Joining the Dark Side

So today's post isn't earth-shattering or world-peace-promoting or anything like that, but it is about something that's been on my mind lately. Or, more accurately, on my legs.

I'm talking about jeans at work. And whether or not I should partake.

At my old job, blue jeans were verboten except twice a year when we were able to purchase for a twoonie little stickers that said "I'm Dressed this Way for United Way" as part of our semi-annual charity drives. (I always wondered whether the definition of "this way" could be extended to anything else. Swimsuits, perhaps. Or ballgowns.)

Now, we were allowed to wear black jeans (which I never did, given that they usually fade to "bought-these-in-the-eighties" status after the first washing) or blue denim skirts, but never could we marry the "blue denim" with the "jeans."

I can't say that I minded. I enjoy dressing up a bit for work. When I first started at the old job, I found it quite easy to cut a fairly fashionable figure. At the time, my stressed-out gaunt frame was well-proportioned to fit into those small sizes that invariably end up on the sale rack given their inappropriateness for normal-sized people, so a quick trip to Jacob and a fistful of dollars and I was good to go.

But my new place of employment is another matter. There we have an all-jeans-all-the-time policy, one that is widely embraced. At first, I told myself I'd restrict my denim-wearing to Fridays, just for a treat. Then it started to creep in on Mondays (post-weekend-easing-back-in, you know).

Now I'm just wondering if I should break down and buy a few more pairs of jeans and be done with it. No matter that I work downtown, where I and my coworkers stick out like a tank top on Portage and Main in -37 degree weather (sorry about that, by the way). Surrounded by smartly-dressed magazine-ready figures, I feel a bit out of place en route to my desk, although once there, the fashion standards ease.

But who knows - maybe if I'm more comfortable, I'll be a happier person. Which could go far towards the whole world peace thing.