So many middle aged Irishmen have let themselves go

Do you have kids?

I didn’t day cheap ill fitting jeans. Proper jeans. Or chinos. It just looks a bit like your trying to hang on to your youth - especially when paired with band tees.

I rarely wear trousers - 90% of the time it’s a dress or skirt.

This isn't to do with nationality or gender. Lots of people who reach middle age start putting on a little extra weight or stop caring as much about how they look, and that's fine if they're fine with it.

I do think Irish people can be less bothered about how they look or how other people in general though. My boyfriend is an American in his early 40s and in really good shape, but recently said to me he didn't want to start slacking off working out in case he ended up like the men who get pot bellies once they hit 40. Here's the thing about that though, I can appreciate that he's fit and hot as fcuk, but I have exes who've had extra weight and it didn't bother me at all and nor did I think they "let themselves go". Once someone is healthy and confident in themselves then that's all that matters.

On the fashion aspect, that's another thing, he used to feel like he was looking like a homeless person if he went outdoors in jogging pants anywhere except to work out/exercise. I love my jogging pants (and his arse in jogging pants!) and he's since relaxed a bit on that since meeting me and being in Ireland quite often. But when he's over in Ireland (he lives in Sweden), he's always commenting about the people going about in tracksuits 24/7 here as it's just not common over there and it would be pointed out. You should have seen his face when he saw someone in PJs in tesco🤣

I will allow them with jeans. Not with cargo pants :) Nor worn to a restaurant.

Op is this you?

I don't see it as trying to hang on to your youth at all! You should wear what you like and whatever feels like "you". Not a thing wrong with cargo pants or band tees at any age, as long as they fit well and you're not bursting out of them.

Irish people aren’t known for their style. But because we have a great sense of humour, creativity etc and pretty much everyone loves us - who cares 🤷🏻‍♀️

But I do like a man who dresses well. Zero tolerance on the tracksuit.

Yeah I think women work hard to stay youthful and at their peak where lads - its a total different story, if only i were bi/lesbian etc. Finding a hot guy in Ireland leads me to getting so excited because they're such a rarity, it's like finding a leprechaun across a pot of gold

^ The two are so separate for me that I do not think I could ever write a post that treats them so interchangeably like that. I am all for fitness and healthy living and healthy eating like you describe above. All for "looking after yourself". All for wanting an Ireland full of physically and mentally healthy people. Though unless someone asks for input or advice on the subject I generally keep my opinions and standards entirely to myself and never preach or judge.

But fashion and clothing for me simply is not part of that. Even a little. So it is difficult to get myself into the head space to see where someone like the OP is coming from or understanding their priorities there. It would be difficult for me to put any less thought into my clothing choices than I already do. I assume if I was a complete fashion disaster my girlfriends might mention something. But perhaps not as I suspect they are about as interested in fashion sense as I am.

Hell I went through Tesco to get some store cupboard items yesterday in my full blue Jujitsu Gi. If I saw someone at a Christening in a Liverpool top like you describe - I would not for a moment make a value judgement on any level. I would at most notice he is a Liverpool fan and store that data for possible later use. It's nice to know what people are into.

But I can not remember the last time I even noticed - let alone cared - what another person was wearing. Let alone people I do not even know at all and am merely passing in the street - or to contemplate how attractive or not their clothes make their ass look. That seems maybe even a bit creepy to me. Is the attractiveness of the asses of strangers really something people give genuine head space to? That really is fascinating. Humans be fascinating and sometimes leave me feeling like I am some alien external observer to their interesting patterns and concerns and behaviors :)

Why would you go to the supermarket in a Gi? Anyone doing martial arts always changes at the Dojo unless they are children. Those things just soak up sweat, so as soon as you go outside your cold and weat. It’s also a magnet for any ‘hard-men’ looking for a fight.