Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/17/84 chuqui version 1.7 9/23/84; site nsc.UUCP
Path: utzoo!decvax!decwrl!nsc!nessus
From: nessus@nsc.UUCP (Kchula-Rrit)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: Body Image, High Heels and All...
Message-ID: <2634@nsc.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 24-Apr-85 21:37:00 EST
Article-I.D.: nsc.2634
Posted: Wed Apr 24 21:37:00 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 25-Apr-85 09:41:15 EST
Distribution: na
Organization: The Patriarchy of Kzin, Kzin
Lines: 89

> This discussion also fits into the recent discussion on net.women
> about our body images and how comfortable/uncomfortable we are with 
> ourselves.  Our "what is right" image has been shaped by designers and
> advertisers who use the ultra thin models and the woman who is unusual
> in her looks rather than using everyday women who will eventually go
> to the store to look for and buy clothes to wear in everyday settings.
> These images make us believe that there is "something wrong" with us 
> because we do not look like that. I could go into body hair and self 
> image, but I won't...at this time.
> 
> I think it is very telling that one response to Patty's original 
> question was:
> 
> >>Some women have told me that they envy my "guts" to wear them [running
> >>shoes] with dresses. 
> 
> This indicates that as women we are still afraid to say what it is we 
> want or prefer.  We go along with what is expected so that we won't be 
> preceived as being "different".  It is hard to be different; but we 
> must try.  It seems like the first woman who said to herself "I'm 
> going to wear my running shoes to work and then change into shoes 
> which go with my outfit" was pretty daring.  ...
>   ...
> 
> ****andrea mason****
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Disclaimer: The above thoughts are mine; my company makes computers, not
> high heels. 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE ***

     This reminds me of something that happened over the weekend(Apr 20)
to/with me.  The MOTAS and I were in a "second-hand" store looking at clothing.
     I ran across some ankle("full"?")-length skirts that looked very nice.  I
thought, "Gee, what a shame these aren't in style any more."
     I mentioned this to MOTAS, who said, in essence, "What does the current
fashion style/lack-therof(:-) have to do with your wearing something that you
like and looks good on you?  Are you going to let your tastes in clothing be
set by someone else?"
     After some thinking, I bought one of the skirts, a corduroy, which is
a material I've always felt comfortable in.  All my life I haven't necessarily
gone by "current-style" in choosing what I wear.  It's been pick and choose and
mix and match and sometimes things don't quite "look right" together, but I try
to coordinate things as best I can.  Sometimes people have tried to make me
feel strange because I don't have the inclination to look/dress/act like a
fashion model.  This [peer pressure] and its associated "strange"/guilt feeling
is sometimes incredibly hard to buck.  It can get SO depressing.  How do you
out there deal with this?

     People say, "Why don't you wear make-up?  I think it would look very
good on you."

     They don't believe me when I say(truthfully),

     0.  "I don't have the time"
     1.  "I have better things to do with my time"
     2.  "I can't paint"
     3.  "The computer doesn't care if I do or not"
     4.  Along with the usual things about skin, chemicals, etc.

     Same thing when people say "You dress funny."  "You don't shave your legs."
Because I don't shave my legs, I wear tights with skirts and dresses.  They
question me about that, too.  What's the problem?  I try to keep the colors
matched/coordinated.

     But then, I have/had some friends who 2-3 hours just to get ready to go
outside to get the mail or down the street to the 7-11.  You know, make-up and
all has to JUST right.  Nice people, but somehow it seems odd getting one of
them to throw a Frisbee(tm) in the park or walk in the woods.

     Sorry for rambling but it was just smouldering beneath the surface and I
just had to get it off my chest.

			    Kchula-Rrit
			    !menlo70!nessus

P.S.  Maybe I should change my pseudonym to "The Paranoid Android".

			    K-Rr

P.P.S.  The skirt was/is very comfortable(air-conditioned work place), except
	that it sticks to my tights.  Makes walking interesting.  They use the
	little drains in the floor of my building to draw off the liquid air.

			    K-Rr