Skirt Essay # 6: Flat fold and Ruffle Purpose

Draft Sweet Skirt Part 3:

Should I say it casually? Or should I make a formal argument? Could I cajole myself into feeling comfortable about having more in common with former public enemy number onne, Warren Jeffs, than the patrolmen that seized him. It is the skirt thang. Hold on a sec. I am not saying that Warren Jeffs has ever worn a skirt. From what I hearWomen in the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saint’s Sect of Mormonism must always wear skirts or dresses.

 There is a religious myth, nee compliment, maybe a stigmatism for some, that women are supposed to have their legs draped not cut and trimmed to their height. NO wonder when Lane Bryant presented their new line of Jeans that were formulated to three general sizes of women. What they had done was take laser images of thousands of women and come up with jeans that fit. Most men are more comparable physically to straight lines, women are traditionally curved in one way or another. Dresses for the sake of genetics is one aspect. Funny thing, although I was created a female, I evolved into concave and convex curves.

 So maybe in the interest of creationism, I wear a skirt? Well, I didn’t go that far. I did have a realization while praying that I’d rather wear a skirt and be recognized fully by God and others as a female. Part of it, I think, is how clothes psychological define a person. Women I worked with, who wore pants constantly, seemed to have an indignant malaise about them. And quietly, tacitly made comments as to how inappropriate my sensitivities were to customers. It is hard to explain. Dressing goes beyond just a uniform for work or this is casual dress and this is work wear. Here is s good example: when a person buttons their shirt all the way to the top and or wears a pocket protector,what do you assume about the person? He or she is a geek. Or if just the collar issue, someone who is a stiff neck and rigid.

 Pants, as of late, to me means that you are the one in charge, you are the bread winner in your family. Wearing the pants in the family means that you get to make the decisions as to what happens, when it happens and if it happens. Before any self-empowered woman turns on their ear and the calls to Oprah’s show begin, you’ve got to understand. I’m tired of being in charge. I am tired of being a leader. Some days it comes down to, “why don’t you know how to do your job? You’ve been here that long.” I’m tired of picking up the slack, especially when everyone begins to expect it and no one pitches in to help. I has a lot to do with not wanting to appear like Angela Bassett, Alfre Woodard or Oprah Winfey– domineering superwomen. The comments of know-it-all bull dozing women puts me in a place where I cringe and hide. I spent years trying not to convey that type of personality. The skirt gives me freedom to be submissive and enjoy “doing what I am told”. My mind set has change to domestic service from public. A biological clock timer going off, maybe. Still, my father told me I was a late bloomer. The world might want to be careful, I may make it to age 110.

 Hmmm. I think another part of it was my size. The first time I though about wearing more skirts was that my weight and curves had gotten the best of me. Thank God no one had to have the mumu talk with me at work. I never wore one, but you can tell the women who have given up on losing weight, the wear kaftans and mumus all the time. After that period of higher weight, thankfully I lost some of the padding for the curves. Yet, I became even more vehement about wearing a skirt. More reason came to me than I could understand.

 Why Twiggy was every the number one model, I will never understand.

 

 by N.C. Constantine

Copywrite July 8, 2009