I've been battling insomnia for the past week and it's lead me to some pretty interesting nocturnal behaviors. Some...disturbing. Like cereal. I'm not a big cereal eater in the morning, but for some reason, I love having cereal in the middle of the night. It's not very healthy (but who can resist apple cinnamon cheerios at 11 p.m.?). I've also managed to file all the callouses off my feet and I have gone through probably three different colors of nail polish.
This is definitely not ME. I'm the girl who goes to bed at 10 p.m. on the dot and wakes up several minutes before my alarm goes off. I'm completely thrown. Tonight, though, I'm expecting to have a few glasses of wine and if I don't pass out by 11 p.m., I might just go insane.
What I've also been doing during my late night adventures is watching make over shows on television. They're kind of addictive. Like watching a train wreck. You can't help but watch and gawk. People getting some kind of makeover, whether it's in their home or a beauty makeover of some kind or whatever...they start out a total mess and then they wind up some kind of perfect (though there was one episode of "How Do I Look" where the woman looked like a clown when they were done with her. It was astounding).
On the makeover shows, there's inevitably the woman (or man, but they're mostly women) who resists the change. They attempt to justify their pants that are falling apart....their dirty hair...whatever...by standing up for some kind of social injustice ("bras are patriarchal..." sure but your large, swinging breasts in a shirt that doesn't fit you properly is kind of offensive). The first time you see it, you just see that they're attempting to make a statement by how they appear. This goes with how a family's home can look, but dissecting that is more difficult than examining the process of a fashion makeover. And I think that falls into a more serious psychological disorder. I'm speaking of the show "Clean House"...it involves hoarders. That's an entirely different subject.
The woman, looking all kinds of disheveled, is angry that anyone would attempt to make her over. She usually says something negative along the lines of "you're judging me...that's wrong" (I've left the expletives out).
You know what? She's right! We...that is, society...are judging her! We're judging her dirty, messy appearance! No matter what you do, no matter what you think or what you're standing up for - your appearance is important. That's not to say that everyone has to walk around looking like a super model. I believe that you should look like what you stand for, but that doesn't have to come at the cost of a loss of self-respect.
In the makeover shows, I find it interesting that always, ALWAYS, these women, by the end of the episode, all of a sudden see themselves as beautiful. They're standing taller, they glow...and they almost always say "I feel like ME...I feel like I can still stand for what I believe in, but in a more put-together kind of way!"
Looking good is not about fashion labels or heels or a ton of makeup. It's about being confident enough in yourself to project it outwardly. People, especially new people, will judge you on your first appearance. Doesn't matter if you agree with that or not, but they do. So you have to ask yourself - what kind of impression do you want to make? Do you want people to take you seriously for what you believe in...what you stand for? Or do you want to be looked at like another bag lady?
I have a lot of pet peeves in this department (I'm sorry, but the only time you should wear your complete pajamas to the store is if you're half dead and picking up a prescription - pajamas are not acceptable public wear...just sayin'). I could really go on and on. And honestly, it's not about slating people - if you want to sport a mohawk, then sport one....but put it together and wear it proudly (and please, keep some level of cleanliness). If you want to wear Gucci, wear it with a smile. And if you can't outwardly project pride in yourself and what you believe in, it might be time to check yourself - and get it together....build some confidence.
Just sayin'
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