Frump to Fab 2019 - Here We Go Again

lessonlearned

Maman....thanks for the link to that Times article. Very interesting and I can see why it would cause quite a stir. It does raise lots of interesting questions. The truth is we live in a "lookist society" where appearance really does matter. Whether or not it should is a moot point but the truth is that's the reality we live in.

People look at us and make judgements. I think the trick is to learn the rules and just play the game. And like any game, play to win. I can dress up, I can dress down. Either way it doesn't make me a different person but it does make a difference in how people react and respond to me.

Like you Maman I spent most of my life working in the public sphere. My appearance mattered, being well turned out was a requirement for many of my jobs. I know for a fact that my appearance helped me win at interviews and it also helped me get promotions. When I was "Corporate Woman" I knew I had to tow the line and that included dressing in a certain way. To ignore the unwritten rules would have been to commit career suicide.

Is it wrong to use what gifts Mother Nature may have given us......I don't think so. Would we hide our intellect, our skills, our abilities - I doubt it, so if being attractive gives us an edge then why not exploit that. (No I'm not suggesting we should sell our bodies or sleep our way to the top:rotfl:) but if putting on a bit of slap and looking smartly dressed helps us along our career path then why not.

Dorothy.....or should that be Imelda.....:rotfl: I came across an interesting piece the other day which said that the word "glamour" has its origins in a Scottish word "gramarye" which apparently translates as magic, enchantment or spells.

I think that's a very accurate description of what glamour is about. It is a form of magic and it can definitely weave a spell. I think glamour can lend an enchantment to even the plainest of people and even the most mundane of lives can be improved by an injection of glamour.

Its the real life equivalent of fairy dust.

SUgarbaby.......not long now....you must be so excited. If I don't talk to you before you go, I hope you have a truly wonderful time. I look forward to hearing all about it. I have not been to Jamaica but have visited a few islands in the Caribbean. I loved the Caribbean.Hopefully I'll go again one day.

sheilavw

Poor you LL, bet you couldnt wait to get off the phone!
Enjoy your day everyone

lessonlearned

sheilavw wrote: »

Poor you LL, bet you couldnt wait to get off the phone!
Enjoy your day everyone

It was funny though........he was so pretentious he made me laugh.

And I did enjoy the penultimate episode of GOT. .

The finale next week. Season 8 is the very last in the series. It's been a good run. Pure escapist entertainment (but obviously only fit for plebs like me and beneath his contempt). :rotfl:

But, actually listening to him, he really isn't as smart as he thinks he is.....often the case with academic snobbery. Truly intelligent people don't act like that because they have nothing to prove.

Anyway, i Have received more messages from several suitors. Will weed them out later. :rotfl:

Dorothy60

lessonlearned wrote: »

Dorothy.....or should that be Imelda.....:rotfl: I came across an interesting piece the other day which said that the word "glamour" has its origins in a Scottish word "gramarye" which apparently translates as magic, enchantment or spells.

I think that's a very accurate description of what glamour is about. It is a form of magic and it can definitely weave a spell. I think glamour can lend an enchantment to even the plainest of people and even the most mundane of lives can be improved by an injection of glamour.

Its the real life equivalent of fairy dust.


OMG the patronising pretentious rhymes with wick!! How can he possibly have hoped to impress ANYONE with that attitude. Honestly, words fail me.


Interesting take on glamour, love the definition. It's a funny old thing though, because without my magic slap I am a plain old Jane, tiny hooded eyes, sparse eyelashes, eyebrows that never recovered from the over plucking in the 80s, lips that make ET look like Angelina Jolie - yet - YET- I have good, thick hair, nice teeth (well, the ones I have left are straight and white lol) and walk tall, have a good figure and SMILE at everyone I encounter. Once the big sunglasses are on - hide a multitude of sins - the slap and the attire Imelda Rules!


You are so right, we really do emphasise our good points and make them work for us. Of course I have the larger than life personalilty that balances the slightly OTT (think Drag Queen) look and it really, really has worked for me.


Re the dating - this is so interesting. As you know, back in the day it was Dateline or nothing. And it was expensive, a real investment in our future that Mr D and I have of course never regretted, but OMG how different to today. No computers, no profiles and no photos. Just a list of computer generated matches based on the details you had provided. I am not photogenic at all, and Mr D is not a handsome man, and I honestly think that if we had seen pictures of each other we wouldn't have bothered. I appeared on his list, so he called me, and it really was a cold call, no e mailing and texting first.


So we were both in our thirties and I was very very fit and slim back then and was in the middle of a step aerobic work out and out of breath when I answered the phone. We chatted and got on really well and agreed to meet and he told me later that he was really shocked when he met me as he expected me to be overweight!! Why? Because I was breathing heavily as if I had run to answer the phone, and my personality was larger than life as a lot of larger ladies are!


And still we met and really enjoyed each others company and the rest is history.


If I had to do it all again - please God no - this is my third marriage - just call me Liz Taylor - I don't think I could face all this match.com stuff or Tinder. But I urge you to continue, LL, persistence really will pay off in the long run...............

humptydumptybits

LL I've got the stroppy teenagers as well as the bolshy 2 year olds. Actually the teenagers are pretty good with me, they save it up for the parents and I'm their escape route when it all blows up at home so I get the best of them.

maman

Countdown to your holiday sugarbaby. I'm so excited for you! Like LL, I've been to the Caribbean but not Jamaica. I'm sure you'll have a fantastic time. Do you have any links with the island?


