My Life on a Plate

Fashion Dictates

I felt a little guilty last night as we drove down our street just before darkness fell. Amongst the flashing, illuminated decorated-to-the-hilt houses, mine stood completely stark and dim. I have to fight hard to keep that guilt at bay by telling myself it's only over the last few years this passion for outside Christmas lights and decorations has grown. I don't know who first started it but it's become the FASHION and every year more and more people succumb to the pressure of keeping up with the neighbours. Okay, some are quite tastefully decorated and pretty but I've never owned any outdoor decorations and I don't intend to start at this late stage in life. Call me Scrooge or any other insulting adjective, but I won't be dictated to by trends if I can help it. My decorations will be the simple ones we always have inside our home.

Our home is just over forty years old and although we've made a lot of alterations it remains a 'seventies' style house and always will I suspect. Our bathroom, loo and shower are in desperate need of modernising and I'd love a new bathroom suite. We've put this off for many years however because of the trend for white bathrooms. Mention you'd like a coloured suite and you're looked at as if you came out of the ark. I DO NOT want a white bathroom suite for God's sake; I live with two men for a start and do not want to spend my days keeping white units pristine. After several years the fashionable colour is still white so it looks like we'll have to find a specialist firm and pay extra because we dare to be different and want a colour. Why should we always have to follow fashion?

It's the same with holidays. We've visited a Greek island, a Spanish island and Cyprus, so when hubby asked where I'd like to go next June, I said an Italian island. But no travel agents can offer a reasonable deal because Italy is not the flavour of the month. I DO NOT want to go to Bulgaria, Turkey or Spain thank you. So, again because we've chosen differently our holiday to Sardinia will be more expensive.

Ladies fashions also make me despair. I have a young hairdresser who I adore, but at times I can tell her fingers itch to alter my hairstyle. I do not like the two-toned unruly styles that are fashionable; I like my hair tidy yet attractive. It seems once you reach a certain age you're supposed to have the grey permed look, but I refuse to become an old woman yet and will do my utmost to avoid ever looking or behaving like one. I may be grumpy but I sure as hell refuse to be old.

Yesterday I went to look for a new outfit for our New Year party. Brown is the dominant colour at the moment. Well I hate brown and refuse to wear it. The tops have seams under the bustline and the skirts are long and layered. I DO NOT want to look like a huge, burnt tiered wedding cake and my boobs refuse to fit properly in the misshaped sections of these trendy tops, so what am I supposed to do? Go to the more mature women's shop and deck myself out in pleated skirts, high necked blouses, support stockings and brogues? Over my dead body, so it looks like I'll go without.

I suppose my point is, if I have one at all, is WHY do we have to be so dictated to by fashions and trends? What happened to those old friends 'personal choice,' and 'happy medium?'

Thank you Mavis Moog for stepping in and making the awards for the contest I mentioned in my previous blog. That was a very kind thing to do.