I’m going to share with you a very personal story. There was a low point in my life where I stopped wearing mascara. Don’t scoff! How we dress is, like it or not, an indication of our identity, and as big and blue as my eyes may have still been, they were makeup-less. Finally a friend intervened, “You have to keep wearing mascara. Even if you cry if off everyday, you have to keep putting it on.” So, at a as-granola-as-you-can-imagine retreat I also had my mom mail me a cocktail dress, cobalt blue Vera Wang, to also highlight my eyes. It’s better to overdress than underdress for dinner, gluten-free, lactose-free, and vegan though it may have been.
“I took back the day with running mascara and defiance…”
I remember strategically wearing a leather mini skirt during Operation Free The Mascara and casting brutal Maggie McGregor side eye, now dually emboldened, at a retreatant who thought to judge me. The same friend let him know he had just met the Fashion Police. Operation Free The Mascara wasn’t just about my makeup. It was about taking back and maintaining the habits that made me, me.
“Opaque black tights lengthen my legs and make me feel powerful, so yes I will join you in the Pilates room in them.” I am stubborn, but honestly that has helped me stay uniquely me. Going through a transformative experience like I did, you have to commit to change. But I was right to know what parts of myself I shouldn’t change, and that day the tights weren’t changing.
I made register of the wicked ways I needed to take care of myself and took them home with me. I hear there still are whispers of a woman with a messy bun and an attitude, who wore high heels on hikes, and took back the day with running mascara and defiance.
