Viewing yourself
29 December 2009
So, I’m wondering if I see myself very clearly.
I’m sure everybody struggles with this to some extent. I’d never thought about it much until the day after Christmas when I put on the new sweater and scarf my parents gave me.
The sweater is soft, black, and I don’t know what the technical term is (Skylar would be able to tell me), but it’s one you can style to wear long or shorter. Like the hem is elastic and you can pull it down around your knees (though you shouldn’t) or have it up around your hips, which makes the sweater kinda blouse out. That’s a horrible description, so you’ll just have to trust me the sweater is cute. And to go with it, there’s a purple silk scarf.
So, the day after Christmas, after I got the sweater figured out, I stood in front of the mirror and fussed with my scarf off-and-on for about twenty minutes. I even got on the Banana Republic web site to see how I was supposed to wear it, and all that did was clarify that I couldn’t go wrong. Finally, I knotted it in a way that looked pretty cute, and I was good to go (though that didn’t stop me from playing with it all morning long).
As I went through all that, it occurred to me that my parents and in-laws always pick out bolder clothes for me than I do. The kinds of things that I look at and think, “That’s so cute … I’m not sure if I could pull that off.”
Then later that day, my cousin asked me if I’d ever been in Anthropologie. Anthropologie is my favorite store in the entire world, but I only own two things from there for a couple reasons. 1. Crazy expensive. I head straight for the sales racks. 2. With just about every article of clothing in that store, I’m like, “Wow, that’s super cute. No way could I ever wear that.”
So I said to my cousin, “Yeah, I love that place.”
And she said, “All that stuff really reminds me of you.”
Which was one of those jaw-dropping, are-you-kidding-me kind of moments. Especially since I view myself as a jeans-and-plain-T kind of girl. Maybe in 2010 I’ll unleash a bolder, swankier Stephanie Leigh Morrill. Though I’ve been hoping for that since about sixth grade on, so probably not.
Which is a perfect segue into tomorrow’s topic, which will be New Year’s resolutions. Anybody have any good ones yet?
Have a great Tuesday!
Comments
YES, Susan, I feel that way all the time. I think most of us go through it!
Posted by Stephanie on 29 December 2009
Me and fashion: I buy very few clothes, simply because I’m cheap, lol, but I’m picky. I rarely wear a plain T, and my mom (who still buys me more stuff than I buy myself) has excellent taste. Still, I was very surprised when a friend of mine referred to me as a fashionista. Me???
I think for me it comes down to this: I’ve got what God gave me, which isn’t super-gorgeous but is workable. It’s my job to make the most of it—on a budget of, oh, next to nothing. =)
Posted by Roseanna White on 30 December 2009
Stephanie,
I can’t believe that even “ super-cute, you can wear anything you want and look great people” feel that way too. Believe me — your cousin is right! You’re stylin’, girl!
I left something for you over at my blog.
Posted by Susan Hollaway on 29 December 2009