Blog-a-day number 3

Clothes can kinda sorta make the man woman

Today has been weird. My hair is much shorter than in recent weeks, and I'm not wearing a jacket. I like to wear jackets and have 3 denim jackets, a corduroy jacket, and a few others that I wear quite a bit. They make me feel pulled together and teacher-ish-y. In fact, when I teach our Sunday morning women's class, I wear a jacket so I will be in teacher mode. When I'm not wearing a jacket, I often wear a sweater.

Today, I am wearing a blouse and no jacket or sweater. It is flowy and colorful and not very teacher-ish-y. Jackets and sweaters also make me feel very --- well --- covered. Blouses feel very --- well --- open. Combining the shorter hair and feeling very un-teacher-ish-y and open has made me feel very vulnerable and open to the world today.

Strange how our clothes and hair can make such a difference in how we feel. They may not not be the most important things in the world, but MY! we attach a lot of meaning to them. Think about it: What image comes to mind when you hear:

• librarian
• teacher
• mom
• professional
• athlete
• rock star

I bet you had very definite wardrobes and hairstyles in mind for each of those, didn't you? And I bet the librarian had a bun and glasses, didn't she? And maybe a cardigan?

Shame on you! If you know me, you should know much better. This is my favorite librarian: