I think it's possible that an existing relative obsession with appearance is a disorder that is actually afflicting us en masse, at a national level. This idea was first brought to my attention by a girlfriend of mine from the other side of the pond (jolly old England), who after living here a few months commented about how overtly well scrubbed everyone here is, and that the orientation around cleanliness and related health seemed to her to be far less judgmental in her native country, and just more normal.

A subjective assessment surely, but it does seem to me that with heightened orientation towards consumerism can come a more obsessional nature where cleanliness is concerned. What kind of laundry detergent are we using and how white does it get everything, and our general and somewhat odd preference towards many chemically based products over natural. Even our cola that strips the paint off cars.

I bring it up because I personally tend to think that the breakdown of grooming that often occurs along with the onset of psychological issues is in part just par for the course, a natural reaction in that state to having had to uphold standards that are a bit obsessional for everyone in the first place. We're made to care too much and obsess about so many elements of our appearance, and so when we hit an impasse that causes us to stop caring in general, that can be among the first things to go. Not sure that at all answers your question of should the bar be raised; and I'm certainly not suggesting that it should be lowered, but rather that addressing the impact of consumerism in each of our lives (and I'm among the least consumerist people you could ever meet, but still see how unavoidable the effects of these fabrics which hold modern society together are) might bear some fruit in terms of positively resolving our orientations with personal appearance.