I wanted to make this a regular
column, as I notice a lot around me while waiting for the next BART
train to arrive.
* * *
"Look Like A
Lady"
One day I was
waiting at the BART station (I forget which one now) and I happened
to see a woman working there. A BART employee dressed in blue, moving
a trashcan and picking up the litter dropped by careless, sloppy
people everyday.
"How can she
stand it?" I thought and watched her for a bit. Then something
struck me.
The woman was
dressed as if to go out for a night on the town at the Ritz or
someplace special. Her hair was perfectly coiffured, diamond earrings
(not sure if they were the real thing), perfect makeup and manicured
nails.
"Wow, she goes
to a lot of effort!" Was my next thought.
But why? Why
all the trouble just to be working at BART and picking up people's
trash? Other than ticket sales, there's not much else to do in a BART
station. Then I wondered...
Such a crappy job.
Maybe she does this to keep her dignity. If you're picking up other
people's trash, you don't want to be treated like trash yourself (as
I've witnessed first-hand). Or maybe, she does this everyday,
regardless of her job or what she's doing.
"I like to
look good!" She'd probably say if I asked her why she was all
dolled-up.
Also, she was
black. Yes, I mentioned race here because I believe it's a factor. I
happen to notice black women go to more effort to look good. Perhaps
it's the culture, "Gotta look good to feel good!". Or
perhaps, you have to go to more effort just to be treated with
respect if you're black.
Don't get me wrong,
I know the black ladies love to dress up on Sundays and they set the
trends for hats, I just wonder about the rest of it. It may be a
stereotype but the black women have always put a lot of effort into
their looks.
Long polished
nails, makeup and hair always done right, always at the salon... even
when going out grocery shopping, they look like they just came from
church or a night on the town. I may be speaking about older black
women here but even younger women won't go out without a thorough
inspection of themselves (and their friends).
Michelle Obama,
First Black Lady of the White House, has become the new fashion icon
(though I feel she's just too Martha Stewart and Jackie "O"
Kennedy for me).
It made me wonder
how much effort I should put into my own presentation. I'm a white,
31-year-old, unmarried female, who'd rather be comfortable in jeans,
t-shirt and sneakers than dress up. God forbid I have to wear
make-up! I tend to spend $100 in make-up and clothing when I try to
look like other females of my age and social class (whatever that may
be), because I simply don't have a clue as to what I'm supposed to
do. I don't read fashion magazines or care what the latest Kardashian
chick is wearing (Are they still on TV?).
How am I treated,
based on how I dress?
Going through an effort may pay off after all.
If I have a crappy
job, one where I'm picking up other people's trash, I want to look
just like that lady I saw in the BART station. No matter what, I'll
be looking my best and no one will be able to treat me badly because
then I'll say to them, "I didn't doll myself up here for
nothing! I'm a Lady and you better treat me like one!"
