Is appearance important to you? Are you kind of vain about it? [View all]

OK, I admit that I am somewhat vain, and somewhat obsessed, about my physical appearance. Not to the point where I could consider myself "metrosexual" as that term went, but still... I do worry about things like having the "right" shoes to go with the right suit, or color coordinating the tie, or wearing "quality" brands of clothes and shoes (don't know if that is vain or just pragmatic, the better stuff costs more but holds up a lot longer, too). I get my hair cut every 4 weeks, now that I have grown a beard I do the Just for Men thing on it frequently, as well as on my hair, because I do look a lot younger without gray hair in the mix. Now that I'm really getting into health and fitness, I am seeing some very positive changes in body appearance and self-image, which helps.

Not to be gross about this, but ... one of the issues that people with serious depression can face is poor hygiene. And, that question comes up when being grilled by mental health professionals. A lot, actually. I was asked quite a few times about things such as ... do you shower or bathe regularly, do you brush your teeth, change your underwear. I found it pretty ... degrading and humiliating. I understand WHY they ask the question, better now than I did going into it, because I met a guy "in the joint" (hospital) who actually said he didn't change his underwear or take a shower for 6 weeks when he was in his manic state. Which just grossed me out to no end -- thank God, even in the worst of my depression, I was never "down for the count" like a lot of people, I always have had a lot of physical energy, and had no issues in that regard. In fact, I'm kind of a germophobe, so I take 2-3 showers every day.

So, kind of vain I guess. But better than the alternative IMHO. One thing that grosses me out in public is to see some guy who is dirty, unkempt, smells, etc, in a store or other public place. But it happens. I'm not talking about homeless men or anything nearly that extreme, just slobs....