dowdy - (of a person or their clothes) unfashionable and without style in appearance (typically used of a woman)
When Helen reached the age of 100, she didn't care that people thought that she dressed in a dowdy manner, she contented herself thinking about the wonderful family she had raised.
farce - A deceptive action that someone tries to fool others into believing that he takes it seriously
Everyone in town knew that a bridge at the busy intersection was needed, but they felt that all the Mayor's activity about the subject was just a farce because he didn't really take the problem seriously.