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This is from the opening of an episode of Sazae-san:

Kazuo is buying a necktie for his father (who is bald)

store clerk: 父の日の贈り物ですか?
Kazuo: ええ。
store clerk: どんなタイプの方かしら?
Kazuo: あの すらっとした ロマンスグレーで…。
store clerk: 重役タイプの方!じゃあ これが ぴったりですわ。
Wakame (Kazuo's sister): お兄ちゃん。
Kazuo: 僕にだって 見えってものがあるさ。

(video is on Youtube here: https://youtu.be/erVOfNcVbyY?t=415)

I don't understand the meaning of Kazuo's last sentence. My best guess is "As for me, there's something to see", which is obviously wrong. Also, why did he say the necktie is for ロマンスグレー (middle-aged or old man with gray hair) when his father is bald (bald on top, with black hair on the side)?

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    It is not 見え but 見栄
    – Dim
    Jun 20, 2017 at 13:03

1 Answer 1

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The comment from Dim should help you figure it out, but I'll just point out that most of the translations in the link he helpfully provided have a more negative connotation in English than 見栄 by itself has in Japanese.

Here, Kazuo is essentially saying that even he has standards in terms of the kind of impression (of his father) he wants to present to other people.

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