Would you ever dress like your spouse? Before you answer – let’s be clear that we are talking about wearing identically matching clothes, such as the exact same t-shirt and a pair of jeans, maybe even complementing male/female sandals, just for the fun of it. And we are talking about doing this on a continual or daily basis – as in planning to dress alike in an effort to show off your absolute commitment toward one another!
If you answered YES, then you might need to know that nearly everyone who sees you is laughing at you, especially if you make this outfit matching ordeal a part of daily life. The only exception of course is the 91-year-old couple who goes on their first cruise together for their 75Th anniversary and decides to purchase a matching Hawaiian shirt to celebrate. (Those 2 can do whatever the hell they want given the fact that they have been married 75 years). Unfortunately, for the rest of the world, dressing like your significant other is a little bit strange and a wee bit over the top way to symbolize and outwardly express your commitment (or love) to one another. To put it plainly, it’s weird. (And a bit desperate!)
So, let’s break it down for you. Certainly, there are moments in life when wearing the same outfit may be okay. The following lists are moments when a couple can dress alike and not look like bloopers from a reality TV show.
- Sporting events. If your child plays sports, or your relationship status has a lot to do with the seasonal record of the Washington Redskins or Florida Gators – sure, go ahead and dress alike in team colors. The same t-shirt to a sporting event, to cheer on a team is no big deal. For one thing, there are going to be A LOT of people dressed alike at these venues, so you won’t stick out like an elephant on the beach.
- To play dress up! If you are going to themed party or outing, such as one for Halloween, then matching outfits would be okay. Because they would be considered ‘costumes,’ rather than every day clothing.
- If you work at the same place that requires a uniform. If you and your partner are both package car drivers for UPS, then obviously – the two of you are going to wear matching brown outfits. No big deal. It’s a job requirement.
- Causes Events. Breast cancer walk, support of your favorite Republican Party member, volunteer for a community based program. Again, this falls under uniforms and the fact that there will be more people dressed alike than just you and your partner.
- For a family picture. Your summer beach portrait will look beautiful with the whole family wearing black shirts and blue jeans on the white sandy beaches next to the dune grass. So yea, go ahead and dress the same. However, if EVERY picture of the two of you stored in your I-Phone has the two of you dressed alike – you might need to rethink a few things.
- When your partner has Alzheimer’s, or any other condition that could cause them to get lost. This way, it’s easy to explain to others what he or she is wearing and you will never have to remember which shirt your partner wore before they wandered off.
- If you are bikers, and taking a ride. Plus, who is going to say anything to a tough as nails biker couple riding a Harley down main street?
Obviously, there DOES call for other moments in life when you want your outfits to at least match one another. Formal events are a great time to get your color coordination on. Even so, no man should show up in the same formalwear dress as his partner. EVER. Even if you are a same sex partner, its okay to match – but please don’t try to be exact replicas of one another.
Dressing alike is something that should be reserved for toddler twins, siblings and teenage best friends. Even in those situations, there comes a time when the behavior needs to end.
Additionally, dressing like your significant other shows an extremely high level of concern about forcing the rest of the world to see you and your partner as a COUPLE. There are plenty of other ways for the rest of the world to realize that the two of you are an ‘item’ and that are in fact, together. Dressing alike doesn’t have to be one of them. It shouldn’t be one of them. The least you could do is purchase the same shirt in two different colors, so that you wouldn’t be walking around town looking like The Bopsy Twins. Even this, is really only a good idea when the two of you are in vacation!
So FESS UP! Do you and your significant other ever dress alike? Do you think its okay to do so, or just plain creepy and weird?
