The Beautiful New Dress (2022) Disegno da Edwin Loftus

Many women rightly spend time considering and planning how they will adorn themselves to go out into the world, adding to the beauty we all experience and thereby making the world a better and happier place to live. We all, male or female, plain or pretty, young or old, owe all of them our gratitude and acknowledgement of the efforts they make.
This young woman is dressing for a special occasion and has laid out a spectacular gown of golden thread for inspection prior to dressing. She has minded her eating and sleep, avoided too much sun and too little, bathed and used lotions to help make her skin as attractive as she can, and this is just the base upon which she will build herself into a living work of art. From her most intimate layers of clothing to the final finished form with which she will grace all those lucky enough to see her, each step and each layer has been practiced and perfected as nearly as her circumstances allow.
But this is just the superficial visual, tactile and olfactory part of her presentation. Through much of her life she has learned, cultivated and practiced improvements upon her inner, intellectual, artistic and social merits, seeking at most times to reconcile the person she presents with the true values and inclinations of her natural self. If she has succeeded, the person she presents will be a genuine reflection of who she is and the appreciation of her audience will be multiplied as they find the contents of her being as fresh and fair as they get to know her as when they first met and saw her at her best.
For many women, circumstances may call on them to try to present an impression that is not their true self. This is a mistake, but an understandable one that they may try to make the best of. They too, so long as it is not their intention to deceive and thereby take unqualified advantage of others, also deserve our gratitude and praise. Their struggle is harder and when they find the right balance, their credit should be greater as well. There is shame in deception, but there is no shame in adapting a look and conduct that is not one's own to show respect or admiration for the company one intends to keep.
I once turned down an invitation to a formal ball because the dress and conduct requirements were not natural to me. I was young and a fool and so missed an adventurous opportunity I'm sure I would have enjoyed experiencing. Foolishness is often a part of growing and so is the kind of effort described above. Men don't as often take such pains and if they do, they should do it wholeheartedly, as many women do.
But it isn't that men are less inclined to practice the art of living artistically. To resort to metaphor; Men work in a different media upon a different ground.

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