Doctor Whimsy

So the dress shopping begins in about 10 hours, and I'm not ready. I'm scared, actually. I'm really not the bridal gown-type girl and I have an amazing ability of feeling intimidated by sales ladies. It helps to remind myself of where I went to college when I'm in that situation, but darn it if I don't find shopping scary. You know those stores where the sales help automatically greet you when you walk in? I think the pretext is to make you fell more comfortable, but more often than not I rush right out when I hear someone say hello. I like to shop in private.

I think the bridal gown thing is scary because it's a lop-sided transaction. It's not my body or appearance that is the issue. Like all things in life (and especially right now), it's the money. I assume that you try on a dress first and find out the price later. And probably what happens is the price is too much and you have to put it back. And the sales person now has a valuable piece of information about your social status and uses it against you to make you feel worthless because your budget is slim. And I suppose it helps to remind yourself that that same sales person couldn't afford a dress in the boutique where they work either. But it's just so easy to make other people feel inferior because of money in New York City, and it's not an experience I like going through.

The second thing that bothers me about dress shopping is the volume of potential choices. Ask anyone who knew me when I was selecting a bed for my first apartment, and they'll tell you how miserable I am at making a decision. I research and then I research some more. But I am reminded of a story my mother told me at around the time I struggled to find the perfect bed, sans pea. She told me of her struggles to find the perfect couch when she was young and how she hunted and hunted until she found the perfect Marimekko fabric, only to realize it was too fragile to hold up to the daily abuse of people's backsides. So she made curtains out of it and found another couch. That story was so helpful at the time because it reminded me that I am never alone. And so I will great company tomorrow as I don my first gown. Here's to you, Mom and the Blog Sidekick.