I do love to shop. Dead Rita and I often used retail therapy. When I lived in Ft. Wayne, we'd fly or drive to Chicago to go shopping for the weekend. This was the late '70s. I worked while going to school full time and lived at home. I had some discretionary income, but nowhere near the amount I spent. I applied for, and received waay too many credit cards. Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, Marshall Fields…..plus Diners Club, Mastercard, Visa….ridiculous amounts of credit.
On one visit, Dead Rita and I were headed to Chicago with my cards and I called Lord & Taylor to ask what my shiny new card's limit was. This formal male voice looked up my information and say in a serious tone, "you can shop without fear of impunity." I thanked him in an equally formal tone and after I pulled out my dictionary to find out the definition of "impunity", I was off and charging.
Over 30 years later I still enjoy a good trip to a fine store, but Rwanda has changed everything. I fear impunity! I still get to buy beautiful things – designer pieces – beauty for beauty's sake. But on the graph of my shopping habits, the trend is definitely in a downward slope from my previous charts. That said, I was so stunned at an article I read in the last few days I decided to write to the editor – but it's hitting my blog first!
I just received the May 2008 issue of Marie Claire magazine. http://www.marieclaire.com/ I'm not sure of the demographics they're trying to reach, but a pithy 50 year old white woman has a subscription. I like the mag! Good articles. But one caught my eye in the Beauty Section: page 168 title: Why Does this Haircut COST $1000? By Julia Scirrotto. Why indeed thought I ??!! And I figured it out. YOU DON'T GET WHAT YOU DESERVE: YOU GET WHAT YOU NEGOTIATE! One of my favorite expressions for my coaching clients! And beauty maven and Dove stylist Gretchen Monahan has negotiated that price to receive a haircut and consultation from her and according to the article, "overachievers (named-but I'm not trying to be a mean girl here so no names) are banging down her door".
But here's the thing: while the writer Julia Scirrotto looked lovely after her 'do, she's that way anyway – she could have a Captain Jean-Luc Picard (portrayed by Patrick Stewart in the Star Trek TV series) haircut and look good! Nope. I can't see it. The cost.
Because in my world, you can buy FORTY GOATS from the Itafari Foundation for $1,000! We provide these goats for Child Headed Households through our program. http://itafari.org/ Such a deal! Saving lives, empowering children, rebuilding a country OR a good hair day (and honestly – I'd need to be stopped by strangers who would gasp in disbelief and say "WHERE did you get that haircut!!???")…..give me a second…..AND THE WINNER IS…………..IHENE (goats) for everyone!! I'll wear a scarf.
Great hair is great. My haircuts and color can run a few goats. I can measure everything in the value of goats. I night in a 5 star hotel, depending on where it is in the world, can range from five goats to hundreds of goats. Pick your product/service. It's divisible by goat. It's about choice. And I choose to say it's not ok to depict this as a fantasy goal for a woman. But I also choose to believe that women who can afford a $1000 haircut, and the stylist herself, use their money to change the world as well.
Maybe someday I'll write about my six goat updo I got at The Plaza in New York a few years ago that made me look like a turtle.
To see Captain Picard song music video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8489575706754651138&q=&hl=en
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2 comments:
after reading this I feel bad for the woman who paid 40 goats for her hair, because everyone knows that 24 hours after you leave your hair will not look the same no matter what you do making it a very short lived 40 goat experience. then i thought about the people in rwanda who can make their goat last waaaaay longer than just 24-48 hours & that makes me sad to see good money wasted on hair. Course this is coming from a girl who cuts her hair 4x a year & has never coloured, permed, or done much of anything else to it, so maybe I'm a bit bias.
Didn't know you were a Picard fan, Vicky. Oh, the things you learn in blogs! ; )
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