Is Your House On Fire?

This weekend, I was running around doing some errands when I saw a disturbing scene: a sister walking down the street in a short, down jacket, some blue pajama bottoms with sheep and clouds on them stuffed in some boots, and her hair wrapped up in a scarf. She had a plastic bag in her hand as she leisurely walked down the street. Nothing seemed to be the matter with her but as I reflected on that sight for a few days I realize that something was indeed out of whack in that sister’s life. She had stopped caring about the image she projected to the world.

Of course there are a few reasons to run around in your pajamas, with a scarf on your head in the middle of the day or night:
1. Your house is on fire.
2. Your child or other family member is sick.
3. You are facing an immediate danger.

In each of these cases, you have got to act fast so you might find yourself in the street wearing whatever you were sleeping in. It has happened to me, twice. The first time there was a small fire in the apartment building I used to live in and had to evacuate in whatever I could put on quickly until the fire department gave us the all-clear sign. The second time I was on a business trip in Florida when the fire alarm went off at 4 a.m. That time I threw on some clothes, grabbed my bag, and my contact lens and followed the fuzzy shapes (also known as people when I can see) outside. Both times I was glad no one had a camera.

Otherwise, if you find yourself stepping out the door in similar attire you are facing a fire of your own. You may be depressed, feel invisible or may have stopped caring about yourself. If that is the case, get yourself some help. You would if your house were on fire, right?

if you’re just being lazy you can choose not to be. My mother always said, ‘presentation is everything,’ I didn’t fully understand the meaning of her words as a child but now I do. She chose never to leave the house without a full face of makeup and her hair neatly done because she cared about herself and wanted to project that. I am not advocating that anyone go out and spend their hard-earned dollars on clothes just to show how stylish they are, but I am saying that how you put yourself together matters. It doesn’t matter where your clothes come from, it is how you wear them—like you matter and belong in the world.

So leave the robe, slippers, curlers and scarves to the comforts of your own home and be the sister you want to be every time you step out the door. Your sisters are watching, not because they’re judging you but because they want the best for you.

• Cuffs & Stuff
• All About Accessories: NW'S Hot List
• A Dynamic Duo
• Boyishly Chic
• The Fur Game