sommers@topaz.ARPA (Mamaliz @ The Soup Kitchen) (05/10/85)
(This line wants to be Greta Garbo)
Shaving hair: This has been coming up a lot between my friends and
myself, glad to see it worries other people also. I have very thick dark
hair on my legs. I *know* that I should not worry about it, but I do. I
find that I always shave my legs before putting on a dress (about twice a
year) or going away on a trip. No idea why a trip causes me to shave my
legs. I also seem to shave my legs and armpits before visiting my mother.
It is easier to shave then listen to the bitching. I normally would never
shave my pits and I have persuaded my beloved to stop using deoderant
(another story all together).
What is even more worrisome is facial hair. I do not want to be known as
"the woman with one eyebrow across her forhead and the thick black
mustache". Occasionally I will wax (ouch) but I do not have the time to
keep it up. I refuse to tweeze for the most part - it hurts and is
time-consmuming. Shaving makes my face feel and look funny - besides I
still hold by the superstition that it makes the hair thicker. Has anyone
tried electrolysis? How much time/money did it take?
Why do we worry about such silly things?
Shoes: I have size 12AAA feet. I buy what I can find. I finally found a
brand of men's jogging shoes that I could wear (they dont make womens in
my size) that are just a little too wide but livable. I never learned to
wear heels, because they did not make them in my size when I would have
been learning. Tall women were not supposed to want to be taller. I have
also found that my feet are just shaped wrong for heels, I put the weight
on the wrong part of the foot. I have some gold ballet slippers (too
small) for really dressy occasions. Summers are great, sandals are really
the only shoes that fit me properly.
For other people in my situation - there are a few stores now that
specialize in long narrow shoes. I go to one in Newark that usually has
reasonably high fashion shoes (even 4 inch heels in a size 12) at no more
than 1/3 more than I would pay in a mall. I usually go and buy about 300
dollars worth at a time. Who knows when the shoe store will close. There
is also a store in NY which has a catalog and mail order but their shoes
are about double normal price.
--
liz sommers
uucp: ...{harvard, seismo, ut-sally, sri-iu, ihnp4!packard}!topaz!sommers
arpa: sommers@rutgersfaigin@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Daniel Faigin) (05/12/85)
On the subject of shoes: Hush Puppies and a few other
manufacturers (also California Magdesians) make shoes with
comfortable heels (1 or 1-1/2 inch) and plenty of padding. I
find it also helps if the shoe is PROPERLY SIZED. If you have
narrow or wide feet, take the trouble to find stores that can fit
you properly. Something I have discovered in my attempts to find
shoes is that most manufacturers are self-consistent -- e.g. I
will always wear a 9WW in Hush Puppies, a 9W in Kraus, etc. This
enables one to order shoes by mail, once you have found the
proper size. Another thing I have discovered is that many shoes
that look awful on the rack look pretty good on my feet, so that
I now buy by color, heel height, and size.
Note to the wise: It is ALWAYS easier to walk in shoes that fit
properly... even with 2-1/2 inch heels, I can keep up my normal
stride on those (rare) occasions that I find myself wearing
higher heels.
On the subject of hair: I, too, have very thick, dark hair. I
used to shave daily when I was teaching and wearing hose and
heels. When I hurt my back, my mother suggested salon waxing. I
have been doing it ever since (about 4 years). Over the years,
the hair has also become finer and lighter -- I can go
bare-legged for up to three weeks after a waxing (vs 1.5 weeks in
the beginning). Since I get my legs waxed at 4 week intervals,
that means I only need stockings or pants one week a month.
As for electrolysis: if done by a skilled operator, with an
air-desensitizer equipped machine, it is relatively painless. I
used to take a light tranquilizer before going, and fall asleep
on the table while she was working. WARNING: electrolysis should
be avoided during one's period, and in the week before. For some
reason having to do with changing hormonal levels, it becomes
extremely painful at that time. If there is a lot of hair to be
removed, it can be (a) time-consuming and (b) expensive.
Karen M. Davis
...on the account of...
Daniel Faigin
--
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Don't have good ideas if you aren't willing to be responsible for them.
-- A. J. Perlis, SIGPLAN 17:9 Sept 1982chabot@miles.DEC (Bits is bits) (05/14/85)
Well, one big eyebrow may not be so bad. In _Little,_Big_ by John Crowley, (which is a fun novel) one big eyebrow is actually a mark of distinction! People have all kinds of different faces, but it seems that women aren't allowed to have some kinds of them and so have to change them or hide them. How many men worry about having one big eyebrow? Sure, it attracts some notice, but why should we be afraid to be noticed for our differences rather than for how closely we conform to the models in _Vogue_ ? Maybe men's clothing is too dull and conforming, but so much of makeup seems like a mask to cover up individuality. I think Fritz Leiber hit it in his stories about a US of the near future when women all wear masks all the time. L S Chabot ...decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-amber!chabot chabot%amber.dec@decwrl.arpa