Keeping Abreast of Developments

"Americans have this obsession with bosoms..." or so stated Terry Thomas' character in It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.  Fifty years later and it's true.

Take the announcement the other day from Angelina Jolie about her recent surgery.  Please.  (Sorry, my inner Henny Youngman is showing.)  I could almost hear a collective gasp from Tomb Raider fans who worked themselves into a frenzy over the loss of Angelina's biggest assets.  I mention Tomb Raider fans in particular because of my son's fascination with the movie which came out at about the same time he started to reach puberty.  Yes, there was lots of action with the gun play, but he was just as mesmerized by Ms. Jolie's physical attributes.... although he still won't admit it.

Yes, I recall being that age and yes, I was just as guilty about wanting to know more about what was behind those bits of clothing women wore around the upper parts of their bodies.  Considerable time was spent in Junior High speculating about whether the girls we saw budding out at the time were doing so naturally or if they were augmented with products from Kimberly-Clark.

Then I grew up and matured (Bonds mature, men don't.  ed) came to the realization that many women see their breasts as symbolic of their womanhood, even to the point where some would rather keep their breasts and risk being killed from a cancer they could contract because they are genetically predisposed to contract than to take the lifesaving step of having them removed.  I applaud Ms. Jolie for her foresight and her willingness to publicly reveal the step she took.

I personally know a few women who have done the same thing.  My friend Barbara in Maryland did it nearly 20 years ago.  My former mother-in-law did the same.  So did my wife.  It takes a certain amount of chutzpah to do something that can possibly allow you to live longer - with a certain amount of Lara Croft bravery mixed in there to boot.
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So, shifting to this morning, I had a meeting with a woman about a business matter and came away with a certain amount of amusement with what I will term as a social 'tic' she displayed.  She was wearing a modestly low-cut shirt which she occasionally tugged at while we were talking.  She is not the only woman I noted tugging on her low-cut shirt/blouse/dress in the past few years/months/weeks.  I am sensing a contradiction.  On one hand, fashion dictates low cut shirts/blouses/dresses - on another, I sense that the tugging is an unconscious effort on the part of the women who do it to prevent exposure.

I mentioned the tic to my better half and she pointed out that back in the day, she would constantly tug down on the short skirts she was compelled to wear in school.  I had almost forgotten about the dress codes we once had and the protest which finally led to the schools allowing girls to wear pants of some sort in lieu of dresses and skirts.

During the conversation with my dear wife, it suddenly hit me that I was wearing a kilt when we ventured down to the local Renaissance Festival last weekend and that I came to the realization while I was out there that if I sat down in the wrong way, I would be exposing myself in a manner not appropriate to the situation.  (Note that a kilt worn with underwear is actually a skirt.)  So yes, I found myself tugging down, protecting my hangy down parts when I was out and about.

Vanity, or should I say modesty is not merely a trait limited to the female of the species.

Be Seeing You!
(Properly attired; unless you're a naturist, I suppose)

bdharrell