In advance of my upcoming review of "Sex and the City", the entire series, I wanted to write (as promised) of how manicures and high heels make me feel.
I was a tomboy for all of my early years. You could maybe still consider me one, I don't know. I was the only girl at the boys' birthday parties. I played hockey. I frowned when my first pair of underpants had flowers on them (true story). I put up an enormous fuss when told to put on a dress. You get the picture...
As a result, despite growing up with 4 sisters, I missed some so-called crucial steps to "being a girl". I could barely put my hair up in a ponytail at 14, I got dresses only for occasions that required them, and I think I applied mascara for the first time at 18. Once again, you get the picture...
When I was in Turkey in the summer of '09 (can't believe it's already been that long), I told my mom and sister, who I was travelling with, that I wanted to quit biting my nails. I'd been biting them (as you might remember) for at least 14 years, I would guess, and so it was a big undertaking. The goal was to not bite them on the trip and reward myself with a manicure on the second leg of the trip in Abu Dhabi. After all, where else would I get my first manicure???
The experience was in a word - and I'm not really exaggerating here - profound. I never really got it. Why paint your nails?! What's the point?! Do people think of you differently? Does it make any difference at all?
Well, I can only speak from my own perspective, but yes, yes, yes. It does make a difference.
Somehow, it makes me feel prettier. I look at my hands and rather than just various shades of pink, I see these colourful nails that stand out and transform my fingers. I feel elegant. I feel more grown-up and professional. I feel like people might think differently of me; that I take care of myself and take pride in my appearance. Superficial? Maybe... but also not, because the prettiness I feel goes deep. I don't mean pretty in the shallow sense; I mean a full-body feeling of confidence and power.
[And as a side benefit, getting manicures really helps maintain the health of my nails and keeps me from wanting to bite them... 'cuz they're so pretty.]
I experienced the same thing recently when I bought my first pair of real high heels. By real, I mean an actual heel (not the hilarious kitten heel), and not just plain, but with a bow and other ornaments. I put my feet in them, stood up from the bench at the shoe store, and pulled my pant leg up. My leg was completely transformed. It looked more muscular, more feminine, and more defined. My posture was different. I felt different. When I walk around in heels I feel tall and powerful, elegant and poised. Once again, I know it may sound superficial, but it doesn't feel superficial. It feels real, the feeling has depth, but at the end of the day I don't need to qualify it, I just need to enjoy the transformation.
On the reading list -- Still finishing up When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris (loving it! 15 pages to go), and then I think I'll follow that up with The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (which has nothing to do with the film).
Post to come -- My thoughts on the series "Sex and the City" in its entirety & What's the deal with rc-4?
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