#BoPoMarch: The Avon Lady

If you don't know what BoPoMarch is let Ebi tell you all about it. I have planned two blog posts for the event. The second one will be about me. This one is about one of the most beautiful women I have ever met.

I'll call her Ms.P. We worked at the same large facility in the early 90s but we didn't work together. It's possible our paths might never have crossed if she hadn't also been the Avon Lady. She was a large African-American woman with a medium-dark complexion. I can only guess her size - about an 18 or 20, I think. She had big hair that stood out from her head and fell to her shoulders. She wore what some would consider "too much" make up and perfume and dressed elaborately. She always wore loose, silky pantsuits with tops that fell to her knees, with long, flowing scarves and lots of big jewelry. Her nails were always artistically painted. She planned her outfits a week ahead and painted her nails to go with her outfits so one week she might wear purple all week, another week browns and golds, and another week, greens, and so on.

But her eccentric manner of dress wasn't the only thing, or even the main thing, that made Ms. P beautiful. She was also poised and graceful and one of the sweetest people I have ever known. She had a deep, gentle and cheerful voice. She always seemed genuinely delighted to see anyone who came to her office. She also had a great sense of and appreciation for romance. Of course not everyone admired her like I did but if she knew about the people laughing at her behind her back she never showed it in the least. She was confident and happy with who she was.

Never underestimate the importance of attitude as an element of beauty. Ms. P's style would not work for everyone and I doubt most women would be willing to go to that much effort every day. I know I'm not. But it's not necessary. Do your own thing. Rock your own style. Wear what makes you happy because happiness is beautiful.

One of the great things about knowing how to sew is that it enables us to dress any way we want to. Contemporary or classic, traditionally feminine or menswear inspired, make-up or no make-up, it doesn't matter. What matters is attention to detail, being well put-together and attitude. Arrogance, cynicism, rudeness, and hatefulness are ugly. Grace, kindness, cheerfulness, confidence - these are beautiful. Sometimes it's something you have to work at though, just like putting together an outfit.

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UPDATE: This particular post has been attracting a lot of spam (the only spam I'm getting) so I'm turning off comments for this post only. My apologies if you got here late and didn't get the chance to comment.