[Dan]

Whenever I see a group of elderly women, at least in the United States, more often than not they’re wearing a ‘uniform’ of sorts – polyester blouses with gaudy floral prints, and plain polyester pants that are usually purple, lime green or pink. I’ve seen this ‘uniform’ throughout the country, from blue-collar Buffalo to trendy Denver, in upscale suburbs and working-class urban neighborhoods, and in the slot machine areas of every Las Vegas casino. Where do they get their clothes? Why does this fashion appeal to them?

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Name : Dan, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 33, City : Denver, State : CO, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Michelle]

I think they wear those clothes because they are comfortable. It is hard to find fashionable clothing that let’s you ‘breathe.’ It’s probably also affordable. Many elderly women are on a fixed budget, and that type of polyester clothing wears well.

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Name : Michelle, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 34, City : Minneapolis, State : MN, Country : United States, Occupation : nurse, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Terry24708]

It also could be a situation where the clothing industry refuses to design attractive clothing for a particular audience. Older folks tend to have a little middle-age spread and have more trouble moving around, and as another respondent pointed out, are often on a fixed budget. Thus they may be limited to certain styles and types of clothing and the designers do not ‘waste their time’ on those areas. I speak as a larger person who has had trouble finding conservative professional clothes until just recently. For years, all that was ever available in my size was boldly printed, brightly colored polyester mumus. One might have thought that fat ladies liked to dress that way, but actually, it was hard to find clothes that didn’t look like that. Thank goodness that has been changing lately.

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Name : Terry24708, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 36, City : Richmond, State : VA, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Roz]

An often overlooked reason is poor and/or diminishing vision which can occur simply through the aging process or problems such as cataracts and macular degeneration. My elderly aunt used to complain that she could never scrub the yellow-brown stains from the porcelain in her bathtub and toilet bowl — until she had cataract surgery and discovered, much to her chagrin, that she’d been scrubbing already bright white porcelain. It was her eyes that produced the ‘yellow-brown’ shadows. This is the same reason a lot of elderly women wear exaggerated make-up.

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Name : Roz, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 53, City : Tampa, State : FL, Country : United States, Occupation : Retired, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Dean J.]

This is an excellent question that I have often asked myself. Why on earth do they wear these gaudy outfits (‘uniforms’)? When I thought about this I knew that there were a couple of reasons. Mostly, this was already answered in other responses – that it is a comfort factor. But the other answer is one of age itself. Elderly folks are indeed older. Try to reflect on the styles of their era. Floral print dresses, polyester. This is what they had grown up on. This is what they have come to know. And once you reach a certain age, change is not a formidable option. But this will change as our elderly citizens pass on, giving way to the next generation. I am sure as we age, we will come to notice a change in the dress of elderly folks, not to mention some piercing holes trying their darnedest to seal up before the eternal sleep comes to pass for them, too.

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Name : Dean J., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 30, City : Louisville, State : KY, Country : United States, Occupation : Manager of Technology, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

[sue27752]

My mother, who is 60, dresses like that. She wears terrible (to me) things like baby blue hats with bows, and pink trousers. I think part of the reason she dresses that way is because it *is* a uniform – for retired women. She doesn’t work now, is ‘too old’ to dress sexy, isn’t rich enough to wear couture, etc. So this is what she and all her friends wear. What I have questions about is how babyish the colours and styles are. Why would older women want to be perceived as cute, instead of (for example) strong or experienced or sophisticated or wise? Sometimes I wonder if it’s because our bodies revert to a babyish shape as we age, so cute is simply our best bet.. Any thoughts?

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Name : sue27752, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 33, City : toronto, State : NA, Country : Canada, Social class : Middle class, 

[Lucy]

I’m old and I know me. I wear pants because I can sit down to put them on. It has to do with with weak back muscles, poor balance, fear of falling,etc. The pants have elastic so I don’t have to twist and bend to tuck in a blouse, or cinch up a belt. Pants hide ugly skin on my lefg. With pants I can wear socks that protect the tender skin on my feet. I have to wear shoes that support my feet and my back and the pants go better with my shoes. I prefer polyester blouses because I spill things and change blouses often and can’t get out to the dry cleaners. I wear only black pants so I can better see when they’ve picked up lint. It is not my money that is limited, nor my time. I shop catalogs, not stores, and certainly not malls.

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Name : Lucy, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Methodist, Age : 63, City : Charlottesville, State : VA, Country : United States, Occupation : retired, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

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