Post: #1

One of the better Onion articles to date (and scary 'coz it's true!):

Quote:

BURKE, VA—Speechless for several seconds after she descended the stairs for breakfast Sunday, the family of local mother Jolene DiPietro were reportedly “floored” by the 49-year-old’s latest look, a gender-neutral mix of loose-fitting clothes and low-maintenance grooming that muted any and all outward feminine characteristics.

“Wow, I thought she looked completely genderless before, but now she’s really taken it to a whole new level,” said DiPietro’s daughter Katie, praising her mother’s style combination of formless brown fleece pullover, button-down blue-and-white-checked shirt, and relaxed-fit khakis. “I can’t get over how her short-cropped hair spikes up in front, and how what little makeup she wears only serves to de-emphasize any discernibly feminine facial features.”
...
As she walked around the kitchen, sources confirmed, all eyes were fixated on her footwear, a pair of comfortable-looking gray New Balance sneakers that “just scream either woman or man.” She also carried a cavernous hunter-green all-purpose day bag that is said to enhance the boxiness of her already distinctly squarish body type.

“Yep, that’s the human being I married,” boasted DiPietro’s husband, Paul. “Those roomy chinos really show off how her legs are a functional part of her body necessary for locomotion. And those white tube socks sure do hug her unnoticeable curves.”

“Of course, we all know there’s a woman somewhere under all those baggy, billowing clothes,” said Katie, underscoring how impressed she was that her mother had managed to transform herself into such an androgynous fashionista. “But if I didn’t know her, it would take me a while to guess what kind of genitals she had.”

“Or, for that matter, whether she had any genitals at all,” she added.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/suburba.../?ref=auto

Post: #2

At my older kid's elementary school we have a couple different cliques of moms. It's fascinating to watch from a distance. There are the ones who look like the lady in the Onion article, maybe a bit younger. They are very crunchy granola in style.

To me, they are "martyr moms." I guess that they think that just because they have children, they aren't supposed to care about their looks anymore.

Then we have the moms who do yoga, dress nicely and make an effort with their hair. Not all of them, but many are foreign born.

I was at the school playground standing next to two of the frumpy moms. One of the European moms walked by, very well put together. One of the frumps said under her breath "She always looks so nice." The other one grumbled in a huffy tone "Oh, well she's French." As if that was a sufficient explanation! It's not like French women come out of the womb looking stylish and groomed.

The frumps certainly have the $ resources and time to make more of an effort with their appearance, if they wanted to. They just believe they are somehow above it.