This is me and my four brothers. I was born smack in the middle with two older and two younger. My mom tried to keep me very girlish when I was young. She sewed pretty dresses and did my hair very nicely and I liked it. My mom studied fashion and design in college so she was always stylin'. But when I got old enough to dress myself and do my own hair, I realized I wasn't so stylin' like my mom. Surrounded by brothers, I looked to them for clothing ideas and often borrowed their stuff. Later I developed my own eclectic style by shopping at thrift shops. My mom threatened to get rid of a pair of dark orange pants that had a funky vintage print on them if I wore them again. They disappeared.
I don't think there was any way for me to not be a tomboy (at least a little) being in the middle of brothers. I was a fast runner, I could give a long lasting dead leg, I rocked at kick ball, and I was good at wrestling (with my little brother). Now, years later, I am still a bit of a tomboy and I've identified a few ways I feel different from other women.
First, I don't like to go "shopping with the girls". I don't even like to go to the mall. The idea is so unappealing to me unless I need something specific and know exactly what store I am going to. When I do go shopping, I prefer to go alone. I have never and will never go shopping with the girls. Sorry to my sister-in-law Manna for not wanting to go shopping for her wedding dress. It was painful enough to do it for myself.
Second, I don't wear jewelry. I have jewelry that I love but don't wear it. I only sport my wedding rings and hypoallergenic studs. I often get dangling earrings as gifts from my aunts but I don't wear them. Sorry. I don't like to have things touching me or jangling when I walk.
Third, I don't do crafts. I don't like having crafts hanging around my house. I'm plain and boring. And scrapbooking? I do scrapbook but my idea is plain black paper with black corners to hold the picture. Simple. No frills. No getting too crazy.
Fourth, I don't go to any kind of party where the main objective is to get me to buy makeup, Tupperware, pots, pans, children's toys or jewelry. I'm not trying to be rude by not showing up. I just don't do them.
Fifth, my makeup consists mainly of chap stick.
Sixth, I don't get wrapped up in male actors. I don't care much about Brad Pitt, George Clooney or anyone else. I don't keep up with their lives or even care. I don't care much about female actresses either. And I'm not really into any shows that people get excited about like American Idol or The Bachelor or...I don't even know the names of others. I don't watch them.
Why am I thinking about this? With all the recent hype about a certain series of vampire books (which I did read and enjoy) and clicking onto my relatives blogs and seeing post after post about the movie (which I did see and enjoy), I realize that I don't quite fit in. I don't get getting all into it. Maybe it's because I never had an older sister to show me how to be a girl or maybe it's just me.
11 comments:
ha ha ha I especially like this post.... its funny because I can be like you in many ways Kearlig, yet I can be very girly and do the shopping and jewlery thing... and I learned that only from friends not from my sisters which is cool with me. I love my sisters and I like that naturalness of our family
you may not be very girly, but you are a strong, smart, beautiful woman... I guess that's good enough
one of many reasons we're friends!
I just like you! forill.
word ver: forill.
Well growing up in the middle of boys must have been fun! I always wanted a brother!! On the otherhand, just having sisters, well, we do all the girl things imaginable!! Just comes with the territory. I think you are very stylish, fashionable and beautiful!
I said "ditto" to myself over and over as I read your post, but I don't have all those brothers. I actually think that some of it has to do with my dad's influence on me, although a lot of it is just my personality and temperament. But I hear ya, cousin.
OK, you and Tawny have to meet. It is just too weird, how similar you are. She is the oldest of 10, and 8 are girls, but except for the scrapbooking, you are peas in a pod.
She does like some older actors, and thinks Johnny Depp as a pirate is pretty cool, but other then that not so much.
At the very least, maybe I can convince her to come to Moab.
For all you posters of Kearlig, you can check out our family blog, so you don't think I am a weirdo:)
Marty
Marty, It'd be nice to have another woman around in Moab so try to convince her. I don't think anyone is going to think you are a weirdo. You are a friend of the fam.
Kaerlig...sorry for invading your blog but I just had to say: Amen. Malls? Crafts? Vampire romance? Ick.
I do like going to the Mall once in a while, I have read the vampire books liked them, but haven't seen the movie yet. I do enjoy crafts(they are my creative outlet!) and I don't srapbook. As for the jewlery, I like some, but not much. Isn't it nice we aren't all alike! What a boring world we would live in!
Oh my gosh! You look just like Olivia in that first picture!
Chelsea
O.K. Kaerlig.
All those things you just said you don't like , I do. And to top it off I am totally in love with a fictional vampire and the actor who played him! Are you baggin on me?
I think we are exact opposites in almost every way, but then why do I love you so much? How come we get a long so well? It's weird that we can be so different yet have so much in common.
P.S. You are way too pretty to call yourself a Tom Boy!
XO,
Chelsea
Post a Comment