Underwear!
There - I've said it.
But there's more...
There's nothing like the feeling of new underwear. Maybe
it's just me and maybe it makes me strange, but I don't care. I like leaving
the store with the bag full of crisp new
undies, and the idea of a fresh new start.
It not easy to shop for undies though; low-cut, hi-cut,
bikini, frilly, lacy, practical, briefs, boy shorts, thong (Gasp - No - not the
thong!!) The sizes are always limited and the colours/patters are not always
(or almost ever) desirable. The waist
band is of concern as well. I prefer the wider elastic at the top, it last
longer, doesn't fray as quickly and is way more comfortable. I also don't like
the elastic at the legs to be too tight either. Finding the right comfortable
fit is not easy, especially when you're on a budget. Women's underwear can get
stupid expensive.
I, as most, have a drawer full and over the years, I hate to
think of the money that's gone into covering my butt (and my other womanly
parts).
But here's the thing, and if you're already calling me
strange or weird, this will put you over the edge, not all of my undies are, strictly
speaking, women's underwear.
Yup - I have been known to wear men's. Doing it today - Star
Wars boxers with Yoda, Han, Leia, Storm Troopers, Darth Vader, Obi-wan, the
whole crew. And they aren't the only ones that I have either. I have cool boxers
with sugar skulls on them, some plaid flannels, other cartoony ones too. Some
don't even have a pattern that is all that cool but they looked like they would
be totally comfortable, so I got them.
I could try and explain - justify - that back in the day,
when I was playing a lot of different sports that the only undergarments that
were appropriate to wear under my hockey equipment, for example, were usually
men's long johns and that when the boxer-briefs came out, that they were also
way warmer than any women's underwear that was available, that it all started
from necessity, and I wouldn't be lying. I used men's hockey equipment long
before the ladies' versions were widely available, not to mention that I had
hand-me-downs.
If a girl wears "it" then "it" is a girl's
"thing"!
And make no mistake; I am a girl, well, a woman. I'm not
gender ambivalent and I'm not sexually androgynous, curious or confuse. If you
are - cool - I support you being you, and I expect you to support me for being
me - or at the very least, to be indifferent to me and how I live my life.
But I AM woman; Hear me Roar! and cry and giggle and sneeze
and yell and whisper and grumble and sing and whine and laugh and hick-up and shout
and sigh and all the noises and sounds that I make.
I wear t-shirts, boots, hats, socks, jackets... if I wear
them, they are mine. The sizing may be "men's" the cut or fit might
be "men's" but they are mine, and I'm a woman.
•
I got my hair cut a while ago. I do that from time to time.
The place I go is a cheap walk in place, not a fancy-shmancy salon. I take my chances on who will be cutting my
hair, but to be honest, my hair isn't all that important to me.
It's typically an ordeal to get it done right, but for 1/4
price of the salons, I'll deal with it.
I once had long hair - very long hair. I've had it lots of
different lengths, so I know what it's like and I know what I want, and I want
it short. I have my reasons, they shouldn't matter, but bottom line, it's way
easier to deal with.
SnapChat video from Summer 2016.
The last time I was in for a haircut, I explain that I want
it cut short, very short; I want the back shaved. It took the hairdresser a
long time to accept that I wanted her to use the electric razor and shave the back
of my head - much like a military cut. I told her: shaved with #1, tapered up to
a trim off the top. No matter how much I explained, she couldn't understand. So
I let her do her thing. When she was done, I told her that it looked good, but
I wanted it shorter, shaved. Reluctantly she pulled out the electric razor.
Her
comment was something like "oh, you want a man's cut? first time I do this
for a woman." I smiled and nodded and didn't comment further, but in my
head I was screaming.
It's my freaking hair. I am a woman. If this is how I want
my hair cut, first off, don't argue with me, and second it's a Woman's Cut if it's
on a Woman's head!
•
I like Pink. I didn't always, but I do now. It's not my
favorite colour, but it's ok. I used to think that pink was a
"pretty" colour and a "weak" colour that liking it would make
me a wuss. I used to think that if I liked "girl" colours, I couldn't do "boy" things, or that I wouldn't be taken seriously if I did.
I had a similar issue with the colour purple (not the
movie). Once I became aware that it could be related to being gay, I shied away
from it so as not to send the message that I was gay. Not that I have ever had
an issue with anyone being gay, or curious, or whatever, but just that I wasn't
and didn't want to send out the signal that I was. Not that it mattered, I
found out years later that apparently, in high school, people thought I was a
lesbian. Not that that mattered either, all through high school, I had my fair share of boyfriends.
•
My point is I am who I am and I'll wear what I damn well
please and I'll cut my hair however I want and I'll be who I want to be.
It may have been a tough lesson to learn, but I hope that
everyone get to this point (if this has helped in any way, great). Be who you
want to be. Wear what you want to wear.
•
As an afterthought - but still important - if I tell you
that I love you, or that you are beautiful, handsome, smart, sexy, or that
those jeans make your ass look extra awesome, or that that shirt is smokin' hot
on you, or whatever... I'm telling you because I'm thinking it and I feel comfortable enough with you to tell you. It does not mean
I want to sleep with you. I'm not hitting on you. I'm telling you so that you
know what I'm thinking, what I'm seeing, what I'm feeling.
Too many people are
willing to cut each other down. I'm willing to tell people they look good, smell
good, have good ideas.
I'm not expecting anything back, maybe a smile. :)
•
Until next time, be good to yourself and to each other.
#AKF
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