I’m an engineer (and female) and oh-mi-gods I dunno how women DO “The Girly Thing”!!
I mean, if I turned up at a client’s place in a nice skirt, cute shoes and an ickle bitty pink handbag, they frog-march me out the door demanding who I was and what had I done with Bimble??
Hee hee hee!!
Nope! I was a tomboy as a kiddie and a tomboy as an (alleged!!) adult! I’d rather go motor racing than go on a Spa Holiday with the Girlies or solder cables onto a flippin’ patchbay than trying to figure out what to do for a dinner party (…unless you all like veggie nachos, that is…)
Gilrie conversation baffles me! I have LOTS of girlie friends and they KNOW that if they ask me an opinion on the latest Famous Designer’s £5000 handbag, they’ll get the biggest blank look they’ve ever seen, but if they need help with their iPods, they know where to come!!
My flatmate will no doubt be going shopping this weekend for a new outfit. Me? I’m getting a set of alloy wheels for my car…
(As a concession to my Feminine Side, I DO wear pretty make up and DO style my (blonde-and-long) hair. I also try to dress as decently as possible in my nicely-cut jeans (black) and variously coloured t-shirts, etc)
Now all I gotta is find me a Nice Guy to go with all that… sighs Any guys in here who like cars, veggie nachos and need a patchbay wired up??
What side do it put you on if you wear jeans and fitted, low-cut t-shirts? I don’t wear makeup very often, but I believe I own some. I almost always wear Docs, although I have a couple pairs of mary janes and I think I own sandals.
This I don’t get. I don’t get why men don’t carry purses, either. Where do you keep all your stuff that’s nice to have with you during the day? Where do you keep your book (to read when you get bored)?
I’m a lousy girl, and always have been. I hate makeup, when I wear “girl clothes” (as rarely as humanly possible) I feel like I’m in drag, I don’t like babies and small children, and I’m alternately mystified and bored by stereotypical “girl talk” (guys, movie stars, makeup, cooking, babies/children, and clothes). Sometimes I wonder if I’m one of those rare female transvestites, because I love guy clothes. Leather jackets, big stompy boots (I just bought a great pair of New Rocks to wear to Gen Con!), the whole works–in fact, when I see events like the Academy Awards I look at the women in their gowns and think ‘eww…why do they want to look so…vulnerable?’ while at the same time lusting after the tuxedos and wishing there were socially acceptable events where women can get away with wearing them. I’d think I was a drag king, except that I’m straight and happily married.
I have been on the lookout for the perfect bag (not purse) though, and I think I might have found it at Diesel. Only problem is, I can’t seem to get in the habit of carrying one, and my wallet and keys remain firmly in my front pants pockets where they belong–I’m always afraid if I put them in a bag I’ll either lose it, leave it somewhere, or just panic because I can’t find them.
Please, please, please tell me you keep your purse under control at all times.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been thoughtlessly assaulted by someone with a big handbag or backpack. It extends their physical area by sometimes more than a foot out, and in crowded areas, a quick turn can knock someone over.
Big Bag People - Be Warned! Once is forgivable, but I KNOW, from personal experience, that they can feel they’ve hit something, so the second time they hit me, I’m going to pull the full liner from the nearest trash bin and smack them arount with it.
Handbags, with little handles carried yanked right up under their armpits are second only to shouldered luggage for ouch factor; they nail you right in the tit.
I’m learning about makeup and worried that I won’t. If I cover my face with the stuff, I don’t want it to run or smear, I don’t want it to be too hot, and I had damn well better look like a clown. I don’t want to find I have finally perfected balloon animals, only to hear “Why doesn’t he have clown makeup on?”
I do have an almost irresistable urge to do that when there’s a large mirror. I’m even teaching the song to my niece, “Hey, there’s a mirror! Want to sing the pretty song?”
I think next visit, I’ll have to explain to her that I don’t want to sing the ‘pretty song’ while buy fabric at the craft store because it “makes it hard to meet girls”.
I carry a backpack. It is manly. I can keep books, an umbrella, windbreaker, my big book of Philly maps, etc in it. Manly I say!
