Australians are usually the poorly dressed ones

As a child, it was instilled within me that good presentation and dress opens doors, whilst and bad manners seen through poor presentation close them.

Australians are usually the poorly dressed ones

As a child, it was instilled within me that good presentation and dress opens doors, whilst and bad manners seen through poor presentation and dress effectively close them.

Now, as an adult, I wonder whether I had a unique upbringing and values when I look about and see children and adults showcasing little respect for others and themselves in the way in which they dress.

I am deeply saddened when I walk to the shops or head out to a nice restaurant for dinner and see women with their chests exposed and bottoms hanging out, and men looking like slobs wearing something they picked off the floor that looks and smells "kinda clean."

My mother always checked what I was wearing as I left for a night on the town, and would reinforce the message that I was to, "Dress to impress and don't give others a reason to lower their expectations and standards of you."

Some conclude that poor presentation equates to poor hygiene, which equals poor behaviour, which means poor education and a benighted understanding of the world, with no prospects.

Whether we like it or not, the way we dress counts for a lot. We tend not to care in Australia, especially on the Sunshine Coast, as it is so endemic and tolerated, but people do judge based on how we dress. We judge people like books. Outward appearances count.

When you travel and/or live overseas you quickly come to the realisation that Australians do not dress well. I was always impressed with the bewitching beauty of the Danish women who gracefully rode their bicycles to work each day in their designer outfits, knee-high leather stiletto heeled boots and impeccable makeup. They never had a hair or stitch out of place.

Conversely, cast your gaze across crowds in just about any hotel lobby or airport concourse and you can always reliably spot an Aussie. The Australian males are usually the ones dressed like a five-year-old on a school picnic or trip to the beach, with terrible bogan tattoos, god-awful haircuts and potty mouths. (And, I'm sure this is all you would see in Bali - not that I've been or plan to ever go.)

Aussies don't do casual dress well. (There are always some Australians who are exceptions to the rule, but unfortunately, they are the minority.) Casual here usually equates to a singlet, stubbies and thongs. The casual expectations overseas are far more refined and classy.

I have a keen sense of nostalgia for the glamorous dress of years gone by. My grandmother would always don her jewellery, brooch, hat, makeup and striking attire for a trip to Queen Street Mall. She would always look so beautiful and never unkempt, even when she was simply "pottering around the house." She was the epitome of style, grace and elegance.

Sadly, reality television shows and music videos teach impressionable adolescents that the more promiscuous the outfit, the more likely you are to attract a man. What many don't realise is that the type of person who is attracted by such attire is debased and licentious and the chances of a respectful, long-term relationship are fanciful.

People are treated by how they are dressed whether they like it or not. The clothing we wear shapes who we are at both a behavioural and biological level. Hence, it is important to dress for success, to impress and to earn respect in the eyes of others.

Originally published as Australians are usually the poorly dressed ones