As you have all learned, it's expensive living here so the residents certainly have the means to maintain decent attire and grooming. For those that do not, it's a matter of pride and not money.
Well, Lon, those that have the money can afford to look better than those that don't have the money. Then again, the Good Will and Salvation Army can sell nice looking used clothes. But, as far as the "grooming" goes, some care about how they look and some don't care what others think of how they look. My last Director/Supervisor had very small teeth and appeared that he didn't brush them very often. A reason for that, his gums might bleed when he did. I've heard of that happening.
You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig. As for personal choices in attire, many of us are going for comfort these days.
It cost good money to live well, good money to dress well, and while it doesn’t cost anything to have a little pride, it’s always nice to have something to make it easy to demonstrate your pride.
I dress for the occasion. There’s the, “I don’t give a dern” occasion and sometimes the “the too casual” occasion and let’s not forget the, “gotta be me” occasion. Actually, I went for years with the motto, “dress to impress” but frankly, the only person I have to impress anymore is myself. Sometimes I’ll put something on to show off a little bit but normally, if the guy I see in the mirror is happy, I’m happy.
Perhaps some of those folks are all tapped out after paying for their care there. They may still be economizing out of necessity.
A couple of things I was told many years ago which relates to people and looks. Good food doesn’t necessarily have to look fancy; it just has to be good. And the other thing: A piece of parsley on a plate of crap is just better looking crap.
The more we buy into superficiality, the more we put ourselves at risk. It seems that with our growing service economy and being sold to 7x24x365, superficiality permeates our every waking moment...or at least, it tries to. Having worked in the DC consulting job market my entire life, I've seen many people internalize it about themselves. It's not good.