Texans.  They talk funny, their eyes don’t focus, and their skin kinda rots and comes off their bodies in flakes.  But nobody’s perfect.

-Guy Noir, Prairie Home Companion

Saw Prairie Home Companion tonight.  It was…odd.  It bugs me when movies don’t tie up all the loose ends.  I enjoyed it, but it was one of those movies that didn’t have a plot.  Stuff happened, but it wasn’t actually ABOUT anything.  Probably makes more sense if you have any experience whatsoever with the radio program.  J used to listen to it when he lived in Minnesota.  He’s even sat at the table in the diner that the movie’s end was filmed at.

Before we left, I asked J if he would be totally embarassed to be seen with me if I didn’t wear makeup.  Being the good husband he is, he said of course not.  Actually, he said “Yeah, that would really ruin my evening,” which means the same thing.

So I did it.  I left my hair (mostly) wet, ditched the makeup, and wore ordinary shorts with a slightly-too-large-to-be-flattering t-shirt, and sneakers.

I think that’s the first time I’ve left the house without makeup since we moved to Texas.  It was weird and I felt slightly naked the whole time.

Before we got married, I went through a sloppy, no-makeup phase.  I think I just wanted to be sure J knew what he was getting into.  I knew he was right for me when he didn’t even notice.

Even after we got married, I would occasionally don the ponytail, B.U.M. sports outfit (as though I have an athletic bone in my body…I’m such a poser) and no-makeup look.  But since we moved here (3 years ago) that look has been removed from my wardrobe.  Perhaps it’s the fact that Dallas is one of the nation’s fashion capitals.  Perhaps it’s the fact that upon moving here, I started working at a company where “professional” attire was required, so I had to upgrade my wardrobe.

Whatever the reason, my style changed and I now feel slightly uncomfortable going out in public in my uber-comfies and naked face.

There’s a line somewhere between being comfortable and neglecting to take care of your appearance.  There’s also a line between taking care of yourself and being overly concerned with your appearance in a shallow and superficial way. 

Honestly, I’m not exactly sure where those lines are, and I’m thinking it probably varies by location.  If we lived in Seattle, I would probably not think twice about an evening at the movies without makeup.

Unfortunately, a lot of SAHM’s are accused of crossing into the “let herself go” shade.  And not because they wear sweat suits and t-shirts on a daily basis - when you’re home with kids and cleaning toilets, that only makes sense.  But because they seem to “forget” how to clean themselves up for outside-the-home appearances that do NOT involve cleaning or children. 

Like showing up for a dinner out with company in paint-stained cut-offs and a shirt with spit-up plastered on the shoulder.  It’s as though they get so lost in their daily routines, that they forget the understood social norms of public behavior and appearance, much like a man who would show up for an event looking as though he had just mowed the lawn.

I made J promise to tell me if I ever start showing those kinds of tendencies.

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 10th, 2006 at 1:00 am and is filed under Body Issues, Daily, Film, Marriage, Parenting, Thinking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.