Day 164 of 365: Made Up

Go-see days tend to take up the majority of my time. Although the go-see itself will be 5 - 10 minutes, the amount of time it takes for me to get made up, drive to the location (or drive to the nearest T stop and take the T in), and get back home, half of the day is already gone.


Getting made up for a go-see means fussing over my hair, fussing over moisturizer, putting on concealer, foundation, power, eye shadow, eye liner, eyebrow pencil, and lipgloss. It means finding the absolutely perfect outfit for the go-see ("upscale casual", as they put it). And it means hoping to God nothing gets smudged in the process.


It's a pain in the butt -- and yet this is exactly what a lot of women do every single day. In a way, I'm thankful that my "other" job is that of a tai chi instructor. No one expects their instructor to come in wearing a nice blouse and a full layer of makeup. And I'm thankful that I have the confidence to walk out of the house with mascara and chapstick and consider that enough.


But then again, why do I even have to put on mascara? If you think about it, what is more absurd than coating the protective hairs on the edge of your eyelids? Sometimes all it takes it a moment to really think about what we do in our everyday lives to realize how ridiculous it is. In order to be a standard definition of attractive, I cut and remove some hair but condition and brush out other hair. I slap various textures of paint on my face and then hobble around in footwear that is elevated by toothpicks.


Oh, and I'll slip various types of metal around my fingers, wrists, and neck. And I'll place some more metal in holes that were punched in my ears a decade or so back.


How absurd human behavior is when you really break it down. It's only normal to us because we were brought up believing it to be normal. It reminds me of the story of the Nacirema tribe (which, if you haven't read about them, I suggest Googling it).


Sometimes I go on go-sees and fulfill the Zoolander stereotype by forgetting what my last name is. Other times I go on go-sees and wax philosophical on the human condition. Life is funny sometimes.