Thursday, August 11, 2011

Confessions of a Un-girlie Woman

Okay so the other day I was listening to CBC, well okay not actually listening per se, more like I had it on as background noise and occasionally tuned in when they weren't going on about the eminent destruction of the world as we know it.  Anyway I just happened to hear part of an interview where the woman said, "As like every single other little girl in the world I daydreamed about my wedding day, what my wedding dress would be like, and could hardly wait until I could be princess for a day."  Then I tuned out and went onto the next task of my day, it wasn't until a little bit later on that I actually started to think about what this woman had said.  Not that she had actually said anything I hadn't heard, or read several times in the course of my life and ignored, but for some reason this time I actually considered what she said and realized the significance of it.  I realized that I wasn't like every single other little girl in the world.  I do not ever remember once thinking about my wedding day when I was a little girl.  I do remember desperately wanting to be able to be like Tarzan and swing through the trees with the greatest of ease.  I do remember wanting a pair of jeans because I felt I was one of the only people on the planet who was denied this joy.  I also remember wanting to be able to live at the library because I thought it was the coolest place on the planet.  But I can never, not once in my entire young life ever remember even giving the slightest thought to my wedding day.  In fact I barely considered my wedding day while I was actually getting married. 

Perhaps it is because I was raised in a testosterone intensive household, perhaps it could be because I was born without a wedding gene.  The truth be told is that I was also born without the tulle gene, the frill gene, the lace gene, or the ever important hairdo gene.  When it comes to girlie I just ain't got it.  Interestingly enough this is a trait that my husband really, really appreciates in me.  In fact over the years he has mentioned several times how grateful he is that I don't feel the need to prim, frou-frou, change outfits ten times, worry whether or not my shoes match my handbag, or have a burning desire to reaffirm our wedding vows.  Blech!  Reaffirm our wedding vows, I barely made it through the first time without requiring heavy medication in the form of lots and lots of booze.

My idea of girlie is having to wear work gloves when I go cut trail or chop wood because I get blisters if I don't.  I'm also not a big fan of those persistent chin hairs that make me look like the wicked witch of the east, so I feel all girlie when I pluck those puppies out. 

I can't say that I've never experimented with girlie stuff, in fact at one point I remember applying makeup with a trowel when I hit puberty, I was 14.  But the novelty of that soon wore off and by the time I hit my twenties I was sans makeup. 

Interestingly enough this un-girlieness did not deter me from finding a great husband who loves me for who I am, having a great kid who is probably the coolest most well adjusted person I know, or having some pretty great jobs where I never felt the slightest bit of pressure to "dress for success". 

So for all of those other non makeup wearing, non high heel sporting, non wedding dress enthusiasts out there I say good on ya.  Not every little girl dreams of being a princess for the day, some actually dream of being Spock.  So live long and prosper eh.

2 comments:

  1. Non-girlies of the world unite (or is it "untie"??)... Personally I think the whole "little girls dreaming of their wedding day" shtick is a fallacy dreamed up by the wedding indu$try and those evil mamas who pimp their little girls up for beauty pageants at age five...

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  2. I hear you girl and I agree wholeheartedly. Whoever thought up that whole, little girls in beauty pageants, is a sick individual. And you couldn't be any righter (more correct) about the wedding industry crap, its just too bad that so many people get sucked into that miasma of bull.

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