by Dawn Watson (cnbnews.net)
I’m confused by fashion, today.
In middle school kids usually try to conform, dressing in mom-approved apparel that blends into the woodwork, thus providing a hiding place in the cruel world of pre-puberty. Then comes high school, when the rebelliousness sets in and you see that, in their non-conformity they all look alike, anyway, except for different shades of Manic Panic, the hair product that not only colors hair but shrivels it up and breaks it off, as well.
And then, it happens.
Shortly after graduating (or dropping out) the rebellious apparel and hair colors are not nearly as awe-inspiring as the body art that is now in vogue. Anyone with eye balls is sure to notice that tattoos are everywhere: necks, backs, fingers, even faces tell the tale of love gone wrong, love gone right, or no love at all. Dragons are showing up on wrists, curse words on thighs, and the tramp stamp on the lower back apparently holds the secrets of the universe.
And let’s not forget about the piercings.
Now, I’m completely in tune with ears—I’ve had a few painfully-placed ear piercings in my day and one on my eyebrow just to get my mother’s attention. However, the lip and nose rings are beyond my comprehension, artistically.
How do they eat? Are the lip rings removed or do they sort-of eat around them? And what happens when the bull-ring people catch a cold? Do they just wipe and polish or are there rules of etiquette for blowing?
I also wonder what happens when they sneeze. If they are jewelry-free, I’m guessing they could blow their own brains out.
And then there’s the equation of cooking: High temp + metal stud = burned flesh. I can only imagine.
I won’t be around when most of these folks are elderly but it would be interesting to see how they deal with flabby holes in faces (and other places), stretched out by time and life. You will probably be able to hear them coming if there’s a stiff wind. And the neck tattoos will undoubtedly be half-hidden by sagging skin while the tramp stamp has inched its way down the anatomy until it’s actually underneath the wearer.
I’m guessing the face tats won’t be a problem; they’ll simply blend in with the liver spots and resemble a map of New Jersey.
Still, it’s nice to know that young people care about the impression they make, even if that impression is scary. And, although today’s fashion statements are of a more permanent nature, they are interesting. It really doesn’t matter about the general public’s opinion—the only thing that matters is that it brings happiness to the wearer.
And it brings a smile to an old lady who has a few hidden works of art of her own.
Just Sayin’, Dawn Watson
a memorial garden in honor of Dr. Pearl Kowlaski, a long-time Gloucester City resident who was a teacher at Gloucester City High School in the 50's. Pearl's family approached the board recently and offered to fund a memorial garden in her honor. The gazebo was built using an $8,000 grant.
I can't believe that with all of the people complaining about this outdated sweeper tax, that the mayor and council hasn't said a word about this. I know the Mayor and Council read this, is it too much to ask for a response? I don't think that the public is simply asking for you to install signs in the area that don't have any, I think it's pretty clear, we want ALL of the signs GONE! We want the Sweepers, the Meter Maid Gone, we want all of the wasted tax money going into this Tax Scam on our poorest sections of the city! It's JUST NOT FAIR! Why are you so quiet about this subject, all of you sure wanted your 15 minutes of fame when it came to hearing how you should be elected and how your going to fix these out dated systems.
Come on, if you don't have the guts to respond to all of us who have posted on this subject at least quietly do away with all this non-sense and I for one won't be complaining anymore!