It seems a given, these days, that we are unhappy with our bodies. Marketing people depend on it to sell us stuff, it seems. In recent days I have been sent, on social media: weight loss ideas and medications; hair loss treatments; exercise plans for mobility, weight loss and muscle gain; stomach-shaping underwear; posterior-enhancing underwear; teeth-whitening medications – and more. The advertising generally has a negative slant, at least at the beginning, with some AI-created guy being pitied for being overweight/bald/not muscular enough etc and then, miraculously, transforming AND BECOMING HAPPIER through using the product being sold. (Some of it shows that the algorithms are rubbish; I am 6 ft 3 and yet keep being sent advertisements for shoe lifts to make me 3 inches taller!) This marketing is hoping to tap into men’s insecurities about their bodies, insecurities fed, in part, by that marketing. Other sources of insecurity include: our upbringing, with parents, possibly, being critical of us as we grow; fellow schoolkids, seeking a way to make themselves better by mocking others; our workmates and colleagues, some of whom may feel that they give themselves a competitive advantage over us by mocking our physical selves; our partners; our children … and, now, of course, people use social media to bully and lecture other people. We are bombarded constantly by criticism. Even really conventionally attractive people can get stick for being ‘too good looking’, a relation being drawn between being good looking and being vain and/or unintelligent, to ‘keep them in their place’. Opposed to this we have the ‘body positivity’ movement, which celebrates the diversity of human forms, but receives criticism for not encouraging, say, overweight people to lose weight for their health. I’d like to know what other people feel about this. And about the use of medical interventions to make people ‘look better’ (from facials to liposuction to leg-extending operations). And about the psychology behind this issue.

Well this is the first time since 1993 that I have not been employed on Melbourne Cup Day. Thats not a bad thing, but usually there are Work PLace Sweeps, some sort of games and food related thing during the day, plus generally everyone stops to watch the race on TV at 2pm. Even those that dont bet, watch it do any prefer horse related activities. So for myself I have gone with a fun dressed outfit of sand, sky and espresso, which might sound like a coffee order, but today it’s my dress code. Todays outfit consists of: M.J. Bale Martello suit in Sand Melange with Navy Pinstripe, unlined with half canvassing Charles Tyrwhitt Luxury Egyptian Cotton striped shirt in Ice Blue with French Cuffs Nathan Trent striped tie Van Heusen Sky Blue floral pocket square OTAA Mother of Pearl Blue Cufflinks OTAA Jack O’ Cups Shattuckite Skull bracelet 💀 OTAA Marine Blue ribbed socks Sparrods & Co Oslo Double Monks in Espresso SOTD - Viktor and Rolf Spicebomb Nightvision Erebus Ascent 41 with Blue MOP dial ⌚️ The trick? Let the classics do the talking, then sneak a little character into the details.

As I commented in another post, for Halloween my wife and I did a Jaws theme. I set up for trunk or treat in town, with simple decorations. My wife dressed up as Quint, I did Mat Hooper, and our son was the Shark. We handed out water bottles, and had a very good turn out, hand about 600 trick or treaters in all.

I haven’t posted in several days because I started having some mobility issues when I returned to work. I was admitted to the hospital a week later and was supposed to have a procedure and an overnight stay with a two week recovery at home. Instead I woke up partially paralyzed on the right side. I’ll be going to inpatient rehab sometime next week.

Do you think we should wear hats? If you think so, please tell me some examples