Hey H, you've even grown a grey beard!!!! he he. I too have out weight on, about 1/2 a stone so far, but am on a mission to loose it. I do wear less make up and wash my hair less. My flat has suffered alot more than me, it's an absolute tip and I have washing left over from periods people around here are probably researching! so if I do manage to pull I won't be able to let them inside...

Reading this I feel I should start to worry!! I'm only a term in and haven't started to notice any devastating effects although I do wear the same clothes a lot and this winter have been living in my slippers and not leaving the house for days at a time! I think there might be more white hairs but I already had quite a lot in my fringe before I started (I'm only in my early 20s!) so maybe people won't notice... I have had some new clothes though, having told my mother that I had decided to eliminate clothes from my list of essential purchases for the next 3 years! She was obviously so worried about me living in jeans and a hoodie for the rest of my life that she substantially restocked my wardrobe for me for birthday and christmas! Not everyone may be so lucky but I think it's worth a try...

Oh God - this thread totally speaks to me! At least we all feel ugly together :)
Only four months in and already I'm starting to feel dowdy...

I have definitely become flabby in areas I didn't think would get that way... I just turned 25 and have always been slim but the PhD is giving me quite a rounded bum! Also - my eyes are always so red every day from reading, and I've had to start wearing my glasses because my contacts were irritating my eyes - It's the first time I've worn my glasses properly (as in, in public) in 7 years and it takes me back to my school days of getting bullied and called a nerd and a geek for wearing them!! I just can't shake off that ridiculous childhood stuff. Do glasses still connote nerdiness?

I've always had a huge interest in style and now when I look back on pics of me from last year I think I look years younger and fashionable!! I feel like all this time inside as well is giving me a very dull tinge to my complexion. Doesn't help that all the undergrads look like Skins extras!

It's the gym for me - bigtime! I actually met a lot of fellow PhD-ers who have tried recently (New Year!) to become less scruffy. Have to say though, I am a fan of scruffy men myself.

Conversation with a friend by text:

Me: 'Hey, how's your face?' (Just my way of saying howaya...)
PhD friend: 'I don't know. I haven't seen it since yesterday.'

Of course this man has the added advantage of being a hot scruffy thing - I guess some people can just pull off the look eh!!

Lol, I had such a great laugh at all the other posts - sad though that there's a general feeling of ugliness amongst us all.

Here's to being single...

Beave, glasses on their own don't constitute nerdiness, so try to forget that horrible schooldays stuff! I've got some nice reading ones and I don't think I look like a nerd, in fact they might even give me an air of studious, PhD-ish intellect if I'm lucky, lol,- I think that's the traditional cliche for glasses on women. My head of college and sup wear glasses too and both women are very chic fashion people.

I don't think scruffiness is a problem unless you're an MP or a lawyer or going for a job interview or something - we are students after all!! I like to think of it as being comfortably casual. :-)

======= Date Modified 23 Jan 2009 12:37:45 =======
haha i like what beave said, we can all be ugly together lol.

yah for me have put on weight. but i have a small trampoline, and i am going to try to jump on it every hour. as a break from my desk aswell. i'm not going to focus too much on trying to lose weight by strenous exercise and diet, as studying for a phd is stressful in itself! but i think even small little exercises everyday is better than nothing.

besides if you take a break every hour its meant to increase your productivity and concentration.

so thats my new vow from today onwards! i always say after im done with my phd i'm going to lose the weight!

Oh dear...Reading this as a prospective MSc/PhD student is....Not encouraging lol!
I'm already lazy with my appearances and it's just applications and dissertation stress! I'm gonna turn into a zombie by my masters!!! I guess the weight gain isn't so much an issue since I tend to eat less (less cooking means more time stressing/procrastinating!).

I had a (very successful) presentation in front of a scholar I totally admire on Thursday.

I had no clothes that one would wear to a civilised gathering. So I washed a purple top and a black pair of trousers with detergent borrowed from my flatmates in my BASIN.

And i reached the place smelling good, looking good and feeling good. So, with PhDers, anything works cos we make it work.

(Ok, I am going to sleep now. YAWN)

Fot the first time today I thought I don't actually need to get dressed. I could work in my dressing gown. But then I knew that would be a slippery slope so I made myself get dressed. I feel better for it. I did spend part of the morning in bed reading an article and thinking about a course I have to do next week. The slippery slope would be not even putting dressing gown on but just bring my laptop and books upstairs so I could just work in bed all the time!
Also, yesterday, I noticed a lot more grey hairs, I am in my early 40s so I suppose it's to be expected but I'm sure they are appearing faster due to the PhD!

I know what you mean about the grey hairs..

I feel I'm sliding when I just put on my jogging trousers (not that I ever jog, bleah). Like I did yesterday. Today I put on jeans and a reasonable jumper as I thought I might actually go into the uni to a talk. But now I just don't know if I can be bothered. It's cold. I'm busy.... maybe I'll just stay in my cave...

That's why hair dye is so useful.

Pam, I have the odd day where I work in my dressing gown, but it's an occasional treat (yes, that sort of thing is a treat these days...). I wouldn't go to a meeting with my sups in my slippers or go out dressed in smelly rags though. However slovenly one may get while working at home, I'd imagine most of us know what is socially acceptable and don't cross the line to slither down that old slippery slope of slobbishness. oops too many s words. oh well.

I do not agree with hair dye. After 10 years of dying it - I've stopped bothering and started wearing silver locks with pride.

Me too Aloha. I stopped dying my hair about 2 years ago. Partly I just couldn't be bothered (afford..) to get it done properly and also I think I'm passing the age where it doesn't look a bit desperate :$

I don't think there is an age when you *should* stop dying it - it depends on your individual look and what you're happy with. Most of our fashion staff dye theirs up to retirement age, some a very vibrant red, and it suits their style. Many of the older women artists do too, so it's whatever seems right for you, I guess. :-)

Rubyw - are you working in an art institution?