I also tend to carry bandaids, mints, gum, an assortment of needles, a spool of thread, and collapsible scissors.
When I found a tissue for a kid who had sneezed, and then gave him and his siblings pieces of Bazooka, I knew I had become my mother.
For makeup, go to a salon and find the beautician with the best makeup there. They will often give makeup lessons for about $15. They will also give you a free hair style consultation if you get your hair cut there. A good stylist is worth the $30-$40/haircut. Then, once you get a style you like, take a pic! Very important, so that you don’t have to wave your hands vaguely and say “Um” a lot when you go in for your next haircut. Paula Begoun has great books and advice on what brands are best and what techniques to use.
Heh, I’m an engineer too and that’s exactly what I wear: pencil skirt, four inch pink stilettos, pink handbag (tho’ it’s not tiny, it’s gotta hold the wallet, cellphone, calculator, mechanical pencils, business cards, notebook, etc.), and long fake hot pink ghetto nails. (here’s me faking a traffic count for a publicity photo.) I love doing the girly stuff.
I agree with Susan Sto Helit a good cut is totally worth the extra money. I found it’s a better deal to get a good haircut I’m happy with every six months rather than a crappy one from Supercuts every couple of months.
For make-up, I’m not great at it either but I’ve suddenly gotten interested in applying it. I do like the book Real Beauty by Sonia Kushak. The neatest thing is that it comes with a DVD so you can see how she applies make-up. To do make-up well, you need to practice and I like to play around with it right before I wash my face for bed. I also went and got foundation at Prescriptives where the sale clerk will actually tell you exactly what you need. I was really worried about that horrible caked on orangy look some girls get and it was worth the extra money to get a good match for my skin.
BTW, for those who hate pantyhose, you’re in luck, hose is totally out right now. Wear either a bare leg or, in the winter, opaque tights.
I actually am training to be a clown, so I have actual make up questions.
Does cost actually reflect quality? How do I find stuff that won’t smear (I’m sure they all claim not to smear. I want one that lives up to that promise)? Just how much hotter will a face covered in make up make me? Do you really need different kinds (mascara, eyeshadow, blush) for different parts of the face?
Thanks. Did you notice my hot pink Turkish-inspired rhinestone mules? I had no idea we were gonna take that photo and the first thing my boss said when he saw the photo was “couldn’t you have worn normal shoes?” :dubious:
One of Paula Beguon’s books actually has a product review section. She goes through lipsticks, moisturizers, bases, etc, and rates them based on ingredients, cost, quality, etc. The book (Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me) is a few years old at this point, but it still gives you a good idea of which brands make quality products.
Mostly, the upper-level stuff is no better than the department store brands. However, you can’t test the department store makeup out. I usually go to a Clinique or MAX counter, test and buy a new lipstick (or whatever), and then take it with me to Bi-Mart to find a similar color.
So to answer your questions: No, do your research, not at all (as far as I can tell), and no.
I hate hose with a passion, but I can’t get away with bare legs because I have scars and I’m so pale that bare legs look unattractive.
As for purses, I have to carry one, and it’s got to be fairly large. Right now, I carry pens, my PDA, cell phone, a small notebook, my wallet, and other stuff. During the school year, I also tend to carry around at least one required-reading book so I’ve got something to read during downtime. When I’m going for something like a job interview, I use a smaller bag for my wallet, PDA, cell phone, and pen.
I’ve always been girly, but not too girly. I have skirts and wear them on occasion, but it’s not a habit, I wear makeup, and care a lot about my hair. On the other hand, I swear, and am pretty much a total nerd.
I’m also a ballerina, and it’s hard to be a tomboy when you’re in ballet. Though after walking on my toes for an hour I’ve found walking in high heels to be a breeze.
As for shoes, go to Payless and invest in some cute strappy sandles. They go well with just about anything and it’s hella cheap!
Did you notice my hot pink Turkish-inspired rhinestone mules? I had no idea we were gonna take that photo and the first thing my boss said when he saw the photo was “couldn’t you have worn normal shoes?” :dubious: