One Of Those People

Dear friends, I had a discussion recently on Facebook that made me think a great deal, and I decided to share it with you. For such a simple conversation it really gave me pause, and as I so often now do I felt I needed to explore it further to fully understand it.

A friend had posted a photo of some boots on her wall, and I commented that I thought they were lovely. Another person, someone I know "of" but do not "know", commented that she didn't know where she would wear these boots. Now, they were fairly standard fare for me - a blue ankle boot with a 3-inch heel, nothing spectacular but very cute - so I commented that I would wear them with jeans to do errands, like getting groceries. This other woman then said "oh, T, so you are one of THOSE people?". I must confess that at first I was annoyed - what did she mean, one of "those" people? And then I realized the perfect reply, as it encapsulated my philosophy. I responded "One of those people who think life is an occasion worth dressing up for? Yes, I am one of THOSE people".

And it's true, dear friends, I am one of those people. For many years I dressed very casually - not poorly, but also not well. It was due to a combination of factors - a weight I wasn't comfortable with, a lack of interest in fashion, and, well, just general malaise. When I lost a significant amount of weight, though, my interest in fashion, which was once very high, returned. Suddenly clothing (and especially shoes, my beloved shoes!) became very important to me once again. It wasn't that I was suddenly a "fashionista", or that I was obsessed with my appearance - it's that I realized that how I looked on the outside truly affected how I felt on the inside, too.

Maybe it's not true for everyone, but for me when I put on something fabulous - a dress, perhaps, or a great pair of shoes - the day seems brighter. My mood seems lighter, and I just feel better about facing the world. There are those who say appearance shouldn't matter, and in some sense I agree - I'm not the most beautiful woman in the world. However, my appearance does matter to me. I have a certain way I want to interact with the world. How I feel about myself, and how I present myself to it, will impact that interaction. I suppose I always knew that, but had forgotten it for many years.

I almost always wear shoes with heels now, as at 5"3" I can use all the height I can get. I rarely wear jeans, and most often can be found in a dress or skirt. I haunt clothing and shoe stores for great finds, and often receive kind compliments on the things I wear as I tend towards the unusual or unique. I adorn myself with bracelets, necklaces, and scarves. The thing is that I don't do this for anyone but me. I don't do it to impress or attract. I do it because it makes me happy. I do it because this external appearance reflects who I am on the inside, and inside there is a person who is colourful and feminine and unusual and unique. Inside me is a person who thinks that life is an occasion worth dressing up for.

So yes, dear friends, I am one of "those" people who wear heels to the grocery store. I am also completely unrepentant and unapologetic for that. I will continue to dress as if life is an occasion worth dressing up for, because some day my life will end - but probably not today. That alone makes today an occasion worth dressing up for, don't you think?