We at YLF wish our American readers a happy Fourth of July! Hope you’re enjoying the celebration with friends and family.

This week’s poll was inspired by both Sal’s post on perfect polish and what forum member Alaskagirl refers to as RATE, an abbreviation for “rough around the edges”.

Years ago, style was synonymous with a perfectly polished appearance. This meant things like pristine and wrinkle free clothes, immaculate hair and make-up, manicured hands and feet, wearing perfectly tailored garments in quality fabrications, and un-scuffed accessories and footwear. Polished looks are also generally quite simple and sophisticated.

However, many a style icon is hip and cool while sporting a less than polished appearance. Kate Moss springs to mind. Her hair is often messy, her clothing somewhat wrinkled and sloppy, and her appearance far from pristine, un-scuffed and tailored.

Many of us probably feel that we have both a polished and RATE aspect to our style. So we’ll place the descriptors on opposite sides of a continuum, and you can slide along it as you feel fit. If you slide further across to the Polished side of the continuum, you’re on Team Polished, and vice versa for Team RATE.

I may not have regular manicures and pedicures, but my overall appearance is uncreased, uncluttered and tidy. I wear voluminous clothing, scuffed Dr. Marten boots and scrunched sleeves, but the rest of me is neat as a pin. I like to wear pristine garments made of beautiful fabrications, and I keep my hair in place. My make-up is minimal, but it’s there and adds to my look. And I really look after my skin. I am a total neat freak so a polished appearance comes more naturally to me than a look that’s RATE. I bat for Team Polished.

Over to you. Are you on Team Polished or Team RATE? Tell us why, and no batting for both Teams.