25(ish) Dresses

 

May is long since over, and so is the Dress Challenge. Did I do it? Sort of. I started on 7 May and finished on 1 June. I considered going for a full month instead of just for the rest of May, but by the end of the month, I was so ready to be done.

What did I think about it or learn?

Why did I do it? Mostly because I thought it would be fun. Not for some deep philosophical reason or to explore gender dynamics or religion or anything. I thought it would be fun, and I thought I might enjoy dressing up a little more. Plus, maybe it would give me an excuse to buy a few new clothes (it did).

I’ve never been a big subscriber to the idea that you have to wear makeup and dresses and be froofy to be feminine and honor womanhood, so I wasn’t particularly concerned with that. But I did think it would be interesting to see if I felt any different while doing it.

Did I feel more feminine? The first few days, I noticed that I tried a little harder to actually look cute—you know, doing my hair, accessorizing, etc. I did feel a little more feminine, prettier. I pranced a little more, danced a little more. But then, by the end of the month, it was all old hat. The novelty effect had worn off and I was just left with, “Ugh. I already wore that three times this month. It’s just not that cute anymore.” So sometimes I felt more feminine, but not entirely.

Of course, I also shaved my legs a lot more too, so that helped.

Will I wear skirts more often? I think so. I always get to summer and think, “It’s so hot. If only I had cute skirts to wear so that I wasn’t so stinking hot.” Well, now I do. So yes, maybe a couple days a week.

Did people treat me differently? Nope, not really. That may just be because I’m such a cave troll that I didn’t see enough people to get a good sampling…

Any other side effects? Yes. My sweet Coriel, who was already obsessed with wearing dresses and makeup and dressing up (where did she get that? I would think she got switched at birth except that she was the only baby at the birth center that day!), got even more so. And my delightful Addra, who seems far too young to be expressing such strong clothing preferences, adamantly demanded (nonverbally, of course) to be put in a dress on multiple days.

And now I shall regale you with the photographic evidence.

Yes, this is a rerun.

Another rerun.

More reruns. This is the day, though, that I decided gardening in a skirt wasn't worth it.

With a vase of poppies from our garden.

Are our crowns not magnificent? Aunt Dawn made Coriel's and Brice's. Coriel made mine and Addra's.

This is one of those awesome spinny skirts. It should also be noted that when I told Brice I didn't have enough skirts to wear for an entire month, he said, "I guess we'll just have to buy you some more." And then he did. You just wish your hubby was this awesome.

I can't actually remember what this was supposed to be, but Coriel made it and was very pleased with the product.

Yes, that is a giant play sandwich on my head.

Please note that Addra was so enthusiastic about joining the dress challenge that she is wearing two dresses. At the same time.

Yes, I know that there's already one of this day, but I couldn't resist sharing the expression. I realize I'm supposed to be a buff Viking here, but I really feel like what this picture needs is a good, "Arrrrrr."

Post Warrior Dash. Complete with caked-on face paint. (On Brice, not on me.)

You only wish you could be cool enough to have purple and black striped tights. I have owned these tights foreeeeever, and I have been dying for just the right moment to wear them. When I finally realized the right moment would never come on its own, I decided to make that moment. What's really amazing about it is that I wore these tights in public. Seriously. And now that I've done it, I will never do it again.

Please note that both the girls are wearing dresses, as is the doll. This was not my doing. Every day Coriel picks a dress to wear. We might as well toss out all her jeans.

Luxuriating on our newly cleaned carpet. I was so jazzed about it that I had to commemorate it with a pic.

At Aunt Dawn's house in the "friendly woods" (as we call them), AKA the middle of nowhere, AKA West Virginia.

Still there.

Forgot to get a picture this day. Fortunately, Coriel decided to take one anyway.

Brice calls this one, "The Writer in Her Natural Habitat."

That's not backlighting, folks. I really just glow like that.

Take a picture of yourself every day for 20ish days and by the end you too will run out of creative poses and start drooping.

Striking a pose. Also having a random wrist ouchy that caused the wearing of the bandage that caused the appearance of being a hip, cool rocker (don't disabuse me of my delusions of coolness, please).