I'm not fabulous...

That's one of the things I noticed while I was reading Tom Clark's Gay Mormon Stories over the weekend.

I know I just highlighted Gay Mormon Stories a couple of weeks ago, and here I am linking to them again. Well, what happened was that I'd written in my earlier post that the site was "required reading for anyone who wants to understand the experiences of growing up gay and Mormon."

Then I said to myself, "Maybe I should go read the stories on the site before I say that." I know Tom's writing well enough to trust him on this, but I figured there's no harm in going over to the site and reading a few more of them. I was not disappointed, and I stand by my original statement. :D

I especially loved the part in Connell's story where he just throws together a dessert at the last minute -- and it's a custard baked into a pumpkin shell, tastefully accessorized on a silver platter with colorful Autumn leaves -- and he accidentally wins first prize in the ward Thanksgiving dessert contest, much to the wrath of the ladies who didn't win. Oops. LOL, a classic move!!! :D

There's no danger of anything like that ever happening to me. In Connell's story I probably would have been the one who won one of the non-challenging awards like "most colorful jello salad" or even more likely "most creative use of buying something from the local bakery"...

I don't really have a flair for fashion and design. I hate it when I get one of those haircuts that has a lot of potential (i.e. looks stunning if you spend an hour on it in the morning, looks like crap if you don't). Back when I was in Young Women's we'd occasionally have activity nights where we learned various hair and make-up techniques, and I'd set goals to try to start up a regular beauty routine, but it never took. I'm just a wash-n-go kind of gal.

Every now and then I wonder if it might be interesing to have a natural sense of style. But I don't feel bad about not being fabulous because hey, I'm not gay, so it's not expected. And my husband doesn't care -- he's straight too, so he doesn't know the difference.

Then I remember that there are many straight women who are fabulous. It isn't just a gay guy thing.

For example, there's my glamorous Mormon diva sister. Also there's Montchan.

I was just reading on Montchan's blog here about how she likes to come to France during shopping season and go home fabulously decked in French fashion. That made me think "Jeez, here I am in France, in the middle of a big sale season... I need to get off my butt and go shopping!!!" (Okay, it's not Paris here, it's just Bordeaux, but still...)

Normally I think one of the advantages to living in Southern Europe is that you can wear "resort wear" all summer long. By that I mean it's socially acceptable to go around wearing a sundress that is really just a glorified colorful rag which will set you back about five bucks and which may or may not be flattering, depending entirely on luck.

But I figured I should at least try to make a brave effort to hit the sales. Believe me, I cut a stylin' figure out shopping in a baggy t-shirt covered with pictures of fish, unmatched Priceton athletic shorts, and a wide-brimmed straw hat that has been crushed by too much wear serving as a "Fraulein Maria" costume.

And what I bought myself was equally stylin': the plad skirt that I was modeling Sunday morning.

Now I can just see Montchan shaking her head and saying "God, no! Let is not be so!"

;^)

But maybe next time she or one of my other fabulous friends can come along and give me some pointers... :D