drippedonpaper (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
drippedonpaper) wrote2022-08-30 04:54 pm
drippedonpaper) wrote2022-08-30 04:54 pm
Prompt- Cheugy
If you leave a conversation with me, and the main thing you remember was the shape of my eyebrows, then I feel I did not give you a true impression of who I am. I need to lean more fully into who I am and go ahead and express my heart loudly. Passion shines so bright, no one can see what you wear. Eyes full of purpose make trendy shoes a waste. One of my main goals is to spend my life in such a way that conversations and connections are deep, authentic, and genuine, even if you can't remember what I wore or what style my shirt was.
Fashion trends often make me angry. I am not against people expressing themselves through what they wear, but the idea I cannot stand is that somehow looks can be outdated or something to avoid. The perfect time to wear something is when it makes you feel amazing, no matter what the current style is!
There is a big difference between unsuitable for the activity (I never wear a dress to a yoga class, for example), and "out of style." Sometimes I think fashion was either invented by "mean girls" or just a very convenient tool that is fully utilized by any and all people trying to find a way to judge and demean others, usually for circumstances beyond their control. It's interesting how convenient the timing of fashion trends are for those with disposable income. Fashion is most easily followed and adhered to by those who can replace or at least alter their clothes every season. Most trends are a quick way to pick divide a crowd into "haves" and "have nots."
A few trends are cheap (perhaps the length of hair, assuming one finds it easy to grow, and even that can be a dividing line of privilege), but many fashion trends are drastic. The mini skirts must somehow grow inches and touch ankles. That's not going to happen! So some clothes must hit the thrift stores and my credit card better swipe, because there's no other way to follow clothes trends. To stay in style, somehow the skinny jeans have to find a way to unfurl into bellbottoms. Again, these clothes are inanimate things, that never help their owners through no fault of their own.
However, some people use fashion as a way to bully or belittle others, snickering to each other about the poor girl or lady whose look is passe. Fashion trends also often cruel to some body types or hair types and not others. Sure, the day sometimes arrives that curves are in style, but that leaves out those who naturally stay slim. When straight hair is in style, some people feel inadequate unless they fry their wild, carefree curls into submissive, damaged sticks.
And all for what? Exactly who wins in this game of fashion?
I guess sometimes it helps people find their group. Some feel is they dress in this or that way, it marks them as a jock or a drama student. They match those they want to be. First the clothes, so that others will look and then notice the talent?
Ok. But overall the winner is the owner of companies who, I would bet, doesn't give a flip what any of us look like. Fashion is an industry built on fear. Fashion tells us we are inadequate, but beauty and belonging are just one item or procedure away. Will that fix us? Will we suddenly feel full and content? Maybe. At least for 3 months, until it's suddenly fall so you know, no one is wearing swim suits or tank tops anymore. You better dress for the season, baby, and this year it's not those high boots, it's the cute ankle ones so do we have an answer for your discontent, come over here and give me those magic numbers and ta-da! You too can be remade! It's magic, definite magic for the company owners. Because no matter what's in or what's out, the main change they want to see is their bank accounts going up, up, up.
It's not which face looks best with which hair style and it's not about dressing for your body. Oh no! It's how can the change be drastic enough that you have to buy more. If the current styles don't flatter your body type, don't worry, they can fix that too, as long as you buy these weights, this yoga mat, and this meal service, that will ship it to you free (only a month and then it's going to be hard to cancel, but hey, nothing's free and don't you have to look like a million bucks?) Sure we all have to look like a million bucks... but the key is "look like" because the only ones WITH a million bucks are the owners, the designers, the factory managers, those who know that it's not so much about the product helping you or being worth the money, no! The main thing that will move those watches, dresses, and wigs is if they can find a way to make you think you're less than enough.
You don't have the right eyebrows? What is wrong with you?! I looked up "threading" and came across an article called "28 Eyebrow Trends for Every Decade." Even if you set aside "for every decade"...I honestly had no idea there were even 28 ways to DO your eyebrows. They. like, grow on your face. All by themselves. I guess it's wild to leave them wild? I don't understand the current style, which is apparently "blading" where you have to have somehow make cuts in your eyebrow area. Why with fashion is it always the women who have to be in pain and bleed? Why do we have to treat our femininity as a punishment?
And honestly, fashion seems to buy into the idea of patriarchy for me. There are male fashions, but they are not nearly as varied. A man isn't "non-professional" or looking "not put together" if he doesn't paint his face with make-up. I have nothing against make-up except the fact that in many situations, it isn't seen as optional...unless you're a man. IF you're a man, you have the face you were born with and honestly, no one even wonders why you don't get a boob job or buy fake butt pads to lift and curve what nature didn't give you. (Butt pads are actually a thing.)
