Formal Night - Not what you think

[Mglmstr]

I just got back from our company XMAS party cruise and I noticed one disturbing thing about formal night.

The ladies seemed to be upset at their men. I cruised single, but 3 couples in our group were having a spat that day and when I mentioned it at the poker table on formal night a guy jumped up and said his woman was on his case today for no reason too.

Coincidence, or is this just part of formal night? All the other days everyone seemed very happy, but formal night was like a full moon or something.

[connergirls]

Getting all dolled up can be stressful. Clothes, hair, shoes, jewelry, makeup, nails. Anything can go wrong at any minute. And a bad hair day can ruin the whole night in a flash ;)

[Mglmstr]

Getting all dolled up can be stressful. Clothes, hair, shoes, jewelry, makeup, nails. Anything can go wrong at any minute. And a bad hair day can ruin the whole night in a flash ;)

 

Thanks, I guess that puts it all into perspective.

[Willie T]

Weird. I was just thinking of that this morning. My DH gets down right crabby on formal nights. (like he's Mr. Sunshine the rest of the time:rolleyes: ) Been thinking it's almost not worth it. But.....lobster!

[smgardner]

Well, its entirely possible that some guys are not answering the "Does this dress make my ass look big?" question properly

[MarriedInStThomas1807]

Weird. I was just thinking of that this morning. My DH gets down right crabby on formal nights. (like he's Mr. Sunshine the rest of the time:rolleyes: ) Been thinking it's almost not worth it. But.....lobster!

 

The lobster makes it all worth it!:D

[NYCFOD]

Well, its entirely possible that some guys are not answering the "Does this dress make my ass look big?" question properly

 

I never get why women ask men these sorts of questions. My mother and sister used to drag me shopping and ask if I liked things they tried on, I used to give non-committal grunts. Now if someone asks me such a question, my stock standard response is "It doesn't matter what I think, what do you think, you're the one wearing it." Fortunately, my DH never takes me with him when he goes clothes shopping. I always take him though, he has impeccable taste and speaks his mind.

[kinggartk]

Well, its entirely possible that some guys are not answering the "Does this dress make my ass look big?" question properly

 

Answer to that question: "If you keep eating all of that Lobster, it will." Maybe that was the reason why the night was so tense.:o

[WeBeCruisin']

Maybe the men are chidishly punishing the women for asking them to wear a coat and tie? They don't have the cojones to discuss the situation, so they're "acting out", like a two-year-old? :D

[ALVINF]

Well, its entirely possible that some guys are not answering the "Does this dress make my ass look big?" question properly

 

You mean like "Honey, it ain't the dress that makes it look big".:p

[mjbearit]

My opinion, for whatever it is worth is that as a society, we don't dress this way on a regular basis anymore, so the unfamiliar mode of dress causes a lot of stress. We have become a "blue jean" society, to a great extent. Most men have to rent a tux, which never fits right or looks right either for that matter. Most women have to go out and buy something special because they don't have anything in their closet that could be considered really formal. So you have a large outlay of cash on top of it all, which is enough to make most people a bit grumpy! My wife and I enjoy several formal nights out at social events throughout the year (no, we are just blue collar workers!) so I own my own tux (it is cheaper than renting if you wear it a couple times!), it fits, I am familiar with it and it does not cause any anxiety at all. My wife has appropriate dresses and/or outfits to wear to a formal event and goes out a few times a year and buys something nice on sale knowing that we will have events throughout the year. For us, it is just another night out and not a huge stress causing thing so we actually enjoy ourselves. Maybe just like anything else the answer is practise! If you do something often enough, no matter how foreign it seems at first, eventually you will become comfortable. Maybe, if you bought some formal wear long before you went on a cruise, had it tailored to fit and wear it a few times, everybody would feel comfortable and get over the bickering. Just my opinion!