MRS. H. writes:

Related to your and your readers’ complaints of modern dress is the topic of grooming. People, either out of laziness, ignorance, or for shock, do not groom themselves. I’m not against beards (my own husband has a fine one), but you should trim it. There are undergarments ladies can wear to better fit their clothes. And a lot of people could familiarize themselves with hairbrushes.

Here are two photos of the actors and actresses of the cable show “Mad Men,” in their modern appearance and in their costumes. I’m not partial to 1964 dress, but, allowing for make-up artists, lighting, staging, and maybe even some photo-altering, isn’t the 1960’s look more pleasing and self-respectful? Doesn’t everyone look more like adults? I am not promoting “Mad Men,” just offering a striking contrast.

Laura writes:

Your comments about grooming remind me of the trend in cavemen beards among athletes. On seeing the beard of Houston Astros pitcher Brett Myers, a teenager I know commented, “Well, I guess when you punch your wife in public, she stops caring.”

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Stewart W. writes: 

When we speak of the declining standards of personal grooming, I have at least one anecdote to relate how to use shame and humiliation to correct the worst excesses. 

When I was young, I had a friend who had decided to grow a “beard,” which is to say a caveman beard, not even shaving his neck or trimming the beard at all. He was at my house when my uncle came for a visit. Upon the introduction, the first thing my uncle said to the boy was “tell me, why do you cultivate on your chin what grows wild…elsewhere.” I was shocked at the time, but the “beard” was gone the next day, never to return. 

A little scorn from an older male can go a long way in helping a young man along a better path.

Eric writes:

As far as grooming goes, I am one of the worst offenders. But I can offer a probably unprintable joke:

Once upon a time, a young man was sprawled on a park bench. He was covered in tattoos, and dressed in bright rags and gaudy feathers. On the next bench, an older man gave him an appraising stare. The young man bristled. “What’s the matter, Pops? Have you never had any fun?” The older man drawled, “Well, I got drunk once, and [screwed] a parrot. I was thinking you might be my son.”

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