John 3 sounds a right **** LL. How pretentious is that! Although I don't see much of a difference between reading Kafka and the ridiculous, life size fly and many of the sci fi films that are around these days.:D


Your talk of Liz Taylor Dorothy, reminded me of what LL said the other day about liking a man with a good voice. My dad had the most wonderful voice, very akin to Richard Burton. To me, there's such a difference between 'educated Welsh' and some of the rough Cardiff accents. My DH has a lovely voice too. He originates from Berkshire (the Royal county as he likes to point out;)) and speaks quite RP. Voices are important to me. It's not that I don't like regional accents but I really hate sloppy speech. Give me a good voice rather than GSOH any day.


And while I'm on my soapbox:o, I wouldn't go as far as to ban terrestrial tv and watch Russian channels:D but I'm pleased that Jeremy Kyle is being banned. Years ago when I had gym membership it used to be on the screens there. It's an appalling programme IMO. I don't like any reality tv, not even things like Bake Off. Anything with judging and criticising people publicly really puts me off. How ironic is that!!:eek:


It's a glorious day here, promises to get to 18 degrees. I've put my dark denim jeans on with the William Morris print navy and white top. I still don't think it's warm enough for bare legs.


I've got a dental appointment shortly. Only last week I was with the hygienist. My appointments have got all out of sync since I had some treatment a while back. I'll make some more today and try to sort it out.


Dancing tonight so I'll change into a skirt then. My art talk was good last night. I could have walked (about 1.5 miles each way) but decided that as I'm dancing 3 times this week I didn't want to wear my knees out.

Dorothy60

Oh Maman, Richard Burton's voice, and Anthony Hopkins - the very sound of their voices make my knees wobble. Dominic West played him in a biopic and he captured his charisma and the cadence of his voice so well. I expect Mr Maman's voice is lovely as well, we very seldom hear RP these day, Giles Brandreth perhaps, and the senior royals - FAB

Wednesday2000

That guy sounded awful LL.:eek:

I'm the exact opposite with accents. I really like cockney accents and working class men in general. I really am quite turned off by posh accents on men for some reason.:o:rotfl:

I do like Irish accents too.:A

My Amazon delivery just arrived so I can go back to bed for a nap as my hubbie is on nights this week.

Eek, I got on the scale and I have gained back a couple of pounds. I think I am getting too complacent!

I'm going to start counting WW points again as the weather is warming up now and I have that concert in a couple of weeks and I wanted to fit into that short skirt by then.:)

I had a toasted sandwich for breakfast and I am going to make something healthy later, maybe a vegetable curry or a nice soup. Something low calorie, but tasty and filling.

I hope everyone has a great day.:cool:

lessonlearned

I’m a sucker for a good voice. There are some great female voices too. Drew Barrymore, Jodie Foster have lovely low husky voices. I think Jane Fonda’s voice is fantastic. It’s so like her fathers.

I’m trying to keep an open mind but I think my husband probably ruined me for other men:rotfl:

He was like Jack Nicholson. The same naughtiness, the same wicked humour, the same charisma which stole every show and made him light up a room. Women, children and dogs adored him, men wanted to be his friend. He was super cool without even trying, in fact that’s what made him the cool guy.

He was an intellectual powerhouse but he never made people feel small or inferior. He never made any distinctions and always treated everyone with the same courtesy, respect and kindness. Half the nursing home staff attended his funeral, many of them openly weeping. To them he was more than just another patient. He just won their hearts.

I make him sound like a saint. He wasn’t. Just like Jack Nicholson he could be abrasive grumpy cantankerous and at times downright insufferable but somehow he still remained loveable.

I am cuddling my grandson, he is asleep, his sweet little head resting on my shoulder with one chubby little arm round my neck, his fingers locked into my hair. He loves my white hair, it fascinates him.

He looks into my eyes sometimes and I see my husbands eyes looking at me. Some of his genes live on. .

Our loved ones never really die. They are always with us. I look in the mirror and see my mum looking out at me, I hear Aunty S whispering pearls of wisdom when I need guidance. I watch some politician pontificating on tv and hear my dad snorting with derision. The dead never really leave us.

Dorothy60

Oh my goodness LL, your post brought tears to my eyes! The circle of life eh? My mother was hilarious, just so over the top and we used to cringe at her antics when we were younger, and now, and now I have become her and miss her more than I can ever say.


I firmly believe that there is a gentleman for you out there, LL. And no, he won't be a replica of your husband, he really does sound like one of a kind, and your feelings for anyone new that you meet will be very, very different from the ones that you had for the wonderful, quirky, unique and special man to whom you were married and fathered your sons. You CAN love again though, differently and gently but there is room in your heart and life for a kind and wonderful gentleman, and with persistence, curiosity, patience and good humour, I honestly believe that you will find each other......................and when you do you must come on here and tell us all about him.


As I often do, I have been sitting in my office plinking away on my computer musing about things I have read on here - and going back to speaking voices and the effect they can have on us, well Ladies, don't get started on David Tennant and Ken Stott - OMG - warm velvet