It is July in Spain and savagely hot where I am, but etiquette rules of dressing still seem to occur even in this heat, and never melt away. One of them is wearing shorts/beach attire on the streets.
Women after a certain age i.e 30, never wear shorts on the streets. Spanish women still consider shorts to go shopping or run errands as truly unsightly, and they will not even run to the corner shop in a pair of shorts; even less so in the cities such as Madrid and Barcelona. Shorts away from the beach scream “foreigner” to Spanish women.
Typical attire for running errands in the summer
Unfortunately, it is the expat crowd that opt for shorts or even less clothing whilst away from the coast.
I get truly embarrassed when I see expats walking in supermarkets, or eating in restaurants (albeit by the coast) in bikini tops, men without tops etc. Truly disgusting!!! Why do Northern Europeans insist on doing this? Apart from being damn unsightly, it is so unhygienic. Northern Europeans/expats would never dream of walking around a supermarket in just their bikini and sarong at home, so why do it in Spain? When I have asked expat friends why they insist on doing it, the stock response is “because it’s hot!” Spanish women also feel the heat especially in the cities, but they would still never walk around like this.
Shopping in Madrid. I just love her smile!
In fact when I am at the beach, I can spot which women in a restaurant are Spanish and which are from Northern Europe (in particular the UK and Germany). Spanish women will always be covered in a pretty loose dress to have lunch. They never wear flip-flops into a restaurant (only on the sand),so they will have changed their shoes, taken off their sun hats/visors etc, and spruced up their hair before even entering a restaurant.
And despite the heat they always look remarkably cool and unflusterd.
Princess Letizia strolling in Mallorca during the summer, and not a pair of shorts in sight!
What do you think about wearing shorts or beach attire away from the coast, or in establishments near the coast i.e restaurants, banks, supermarkets etc. Am I getting on my high horse for nothing?
Would love to hear your views.
Women after a certain age i.e 30, never wear shorts on the streets. Spanish women still consider shorts to go shopping or run errands as truly unsightly, and they will not even run to the corner shop in a pair of shorts; even less so in the cities such as Madrid and Barcelona. Shorts away from the beach scream “foreigner” to Spanish women.
Typical attire for running errands in the summer
Unfortunately, it is the expat crowd that opt for shorts or even less clothing whilst away from the coast.
I get truly embarrassed when I see expats walking in supermarkets, or eating in restaurants (albeit by the coast) in bikini tops, men without tops etc. Truly disgusting!!! Why do Northern Europeans insist on doing this? Apart from being damn unsightly, it is so unhygienic. Northern Europeans/expats would never dream of walking around a supermarket in just their bikini and sarong at home, so why do it in Spain? When I have asked expat friends why they insist on doing it, the stock response is “because it’s hot!” Spanish women also feel the heat especially in the cities, but they would still never walk around like this.
Shopping in Madrid. I just love her smile!
In fact when I am at the beach, I can spot which women in a restaurant are Spanish and which are from Northern Europe (in particular the UK and Germany). Spanish women will always be covered in a pretty loose dress to have lunch. They never wear flip-flops into a restaurant (only on the sand),so they will have changed their shoes, taken off their sun hats/visors etc, and spruced up their hair before even entering a restaurant.
And despite the heat they always look remarkably cool and unflusterd.
Princess Letizia strolling in Mallorca during the summer, and not a pair of shorts in sight!
What do you think about wearing shorts or beach attire away from the coast, or in establishments near the coast i.e restaurants, banks, supermarkets etc. Am I getting on my high horse for nothing?
Would love to hear your views.
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