summer (body) lovin'

in honor of summer's little flirtation with us today, i bought a skirt - a white and royal blue flouncy confection that kisses me knees and reminds me of matisse's blue nude that used to hang in our living room when i was little. (a print, that is. car dealers in michigan do just fine, but still, no room for an original matisse in the budget.)

i normally hate the way skirts look on me.

you're shocked, i'm sure.

i have very strong, shapely legs that i inherited from my professional football player (linebacker) father. i love them in certain situations; mostly covered...in pants.

then there's that whole shaving thing that i tend to "forget" for weeks at a time, and my body, while lovely, is loooooooong in torso and a wee bit short in leg. this presents two major dilemmas - i have the damnedest time finding shirts that are long enough to accomodate my already longish trunk (not to mention the ubiquitous low-rise pant), and i look particularly schoolmarmish in the de rigeur skirts of the moment - flouncy, intended to fall just below the knee, but on moi fall smack in the middle of the calf. not a good look. less audrey hepburn in sabrina, more robin williams in mrs. doubtfire.

ya know what, though?

fuck it.

yup. that's right. fuck it.

this summer, i refuse to suffer needlessly in the miserable muffin-tin heat of NYC - - - i riiiise like dough in the midst of all of these buildings - - - because i feel the need to cover up my less-than-perfect body parts. r, a dear friend of mine that lives in lexington, kentucky (god help her stand the heat + humidity! they must just drown themselves in mint juleps.) with whom i correspond via post gasp! on a regular basis, and i are developing our own rules of summer (body) lovin'.

i don't think she's thinking about her calves...
unless she has ones that moo.

i ask you, dear readers, to join us, as we reclaim our bodies, our comfort, and our sweat ducts.

rule # 1 for this summer: i will wear skirts. flouncy, light, airy skirts that make me feel full, crinolined, and feminiiiiiiine...like a peony. i don't care if my legs look like telephone poles draped in organza.

rule #2: i will wear sleeveless cotton tops because it will be hotter than hell, and i will not suffocate under long sleeves because i'm frightened of "arm overage."

rule #3: i will wear my hair back, up, and away from my face when i need to be kept cool and comfortable - in ponytails, buns, pigtails, pippy longstocking braids, whatever works. i will not worry as to whether or not this makes my face look fatter or the zit in the middle of my forehead more noticeable.

and more tk. feel free to add your own suggestions. i must to bed...