Seriously!
So many things seem to exist, and get emphasized as a way to rate and judge the value of others. Fashion, even fashion of cars or houses. Some styles cost more. Even bathrooms and kitchens fall in and out of style. Certain countertop patterns are marked by decades. Seriously? Humans seem desperate for ways to rate others, and I know that's one of the qualities I love about my husband. You can meet him, and there are a lot of things you'd never guess mostly because he doesn't buy into the need to display latest trends.
Trends can be fun and interesting. But if you don't want to wear something, please don't. Be fully you. I totally embrace your right to dress, walk, brush your hair, paint your face, tattoo your skin or not. Please don't live a life of regrets. Please don't part your hair in the way you think you "have to." Be fearless, fearless enough to live in the past on your outside as long as you are fully loving the choices you can make on your inside.
Be you. Let the glow of your zest for your outfit and your activities shine so bright that when I leave our conversation, I can't even remember what you were wearing. You glow girl! Glow with health, and love and courage. And honestly, then I'll never see the dollars someone made off convincing you you had to change your look, your face, your body, and your preferences just to grow their bottom line.
You be you. And I'll be cheering you on. Right after I change out of these capris that my husband can't stand. His opinion is the only opinion I'll change clothes for.
Our job as humans isn't to find the perfect look. It's to find ourselves and who we're meant to be. And if I can live my perfect day in the convenience of old leggings, I hope I've made your life better rather than elevated the style of the room. My goal is to love people, love life, and help you love your life more than you did yesterday.
Fashion trends often make me angry. I am not against people expressing themselves through what they wear, but the idea I cannot stand is that somehow looks can be outdated or something to avoid. The perfect time to wear something is when it makes you feel amazing, no matter what the current style is!
There is a big difference between unsuitable for the activity (I never wear a dress to a yoga class, for example), and "out of style." Sometimes I think fashion was either invented by "mean girls" or just a very convenient tool that is fully utilized by any and all people trying to find a way to judge and demean others, usually for circumstances beyond their control. It's interesting how convenient the timing of fashion trends are for those with disposable income. Fashion is most easily followed and adhered to by those who can replace or at least alter their clothes every season. Most trends are a quick way to pick divide a crowd into "haves" and "have nots."
A few trends are cheap (perhaps the length of hair, assuming one finds it easy to grow, and even that can be a dividing line of privilege), but many fashion trends are drastic. The mini skirts must somehow grow inches and touch ankles. That's not going to happen! So some clothes must hit the thrift stores and my credit card better swipe, because there's no other way to follow clothes trends. To stay in style, somehow the skinny jeans have to find a way to unfurl into bellbottoms. Again, these clothes are inanimate things, that never help their owners through no fault of their own.
However, some people use fashion as a way to bully or belittle others, snickering to each other about the poor girl or lady whose look is passe. Fashion trends also often cruel to some body types or hair types and not others. Sure, the day sometimes arrives that curves are in style, but that leaves out those who naturally stay slim. When straight hair is in style, some people feel inadequate unless they fry their wild, carefree curls into submissive, damaged sticks.
And all for what? Exactly who wins in this game of fashion?
I guess sometimes it helps people find their group. Some feel is they dress in this or that way, it marks them as a jock or a drama student. They match those they want to be. First the clothes, so that others will look and then notice the talent?
Ok. But overall the winner is the owner of companies who, I would bet, doesn't give a flip what any of us look like. Fashion is an industry built on fear. Fashion tells us we are inadequate, but beauty and belonging are just one item or procedure away. Will that fix us? Will we suddenly feel full and content? Maybe. At least for 3 months, until it's suddenly fall so you know, no one is wearing swim suits or tank tops anymore. You better dress for the season, baby, and this year it's not those high boots, it's the cute ankle ones so do we have an answer for your discontent, come over here and give me those magic numbers and ta-da! You too can be remade! It's magic, definite magic for the company owners. Because no matter what's in or what's out, the main change they want to see is their bank accounts going up, up, up.
It's not which face looks best with which hair style and it's not about dressing for your body. Oh no! It's how can the change be drastic enough that you have to buy more. If the current styles don't flatter your body type, don't worry, they can fix that too, as long as you buy these weights, this yoga mat, and this meal service, that will ship it to you free (only a month and then it's going to be hard to cancel, but hey, nothing's free and don't you have to look like a million bucks?) Sure we all have to look like a million bucks... but the key is "look like" because the only ones WITH a million bucks are the owners, the designers, the factory managers, those who know that it's not so much about the product helping you or being worth the money, no! The main thing that will move those watches, dresses, and wigs is if they can find a way to make you think you're less than enough.
