A Day in the Life of a Girly Girl

photo by re_'s photostream

My greatest concern about my ability to join the ranks of the girly girl, is what I perceive as the time and effort that must be invested in order to achieve and maintain the perfect look. The main reason for the middle aged mom appearance, I believe, is lack of time. I truly feel I would neglect my children and my job if I were to follow all of the rituals that are potentially involved. Beyond lacking the skill to perfect my hair and makeup application, I just don’t have the energy.

I have trouble scheduling hair appointments before my hair is half dead and my roots are way beyond showing. My uni-brow returns before I realize it and I am at the pool with my kids with fuzzy armpits. I have tried to pre-schedule appointments but often no show because I forget.

 Somewhere I suppose I would need to strike a balance. I never polish my fingernails. I get facials twice a year. I get my hair cut and colored every 3 months (that’s bad I know…). I only wear make up on special occasions. I don’t buy clothes that need to be dry cleaned (if I do, once they get dirty they sit in my closet for months before I take them in and get to wear them again). I don’t do injectables. I rarely shop. I get leg and biking waxes only in the summer (my coat thickens in the winter). I do wax my eyebrows (they really make them look great, I have no idea what I am doing when I do it, and plucking is a lot like torture). I wash my hair every other day (on off days, due to bed head, I wear a pony tail). I don’t have a satin pillow and my purse is filled with grocery receipts. Man, I just realized, I’m a little pathetic.

 I guess with improved organization and time management I could find some primping time. Some of these things are simple pleasures that make me feel happily spoiled when I do indulge. I looooove facials….I find them more relaxing then massage.  I just never get around to scheduling them. I like looking nice and getting compliments. When my husband notices, I know I have accomplished something.

 Maybe girly girls are the masters of planning and organization. Perhaps they have just prioritized "looking good" a little higher on their lists than I have. My issue might be more that I have not put enough stock in how I look or how I achieve it. What would happen if I did? Could this be like the psychological scenario of the under achiever, who through never trying, never has to fail? What if I did really try to look great, and didn’t?