LUCY SAYS: MEN LOVE THIS LOOK, MUM!

THE last time I wore heels was at a wedding a year ago. If I could walk around barefoot, I would. The stilettos Mum teeters around in hurt my feet and stop me having fun — if I have to dress up, I’ll wear sandals.

As beautiful as Mum is, I think she goes overboard. She wears too much lipstick and has a fuchsia coat so bright it hurts my eyes. I’m quite a tomboy and stick to minimal make-up: a bit of mascara, lip gloss and blusher.

It takes me less than half-an-hour to get ready. She takes at least two.

I know Mum would rather I looked more ladylike, but, today, attractiveness isn’t about high heels and dresses — it’s about confidence and showing curiosity in others and the world around you. And, although Mum mocks my work overalls, I’ve found they are, for reasons even I don’t understand, something of a man magnet — I’m often chatted up when I wear them! In my experience, men of my generation prefer a laidback look to overt glamour. It makes them think you’re easier to get along with. I was wearing my overalls when I met my boyfriend in a pub three months ago — he loves them because they’re different and defy boring gender stereotypes. I refuse to splurge on clothes — I buy second-hand, as it’s better for the environment — and don’t like to go over £20 on any one garment. Climate change is more important to my generation. The last thing I bought was a white Reebok dress for £1 from a local woman on Facebook. She even delivered it.

Mum’s outfits are each the price of a holiday. She may look beautiful in them, but, to me, they’re a waste of money.

I don’t think she’s offended when I don’t wear what she buys me...at least, I hope she isn’t.

Sometimes, her outfit choices for me are so wildly off-target they’re funny. Once, she got me a pinstripe suit because she thought it was ‘sweet’. I took it back and spent some of the proceeds in the pub.

Do I drop my clothes on the floor? Hmm, sometimes. I’m too busy to fold them up and the stuff I wear doesn’t need ironing. But, although I’m messy (and my daughter is, too), I’m very clean.

There’s a big difference between being disorganised and being dirty.