It would seem that there are a select few of the ladies out there who kinda think that a guy wearing work boots is "studly". (You know who you are.) I've never had anybody come up to me in the street and say "Don't I know you from somewhere? You're Narcissus right?", but then again I've never had an angry mob chase me down the street with torches and pitchforks either, so I can't be all that bad. Nonetheless, I've noticed a few members of the "finer sex" paying a little more attention to me than usual. Not that I'm bitching, of course, but it seems to be during the times when I'm looking like the southbound end of a northbound JackAss.
Case in point: Last Wednesday, it was getting chilly in the afternoon, and I had spent most of my time hanging off a ladder 40 feet up in the hoistway. Ford decides that he could use a cup of coffee, and I am inclined to agree that one would "go down good, right about now", so off I go to procure a couple of cups of Java. I make my way to the nearest convenience store, and pour us a cup of Joe. While in the check-out line (stuck behind an antigenarian who's only two gears are slow and stop), I notice this fine-looking little blond lass milling about behind the counter. I proceed to "enjoy the scenery" until it's my time to step up and pay for my purchases. It's important to note that it has been raining all week so far, so my steel-toe's are crusted in mud, my jeans are coated in a combination of mud and concrete dust up to the knee, my flannel shirt is covered in grease from the assorted parts we're assembling, my mustache needs a serious trim, and I've got a two-day growth of beard. Not exactly a "GQ" moment in my life.
Well I finally step up to the register, and the little filly that I'd been eyeing sees fit to step to the other side of the counter at about that time. She proceeds to tell me the story of how she's "Crashed the computer's", so they have to ring me up manually. I say something to the effect of "See? This is why we can't have nice things." back to her. Ice blue eyes lock with mine of "shit Brown", and we proceed to small talk back and forth while the total is tallied. When I'm about to step away from the counter, I don't get the usual "You come back and see us" send off that is quite common in this neck of the woods. I get admonished to "Come back and see ME." It was intoned in such a way as to make this particular farewell transform itself from the usual "just being polite" into more of a "come up and see me sometime".
I swear that if this keeps up, I'm neither shaving, nor changing my boots again.
Posted by Johnny - Oh at November 28, 2004 11:42 PMHaven't I said time and time again that men in "work" clothes (ie boots) with that working hard look to them (ie construction workers) are just totally hot looking to women?
It shows that they are not afraid to get dirty and work hard. Something that women love!
See, I told you that you would soon have women all over you.
Posted by: Machelle at November 29, 2004 09:30 AMYeah, ya got that rugged thing goin' on.
I've found the other end of the spectrum has it's perks, too. When I stop somewhere on the way home from the bank with my spiffy suit & tie, it seems like the cheer from the gals behind the counter is just a LITTLE cheerier.
Dames is SO shallow ;-)
Posted by: Harvey at November 29, 2004 01:09 PMDamn right! Construction guys, firefighters, sailors, cops, cowboys and, uh, there *was* a guy in a suit in The Village People, right?
Only joking, Harvey. Suits work for me :-)
Johnny, manual labour, especially intelligent work, does something special for a woman. It's a reflex to the whole "provider/protector" thing, which pre-dates feminism. Or maybe us wimmen-folk developed this attitude because a "working man" was a good bet. I don't know. As a child, my first crush was the guy from the "Little House on the Prairie" books. He built houses! He shot dinner! He found his way back home in blizzards!
You need to listen to your sisters. We have excellent taste. ;-)
And you're right Harvey - both ends of the spectrum work really well for me.......
Posted by: Tammi at November 29, 2004 09:51 PMI have to say that as far as guys looking good in work gear goes it's less about the gear and more about how he wears his grime.
Johnny has always had a sort of "this is my dirt-I've earned the right to wear it" quality and he does it quite well.
I should add that when I'm wearing my workboots (same as Johnny's) jeans and work shirt...I have a few women checking me out too. But they aren't the "pretty ladies at the mini-mart" type. They are more of the "Harley T-Shirt, two tone buzz cut, Melissa Etheridge belt buckle the size of my head" type. And when I wear my work gear they want me bad...and my boyfriend gets a big kick out of it.
Posted by: Sarah at November 30, 2004 07:56 PM