I had an interesting experience on Black Friday (I'll get to that in a bit). I went "The Morning After Thanksgiving Shopping" in the Orem/Provo area with my cute little sis. Somehow, I always manage to let her talk me into it but I'm always glad I went.
So on Thanksgiving night I couldn't go to sleep. I obviously hadn't eaten enough Thanksgiving dinner to put me into a turkey/mashed potato induced stupor for the rest of the day. This created some anxiety. Why? Because I knew I was getting up at the butt crack of dawn to go gallivanting around the mall at a time I should have just been hitting my REM cycle and dreaming of........well, never mind. Anyway......by the time two in the morning rolled around I knew I was going to be dragging myself out of bed just in time to plop in my sister's car and continue snoring (in a very ladylike manner) on the way to the mall. So I re-set my alarm to give me just enough time to do that.
RING!!!! A-haaa, uhhh.....uggg.......bleh.......I stumble out of bed, plop my contacts in my eyes that feel like sand paper, throw on clothes and a hat, and and away we go!!!!
I'm at the mall for a few minutes before I started feeling a little disoriented, like something was not quite right but I didn't know what it was. It took me a few more minutes before I finally figured it out. Over half of the women in the mall were dressed to the nines at six o'clock in the morning, and not only that but most of them looked alike!
Full on makeup, hair done, earrings in, cute little jackets on with scarves. Almost everyone had on the same kind of jeans with the bling on the back pockets and clicked along in high heeled boots. Now don't get me wrong. I'm a woman through and through. I love pretty things, and I like to dress nice and look nice. But on Black Friday morning for cripes sakes????? Really??? Apparently so.
I think what felt most surreal was that other than the much older people that there was not a lot of individuality. One woman walking past me could have looked like the next woman and so forth.
Maybe living out in bumpkin Stansbury Park in Tooele county has left me out of touch......but I don't think so. I made some comment to my daughter and sister about what I was thinking and my daughter exclaimed, "I know, right!?" She had apparently noticed the same thing. My sister laughed at us and proceeded to argue against our line of thinking. She was dressed in boots, earrings, makeup, etc. lol. I have to say she looked cute as all get out.
There's nothing wrong with looking your best in public. In fact some people should take a page out of the Stepford files! I guess I have just forgotten that shopping or running errands in "the city", whether on Black Friday or not, is equivalent to a walk down the fashion runway!
As for me? Maybe next year I'll put on a little lip gloss while I'm stumbling out of bed.
Sometimes I'll go shopping and be in my everyday yoga-pants-yoga-tee-pony-tail-no-make-up look. That's the way I look going to work... (I'm a massage therapist and I always make a point of looking as plain and unattractive as possible in order for the male clients not to get the wrong idea about me...)
ReplyDeleteBut if I go shopping for clothes, I will usually make more of an effort to look cute. This way, I can have a better idea of the full effect of the outfits I'm trying on.
The thing is, I refuse to get up early and get all prettied up for shopping.
In fact, I do my best not to get up early for ANYTHING...
That is so funny! My neighbor and I had a discussion about this last fall. This area that we moved into was different. Everyone had long blonde hair, with a flower head band, sparkle butt pants that you had to wear sun glasses to look in their direction and atleast 4 inch sandals. This is what they wear to park day. We didn't understand why someone would have to be all fancied up for the park. We promised we would never dress like that to go to the park.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a while since our discussion and what do you know, my friend with whom I discussed the above now has a flower head band and longer lighter colored hair. I have wondered about the sparkle butt pants for myself but just can't direct all the attention to that part of my body.
Who knows, maybe next week I will sit at the park in 4 inch hills next to my blonder friend with the flower head band and people can discuss our wierdness. Good post, thanks for sharing.
Natalie, I'm with you. I try not to get up too early for anything. My alarm clock just has a different idea about what that means!
ReplyDeleteJensens, your comment had me totally laughing. I know what you mean about the park. I see young moms in high heels pushing strollers everywhere! Were my toddlers the only ones who hatched escape plans before we left to go somewhere? I can't remember how many times I was chasing after little kids. If I'd been traipsing around in high heels I would have been a goner!
ReplyDeleteI will admit I contemplate sparkle butt pants as well.......still contemplating :)