On Monday, I wore cutoff shorts and a swimsuit top to the park for a good ol’ fashioned Memorial Day suntan sesh. Tuesday, I rocked a sleeveless dress and some elegant, open-toed sandals. Wednesday I had on a romper.
….Wait, you don’t come here to hear about my personal style? Fine. The point of my sartorial story is this: One of the (very few) cultural perks of being a woman is the ability to wear VERY FEW clothes in the summer to stay cool while remaining dressed appropriately at work and while socializing in mixed company.
But you fellas? You get no such pass.
The fact that guys can’t throw on short shorts and a tube top when it’s ninety degrees outside just boggles my mind sometimes. …Okay, fine, I don’t throw on a tube top either (well, not anymore), but it’s nice to know I could if I wanted to. But I wonder, how do you get from home to work and back again without melting into the floor like Alex Mack?
How do guys stay cool in the summer?
I mean, sure, I live in New York, where the commute means lots of walking plus extra close quarters on public transportation, all a recipe for feeling gross before you even get where you’re going. Guys in other cities aren’t as subjected to the elements, so maybe it’s no so bad? Lots of you just wake up, throw on your work clothes, take about five steps to the car, where you drive in comfortable AC before pulling into the office parking lot, from which another five steps lands you inside the front door. But even so. Do you go outside for lunch? Does the sweating start the second you get out of your car?
And I’m a part of the problem! On a recent podcast, Taylor and I talked about our distaste for man sandals and idly wondered how you manage to suit up for summer weddings when probably all you want to do is lie in your underwear under a damp towel in the shade somewhere as soon as the thermometer passes 80.
So tell me: what are your stay-cool tricks?
Are you secretly wearing short-sleeve dress shirts under all of your suit jackets?
Did you pick a job for its dress code that allows cotton shorts and open-toed shoes at the office?
Do you take cool comfort in the knowledge that while ladies can wear tank tops to work, we earn less money on the dollar than you do?
I want to know! There’s no shortage of tips out there (stay hydrated duh, wear light colors and natural fabrics like linen that absorb sweat), but I’m curious how Style Girlfriend readers beat the heat—whether in reality or merely psychologically.
In the meantime, shop lightweight layers for summer below!
// #SGapproved picks //
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