DeathByChocolate wrote:
I used to dress really badly as a kid. I can't believe my parents let me go to school dressed like that. In fact I can't believe they bought me those clothes in the first place!
Now as an adult I'm still a bad dresser... BUT I have some amazing friends who will quietly take me to one side and tell me that my shirt looks terrible, or that my shoes don't coordinate properly, etc etc. Most NT people would be offended by that, but I'm really grateful for it. (It helps that I'm gay and my gay friends have the "Queer Eye" - they know what looks good.)
If the aspie in your life is dressing like a slob, first tell them. They might not be aware that they are doing anything wrong.
Second, offer constructive criticism. There's no point telling someone to "smarten up" if they don't have a clue where to begin. Take them shopping for some nice clothes, or raid their wardrobe and suggest some good combinations.
Third, explain why dressing well is important. If you dress well you will feel more confident when you interact with people outside the house. If you dress well, others will treat you with more respect. Together it's a pretty big ego boost, all for just wearing a smart outfit.
i was very much the same way...but I became sorta obsessed with vintage clothes at some point, and eventually by my late teens developed a tolerable aesthetic that i maintain to this day...but I still can't really pass for a "normal" adult.
I did have people take me aside and tell me I was doing things wrong when I was younger. I usually found it offensive, but it eventually sunk in. I was severely clueless well into my teens.
I have a hunch that guys might be more stubborn to suggestions.
I have a similar problem with my main partner. He has long tangled hair that he refuses to brush so it is constantly scraggly and knotted. He wears the same dirty, paint-spattered clothes for days on end. I am quite privy to how dirty he allows his clothes to get, and i wish that he would take better care of himself. I am not dependent upon others to help maintain my hygiene and I wish that i did not have to feel somewhat responsible for his...but he somehow feels that i should be...
I don't care about how he looks really....I do wish he would brush his hair though...and wash his hands...
Anywhoo...I would like to add that he is not an Aspie persay...
My other partner is much more of an Aspie, and he is very meticulous with his clothes and keeps them all neatly organized...He works in a shop and is a very tidy dresser, and when he is in his casual clothes they are always very well coordinated...but he is also a very feminine person, so that might have something to do with it.