By Hannah Reich Berman

 Undoubtedly, there are more important issues in the world than good grooming. While it is significantly more pleasant to look at someone who is well-groomed, we do not always have that option. The mystery is why somebody in the public eye would choose to look like a slob! Forgive my use of the word slob, but it was all I could come up with. And there you have it!

It is understood that no one can be expected to look his best all the time. This includes Hollywood movie stars. These stars are people just like the rest of us, and now and then they may have to run out to pick up a loaf of bread or a quart of milk. Or maybe they just want to grab a cup of coffee at Starbucks to start their day. So they may leave the confines of their home without benefit of makeup and they may possibly be very casually dressed as opposed to how they are usually seen. The same is true for television personalities–those with their own programs as well as news anchors. All of these are people whom we are accustomed to seeing when they look their best. But not many people can look their best all of the time.

There are, however, some people in the public eye who seem to go out of their way to look disheveled. For years I have wondered why Michael Moore appears in public looking as if he has not taken a shower or had a haircut in weeks. But that is exactly what he does. Even worse, he allows himself to be interviewed and filmed so that millions get the opportunity to see him at his worst. It might not be his worst, because the word worst is a superlative and implies that there are times when he looks better. So far we have not been privileged to see his “better” look. He is not clean-shaven but neither does he have a beard. What he does have is stubble that makes the following statement: I have not bothered to shave in days. To complete this glorious look, his clothing is always rumpled and ill-fitting.

He is no favorite of mine by any stretch of the imagination. There is nothing that ever comes out of his mouth that I agree with, but, in an effort to be open-minded and in order to learn opinions that do not jive with my own, I make it my business to occasionally listen to this character. I listen to him, but I try not to look at him. Thankfully, Moore is not someone we get to see too often.

Now, however, there is somebody else on the scene who has questionable style. This fellow is nowhere near as slovenly-looking as Moore, but he will never be mistaken for a GQ model either. He is Stephen Bannon, a man we have been seeing a lot of recently because he was chosen by Donald Trump to be chief White House strategist. And because of his title, we may assume that the fashion police will not be too hard on him.

The somewhat shlumpy Bannon has an impressive background. He was CEO of Breitbart, worked at Goldman Sachs, attended Georgetown University, and received an MBA from Harvard Business School. With all his education and experience, one might think that he would dress like a mensch, but apparently education has nothing to do with attire. I have yet to see him in a shirt and tie. Once I did see him in a sport jacket–open-necked of course. But most of the time he wears bulky jackets and looks like a character from the 1950s series Gunsmoke. The only thing missing from his getup is a cowboy hat and some fringe on the sleeves of his jackets.

Presumably, he showers regularly, but it does seem that he eschews haircuts. This serves to make him bear a slight resemblance to Michael Moore, which is nothing to be proud of. And it might even be why all three of his marriages ended in divorce. According to one of those women, he is not a lover of Jews, but who knows if that is true? Ex-wives do not tend to be charitable when speaking of former mates. His spokeswoman has rejected accusations of anti-Semitism, and his close friends make that same claim and have labeled him as a good friend to the Jewish State.

At this juncture, we do not know for certain what his true proclivities are. The only thing we can be sure of is that good grooming is not one of his strong suits. That’s just the way it is. v

Hannah Berman lives in Woodmere and gives private small-group lessons in mah-jongg and canasta. She can be reached at Savtahannah@aol.com or 516-902-3733.

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