Some time ago, being horse-obsessed, I rented the movie "Moondance Alexander." For those of you who haven't seen it, it is about a lonely teen who comes in contact with a horse who turns out to be good at jumping. Moondance's mother is a hippie who barely ekes out a living selling artwork.
Anyway, Moondance encounters this horse running loose, takes it to its owner, and one thing leads to another. She decides to enter the horse in a jumping show, despite the fact that it is a paint (for some reason the show-jump circuit is prejudiced against paints) and despite the fact that she really doesn't have the money to be competing either.
In one scene, she is shown looking through a catalogue for riding boots. She settles on a cheap pair of rubber boots, because that is all she can afford. Later, at the barn, the local rich kids see her and sneer, "Don't tell me she's going to wear those boots?"
So what's the big deal with the boots, you might say? I'm sure Moondance's mother would have said the same thing. I know my parents probably would. But what they don't understand is it is more than just boots.
Wearing plain rubber boots is ok if you are just rehearsing or training. But when you are competing and you want to be taken seriously, then wearing "those boots" screams AMATEUR. It is saying loud and clear that you are an outsider and you haven't bothered to learn the culture. You haven't done your homework. And if you are that poor that that is all you can afford, then maybe you ought to rethink what you are getting into before you set yourself up for further humiliation.
This being a movie, it has a happy ending. Despite the unsuitable horse and the unsuitable boots, Moondance wins over the judges and wins the competition. But real life isn't like that. Dress is VERY important.
I never used to pay much attention to clothes. I didn't really have much money for clothes and it wasn't a big priority in my family. But when I was working the CETA job my mentor, Monica, gave me a copy of "Dress For Success for Women." It planted a seed. It took a while, but I started noticing how people dressed.
Clothes can be such an issue for those of us on the spectrum because we don't always know what is appropriate. That is where finding a good shop can help. Make friends with the sales personnel. They want to sell clothes that look good on people because that advertises their business. If all you can afford are secondhand clothes and garage sale items, I would find someone trusted to go with you. Someone who knows the difference between "rubber boots" and sleek leather ones, so to speak, and can keep you from making fashion mistakes that can hold you back. You can find some wonderful stuff in secondhand stores and garage sales, IF you know what you are doing. But you have to know what you are doing.
Anyway, Moondance encounters this horse running loose, takes it to its owner, and one thing leads to another. She decides to enter the horse in a jumping show, despite the fact that it is a paint (for some reason the show-jump circuit is prejudiced against paints) and despite the fact that she really doesn't have the money to be competing either.
In one scene, she is shown looking through a catalogue for riding boots. She settles on a cheap pair of rubber boots, because that is all she can afford. Later, at the barn, the local rich kids see her and sneer, "Don't tell me she's going to wear those boots?"
So what's the big deal with the boots, you might say? I'm sure Moondance's mother would have said the same thing. I know my parents probably would. But what they don't understand is it is more than just boots.
Wearing plain rubber boots is ok if you are just rehearsing or training. But when you are competing and you want to be taken seriously, then wearing "those boots" screams AMATEUR. It is saying loud and clear that you are an outsider and you haven't bothered to learn the culture. You haven't done your homework. And if you are that poor that that is all you can afford, then maybe you ought to rethink what you are getting into before you set yourself up for further humiliation.
This being a movie, it has a happy ending. Despite the unsuitable horse and the unsuitable boots, Moondance wins over the judges and wins the competition. But real life isn't like that. Dress is VERY important.
I never used to pay much attention to clothes. I didn't really have much money for clothes and it wasn't a big priority in my family. But when I was working the CETA job my mentor, Monica, gave me a copy of "Dress For Success for Women." It planted a seed. It took a while, but I started noticing how people dressed.
Clothes can be such an issue for those of us on the spectrum because we don't always know what is appropriate. That is where finding a good shop can help. Make friends with the sales personnel. They want to sell clothes that look good on people because that advertises their business. If all you can afford are secondhand clothes and garage sale items, I would find someone trusted to go with you. Someone who knows the difference between "rubber boots" and sleek leather ones, so to speak, and can keep you from making fashion mistakes that can hold you back. You can find some wonderful stuff in secondhand stores and garage sales, IF you know what you are doing. But you have to know what you are doing.