You don't have the right eyebrows? What is wrong with you?! I looked up "threading" and came across an article called "28 Eyebrow Trends for Every Decade." Even if you set aside "for every decade"...I honestly had no idea there were even 28 ways to DO your eyebrows. They. like, grow on your face. All by themselves. I guess it's wild to leave them wild? I don't understand the current style, which is apparently "blading" where you have to have somehow make cuts in your eyebrow area. Why with fashion is it always the women who have to be in pain and bleed? Why do we have to treat our femininity as a punishment?
And honestly, fashion seems to buy into the idea of patriarchy for me. There are male fashions, but they are not nearly as varied. A man isn't "non-professional" or looking "not put together" if he doesn't paint his face with make-up. I have nothing against make-up except the fact that in many situations, it isn't seen as optional...unless you're a man. IF you're a man, you have the face you were born with and honestly, no one even wonders why you don't get a boob job or buy fake butt pads to lift and curve what nature didn't give you. (Butt pads are actually a thing.)
Seriously!
So many things seem to exist, and get emphasized as a way to rate and judge the value of others. Fashion, even fashion of cars or houses. Some styles cost more. Even bathrooms and kitchens fall in and out of style. Certain countertop patterns are marked by decades. Seriously? Humans seem desperate for ways to rate others, and I know that's one of the qualities I love about my husband. You can meet him, and there are a lot of things you'd never guess mostly because he doesn't buy into the need to display latest trends.
Trends can be fun and interesting. But if you don't want to wear something, please don't. Be fully you. I totally embrace your right to dress, walk, brush your hair, paint your face, tattoo your skin or not. Please don't live a life of regrets. Please don't part your hair in the way you think you "have to." Be fearless, fearless enough to live in the past on your outside as long as you are fully loving the choices you can make on your inside.
Be you. Let the glow of your zest for your outfit and your activities shine so bright that when I leave our conversation, I can't even remember what you were wearing. You glow girl! Glow with health, and love and courage. And honestly, then I'll never see the dollars someone made off convincing you you had to change your look, your face, your body, and your preferences just to grow their bottom line.
You be you. And I'll be cheering you on. Right after I change out of these capris that my husband can't stand. His opinion is the only opinion I'll change clothes for.
Our job as humans isn't to find the perfect look. It's to find ourselves and who we're meant to be. And if I can live my perfect day in the convenience of old leggings, I hope I've made your life better rather than elevated the style of the room. My goal is to love people, love life, and help you love your life more than you did yesterday.
no subject
no subject
no subject
- Erulisse (one L)
no subject
What tattoos do you have? I have a step-granddaughter who owns a tattoo shop and is opening 2 more. I think tattoos can be very lovely, but my skin makes keloids out of scars so tattoos don't work right on my skin.
Have you always had alopaecia? (answering is optional, I don't mean to pry) My daughter had it for a several months, but only in one spot. The dr. didn't know if it would keep spreading, but things finally resolved.
no subject
I have several small tattoos, but the one that most people are commenting on is my skull tattoo - a large Winged Scarab that covers most of the top and some of the back of my head. It's a stunning piece, absolutely unique, and Rodney designed it exactly the way I told him I wanted it. I couldn't be happier.
I realized I had alopaecia, maybe 4-5 years ago, maybe a bit longer. I have alopaecia universalis, so have lost all hair on my body from head to toe, permanently. The things I miss the most are nosehairs and eyelashes, followed by eyebrows. I can absolutely live with the bald because my tattoo is so amazing.
- Erulisse (one L)
no subject
no subject
no subject
I've had a similar mindset to you, overall, although more directed at make-up and beauty routines (various creams and lotions and such that are supposed to keep your skin looking young), for many years. I vocalised this within a group meetup with my ex-husband's theatre friends back when we were engaged and one of his friends was trying to promote some products she was trying to sell through whatever MLM she was part of, and my ex was so distraught over the way I vocalised my opinion on it that he held it over me literally for years as an example of how I was tactless and didn't know how to communicate with people (oh yay undiagnosed autism at the time, but this became also an early sign of emotional abuse). I've since tried to keep my mouth shut about my opinions about such matters, but that doesn't mean they don't still hold true - I still don't use any fancy creams or lotions or anything, so they literally would've been a "waste of money" (I think these were the words I'd used) for me if I had invested in such products, since I literally do not look my age, and still look quite youthful, despite how close to 40 I am.
Anyhow, long story short, this resonated with me.
no subject
And I love leggings too :)
no subject