(Photo:green formal dresses)I’ve never been one to stick to the rules entirely. Growing up in a post-second wave feminist environment where many women were still saddled with Stepford Wife expectations while being expected to hold down a nine to five job, my generation did and still does receive very mixed messages both from our mothers as well as from society as to what is expected of us both in terms of looks and manners as well as in the choices we make for ourselves.
However, in trying to figure out where we stand in the tension of old and new and trying to be superwomen, many women appear to have lost the ability to stand still and take pleasure in the small things that make life so pleasant.
I recently interviewed a fashion designer who is a veritable titan in his field and it truly was the kind of half an hour writers dream of thanks to his pages and pages of quotable quotes. However, when I asked him what his definition of style was, I found myself being taken aback by his answer when he defined style as the pursuit of elegance in all the little things you do in your day. How harmoniously you choose to live, he explained, is what will make your life beautiful.
The mark of a good interview is that it still has you thinking hours and days after it happens and indeed, that is what happened in this case. The truth is that people, and possibly women in particular, are constantly pushed and pulled in every direction; it leaves very little time for actually living let alone living beautifully.
Despite the ready availability of many beautiful things, we no longer have the time or energy to buy the perfect china teapot and cup to sip our morning tea from, we buy our clothes without touching them sitting behind black mirrored screens in our pyjamas while speaking on the phone, we buy scent based on someone else’s review without really smelling it before and if we spend more than 15 minutes wolfing down our lunches we feel guilty because we feel we are wasting time. We live to work because we have been taught that that is the only way to get ahead.
This summer I would like to propose that we all take the opportunity to stop and smell the coffee for longer than five minutes a day. Choose a little frivolous thing that will make your day better and pursue it till it becomes the norm. If coffee is your thing, look for the perfect blend and start making yourself the perfect cup; if your bedroom is your palace, buy a silk pillow case and know that you’re helping to reduce wrinkles later on. Despite what anyone will tell you, in this very utilitarian world, these little things are very important and will make you feel much happier in the long run. Don’t just live, live beautifully.Read more at:purple formal dresses