Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Liking things that will never be right for me?

When I was a teen, I wanted curly hair. Remember, this was the mid 80s - the big hair band days and every girl who didn't have naturally curly hair was getting perms - including me.


I remember sifting through the beautician's photo books and oo-ing and ah-ing over  certain hairstyles that I wanted to have. Those nice, long ringlet curls. Like this.



Sigh. I would get a perm, even in ringlet fashion, but permed curls never, ever look the same as natural curl. That, and with highlighting/frosting my hair, I got a lot of damage, and so I had fried looking permed hair too (which was also a big mid 80s thing).

In 9th grade I had this:


At 19, I had this:


I had very nice, super thick, straight dark blonde/light brown hair, but I wanted lighter blonde curly hair - something I couldn't have.

I should add, eventually I did get those ringlet curls and I LOVE it. I would probably hate them if I was born with them. Or so says every woman I've ever met with naturally curly hair since childhood.

Skip forward to adulthood and the clothing I love and I'm attracted to are vintage styles and willowy styles. So, in the 90s that was April Cornell dresses and in today's fashions it's Anthropologie. Guess what? Their fashions look horrible on me.

Here's a dress on Anthropologie that I think is adorable: http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/clothes-dresses/26871517.jsp


Here's another: http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/shopdress-viewall/27272749.jsp

Hmmm... I think that is the same model. Let me find a different model too wearing a casual outfit I find adorable.  Here: http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/product/shopnew-clothes/27206820.jsp

Do you notice something not quite right with what I like and what I'm shaped like? I'm average height, very large boned, and very bosomy. On top of that, even at my thinnest at 165 I just barely fit into the top sizes in the store as they don't vanity size nearly as much as most stores do. This store really does cater to the tall, thin, willowy type figures. Something I'm so completely NOT.

I should be looking at these sort of clothes and models. And well, my spring dresses almost ALLLLL look like this one in cut: Jersey dress

Why is it that I love the willowy look? These models here? All for Anthropologie. I love it!





Yes, I know they are models, but why do I like THAT look? Something impossible to ever look like? I should be looking at these models and aspiring to be more like them. Though, again, they are athletes, small breasted and mostly smaller boned, but the models from Athleta are at least athletic looking:



And here's a bit about Athleta models and here about specific models.

Am I the only one who wants what they can't have?

4 comments:

  1. I've had curly hair my whole life and always tried to straighten it... It wasn't till my late 20s that I accepted the curly hair and let it loose!!

    I still straighten it, especially in the winter, because for some reason my curls don't hold as well in the winter??? haha

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've been thinking about this post for a couple days and just wrote something in response over on my blog. You can check it out here if you're interested: http://all-things-new-novus.blogspot.com/2013/04/you-cant-always-get-what-you-want.html

    ReplyDelete
  3. Can really relate to this post. For two reasons. I LOVE Anthropologie but even at 155 the clothing didn't really fit me well enough to purchase. :( And I was obsessed with curly hair in the 1980s and even though I have straight hair now and it is the rage... I still want what I can't have. That said, I want to wear anthropologie and I am going to lose weight and build muscle until I can

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ha! I have the same problem (and I didn't know you played French Horn! Cool!) - the looks I like are not the ones that I can really wear, though for a different reason. I like the Bohemian look and can carry it off in a piece here and there, and I LOVE the vintage pinup look, too. But for a conservative, Christian homeschooling mom something that fussy OR borderline tawdry just isn't practical or appropriate. For dates with my husband I'd love to acquire some pinup styles, as he and I both love them, but it still feels a bit hilariously inappropriate for someone who better fits in with denim jumpers than shawls or corsets ;)

    As for the hair, I have been so happy mine went curlier with age, too. I always wanted hair like that when mine was just messy/wavy, and now I have it. Of course I wear it up in buns every day for practicality, but at least I have the option of scrunching it into spirals now!

    Anthropologie - so pretty and unattainable for those of us built like tanks (me!). And the styles that do look good on me (vintage/pinup) are absolutely vulgar for my standards of dress. Boo!

    ReplyDelete