28.1.07

strangeness in sixes

I've been tagged by two beautiful bloggers to write 6 strange things about myself. This is a lazy Sunday (and I dare not disturb the cat lying across my outstretched legs) so here goes...

When I was 17 and contemplating what to take in university, I had the choices narrowed down to Fashion Communication or Forensic Science. The latter seemed less scary (I was more squeamish about lip gloss than entrails) and I interned at a morgue to gain some practical knowledge. I loved it. The forensic pathologists who worked there were the most gracious and respectful people I had ever met, and I learned more from what they shared during autopsies and toxicology tests than I have from any university professor. Despite my constant interest in this field, the smell of formaldehyde was too much for me and I decided to pursue the arts instead.

Anyone who knows me or who has read my profile may have noted that I am a bootaholic (yes, even at the height of summer in Australia, I was the girl in leather boots). This is actually the only kind of footwear I really own. I often fantasize about pumps and peeptoes (there a few pairs from Paris sitting prettily on my closet floor), but they never find a way onto my feet. This could be because those feet are size 41-42 and just don't look as graceful in delicate shoes as a petite femme's might. Whatever the reason, I'm sticking with knee high Miu Mius and sturdy Demeulemeesters.

Graffiti is one of my favourite art forms:
You can see a lot of it around my apartment and I obsessively hunt street art (rather like Yvan hunts street style) with my camera wherever I am in the world.

I prefer men's magazines to women's magazines as the articles cover a broader range of subjects, however I also love perusing style manuals in languages I don't speak. Essentially I am just admiring the styling and photography, but I get very excited when a phrase is similar enough to English or French that I can (sort of) understand what is being said. Or not, in all probability. Swedish and Italian are particular favourites.

My brother and I were born at home. We were raised in an androgynous fashion with matching short hair cuts, overalls, shoes- the lot. There was no TV (except Star Trek), no piercings allowed, and typical "boy/girl" toys were out of the question. This was, in theory, a great idea and like homeschooling, I couldn't have wished for a better way to grow up, but androgyny was forcibly thrown out the widow around age 6. Much to my mother's amusement, I started to draw dresses and added frilly trim to my clothing. I couldn't have rapunzel hair, so I always wore a scarf tied around my head in a bow. The tops of my ears were pierced with a syringe from her midwifery kit, and I stole barbie dolls from daycare to play with at home. The list could go on but you get the idea. I'm not sure what this says about biological determinism but it makes me feel like I'm in the right field.

My mother lived in India, and Bollywood culture has always been of huge interest to me. I hennaed my hands like an Indian bride and wore a bindi through a few teenage years, stopping short of a sari only because wherever we were, it was generally too cold for one. There are still a few salwar kameezs in my closet however, and I google Aishwarya Rai every so often just to see what she is wearing.

Mutti and her cow in the early '80s (pre moi :)

Six is quite enough...

Care to share any of your eccentricities or unique life experiences? I would love to hear.

7 comments:

Wanderlusting said...

Great list...I love that you combine Indian style into your everyday. I too am also a boot whore and wear them all the time, in summer with dresses, regardless of the weather. I did my own list of five things, which you can read here

Jared said...

Very interesting! Such a cool life coming up... How I envy you! lol

RD said...

A fine contribution to the growing list of self-confessions. Only too happy to share:

(1) I am a professional blog commentator rather than blog writer. It suggests a tendency to live life vicariously, or perhaps just that I work at a very boring office.

(2) I am instantly recognizable even if you've never seen me before. In at least 3 cities (Boston, New York, Toronto), people have recognized me by description before being introduced to me. No, not because I go around on a large tricycle, but for different reasons. In Toronto it was the hats. In Boston it was because it's easy to stand out - just dress nicely. In New York, it might have been luck.

(3) I have only once been mistaken for a Bollywood star. In India. The emigration officer (yes, in India emigrating is as hard as immigrating) was staring at me, on and on. Looking back and forth between the passport and me. I thought I was in trouble.

(4) I am currently under a shoe moratorium. No new shoes. If a new pair arrives, an old one must go. I know it's cruel, but it's an emergency.

(5) In the days before video tapes (before your days, darling) my brother and I used to record our favorite shows on audio tape and listen to them while going to sleep. I have heard most Star Trek episodes several dozen times. (My favorite line is not "Beam me up Scotty" but "Something or someone has invaded this ship...")

(6) I am a conspiracy theorist. Not the JFK type. No instead the belief that every now and then a company creates the perfect product, something so perfect that it will wipe out the entire industry. And that is why these perfect products are quickly taken off the market, probably relegated to some CIA vault.

Someone else's turn...

BB

Anonymous said...

i had no idea you were the type to be interested in forensic science. quite a radical departure from fashion! i love your colorful upbringing. thanks for sharing.

j said...

“La femme, your existence is amazement to me, and so I tag you. Could you share six eccentricities with me?”

“Of course, j.”

“I was raised in a sacred sweetgum grove, so for me reality is of no importance.

I possess the wisdom of Sophia, so I ask few questions, but give considered answers.

I have danced with the Maenads, so believe in Redemption by Love.

I swam in the Sea of Tranquility, so my fashion is formed from fragments of nothing.

I have knelt before the storm and now must find my way where no way lies.

My mother ruled with unassailable might, so now I march with the soldiers of April.”

Blue Floppy Hat said...

Aishwarya Rai? Most of what she wears outside of her movies, (except some of her saris) is pretty bleargh. Your mum looks really good in the blue salwar though.
It's funny, I'm Indian and never really took to Indian clothes.

mareGa said...

Gasp. I've been thinking about what you wrote. The forensic thing was surprising. Indeed. Here's my take:

1)I live in a small town where everybody knows who did what, and why, but nobody says anything because of fear.

2)Fashion is an escape of reality to me. Soothes my heart.

3)I speak to myself in English while I'm alone. Also my journal is written in English.

4)I love my country but I can't find anything fashionable of it to comment. But I'm trying. Sort of.

5)I hate when I say 'Good morning/afternoon' and nobody say it back. Utterly impolite.

6)My friends are always asking me for fashion advice and admiring my wardrobe and fashion choices. You would be surprised that I'm the one who's always in jeans and a t-shirt. That drives them crazy.