Wisconsinite gals were dressed to the nines waiting to get into the first nightclub of the night.
All five of us were immediately admitted, all except the men in tow. One being my boyfriend. There was a dress code and jeans and a t-shirt just didn’t cut it for men’s attire.
Rather than scoffing at the dress code and feeling insulted, as I would have, he simply shrugged his shoulders and walked across the street to a sports bar and told us to have a good time.
My boyfriend and I have been dating for almost nine years and his style has never changed. Plain dark colored t-shirts, bootcut jeans, and steel toe working boots.
In the honeymoon stage of our relationship I tried to incorporate new items of clothes into his wardrobe by disguising them as gifts; I mean isn’t that what girlfriends do?
I slipped a trendy dark wash jean here and a button up shirt there, but after one wear, they just collected dust in the closet. After year four I chalked it up as a good effort on my part and gave up.
The truth is I know I am not the only gal struggling with her man’s style. A lot girls have trouble getting their boyfriends/husbands out of their casual wear. Sometimes weddings do not even warrant a reason to get all gussied up.
Over the years, I’ve heard a lot of excuses as to why he hates dressing up:
“The clothes are uncomfortable”
“I’ll look stupid”
And my personal favorite: “I don’t want to outshine you.”
It was a battle I couldn’t win and for the longest time I was bitter about that. It was just clothes, how bad could it really be? All other types of men can do it, why couldn’t he a few times a year?
It wasn’t until he shamelessly went over to the sports bar that I began to appreciate his style and admire his sense of self. He was unapologetic about his choice of clothes and stood by his decision. If he’s not allowed in as he is, so be it, the sports bar would welcome him with open arms and a cold beer.
The simple jeans and t-shirt style represents a man who exudes self-confidence and stays true to himself no matter what. Above all else, he’s kind, loyal, and looks beyond appearances. All solid qualities in my book.
In the end, he may never wear formal attire willingly, but on the bright side, at least when we go out, he lets me shine.
Corn-Fed Vogue 