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September 18 , 2006 :    My friend with the Tattoos and Suburbia.

The other day I was shopping for shoes. I was in my usual upper-line area but this store was more geared towards my live-in-too-big-of-houses-and- become-house-proud sistas. Not that they bother me, because they dont. I come from a long line of house people. I am related to those who would build a house on stilts with a private beach and make it totally out of glass and redwood! That sort of house, the beach version is also in my family of houses of great size with Grandmothers who win prizes for inventing a flower or two. I am comfy there, in the house set. I grew up in a large house on ten acres, however my mother was not at all a house-proud, woman. She was a painter, and sometimes a painter with a bad attitude. So, suffice it to say, Im fine with my sistas who buy shoes to garden in and then some to have a garden party in afterwards! I, myself, am a plant person, insisting on growing wonderful tropical plants in my loft in the desert! (They do fine, thank you!)

This day, I met Lisa. Lisa was as I joke, half-a-name, because my name has Lisa in it. She was very nice and totally helpful as I ran her back into her stock time after time as I tried shoe after shoe on in her store. Well…let me clarify, she WORKS at the store, she does not own it. Her owner, she says, is very kind and liberal, it seems!

My impression with Lisa at first was that she judged me right away:

Aha! Another spoiled, stuck up, rich-bitch! And why not? I was very different from her or so it seemed. We turned out to be very much alike!

As I flew through shoes, like every woman, I tried those on sale. Lisa, God bless her, had every sale shoe in my size surrounding me! It was about 8 pair to choose from that fit my foot. Me? I, of course, did not like them REALLY, so I went to other areas of the store. As I did, I made conversation with Lisa.

You must first picture Lisa as I saw her. You must also understand that what I saw was NOT, I came to understand, what others saw! Lisa, to me, had a kind face. She seemed a librarian type, a pretty one, or a upper class homemaker, but way hip for that, perhaps one who painted or something.

To others, the homemakers from hell, the women with too much square inches at their disposal, a renegade, a rebel, wild! Why?

Why is this so? I asked this of Lisa as we bonded and she told me in some way that she could tell I was not one of them.

It was her tats! It was her tattoos! The ones I did not even notice! I have NO tattoos, let us clear that up poste haste, not even a hole in my ear to put gold things through, and I wear no jewelry. I wear some bucks, some days, but not jewelry. I am very particular and I feel jewelry should be a GIFT. Call it a Past Life experience or something, but I only like jewelry that is a gift to me. That jewelry, I cherish, I cherish it like a child, like I cherish the love of a friendship, a spouse or a husband. I love given jewels. Often my friends have suggested that I buy it myself for myself, and I have tried, but it does not feel right! It seems normal that not many people have gifted me with jewelry…so sad! The point here is that I am a dancer, I have hair that has no product, in it, (as does Lisa, I do not wear fur or jewels, but I wear the dollar amounts of my compadres who wear these things to tell others who they are.

Lisa, is seems, has some tats! She had then on both arms, and not little woozy ones, Im talking ART on body types! Now, I would never get at tattoo, and that is for my own reasons but I do know some who have them and SHOULD! Lisas were in good taste, it seemed to me, and yes, they seemed the art type she told me that she wanted! But, she tried to cover them up in the store. Her owner had no prob. With them or anything Lisa did, but she said the attitude from the Ladies Who Lunch was too much for her to handle! I cried out! WEAR THEM! They were an expression of herself as much as any studded bag any woman was carrying, and certainly as big, given that the woman suffered through the process of getting such large and lovely tattoos, a process AT LEAST worth the price of a Prada bag or two! I have NO tattoos and not even pierced ears but I certainly can respect hers, and anyone with that sort of statement to make! America is FOR making statements, is it not? Hey, this country HAS to be good for SOMETHING, right?

So let the woman show her hard won and tasteful body art, right? And WHY, for Gods sake does she have to hide them to work around people who think they have money? ( I say THINK here because everything is relative, and there is always someone richer.)

I was perturbed.

As I left this upscale mall, I passed, right near that shoe store, a dress shop. Designer line, dress shop for these ladies. I was perturbed, so I did what I do, I used MY body to make a statement.

I went in and asked to try the dress in their window. It was a white dress, a slip dress, and quite nude. The sort of thing that nice women wear a slip with. It was breathy, and it moved. Also, it reminded me of someone I had to meet so I thought it might be good to look at, sort of a virgin meeting, dress, if you will. A start the marriage of two good minds and people bride dress. IT was a statement maker, which is why it was in the window.

I made a point of telling the salespeople how much I enjoyed talking to the woman in the shoe store and that I found her most pleasant. I told them that I had discovered that some people might be offended by tattoos! Did they know that???? How awful, I said from the dressing room as P. stood there, Navy tattoos on his arms as is the tradition collected by him before he worked with Coast Guard, DEA and other government agencies. You must remember, I was seen to them as one of those the ladies who lunch. They had no comment. I felt quite sure it was the fact that I was 46 and possessed a dancers body.

I walked out in the long white dress and I will say, I was flattered that everyone seemed speechless. I wore it well, it seemed. I even took the time of standing on those platforms they provide along with the sofa for your husband or mother and father to get comfy in while they go after their credit cards. I did a slight spin in this transparent dress and I must say, I loved it! It was a no brainer, for me. I look fairly well in a non complex piece of thin material on my body, it is my job.

I wrapped this up. I had come in to make a point. I wanted to tell these woman that they should walk across the way to say hello to my friend with tattoos. I made that point. But, I found a GREAT dress for my needs as well! I tried on the matching jacket, and yet, the complete set had a skirt, in case one wanted to lunch in it.

I tell myself that I bought the whole thing to make my point. To let them know that I FOR ONE, liked the woman and her tattoos and applauded her individuality, even if I had no tattoos myself. (And they would know it in that dress, let me tell you!

I bought the dress for me and those who love me and are entertained by my love of fashion. I FOUND the dress making a point.

Since I began this, Ive looked twice for my friend with the tattoos. Ive not seen her! This disappoints me so I will, soon, go into that store and inquire. In the meantime, I hope she reads this and knows what I did as I left the area. I left the area with a lighter wallet and a lighter heart all because of her, her and her TATTOOS!

Ill still never have a tattoo. My scars from illness are my war wounds, but I now have more knowledge regarding them and I hope that some of you who, like me, were tattoo-challenged, have learned as well.

Love you neighborhood tattooed lady, ok?

Annalisa, in a big change of life. ( Not that one,) but one none the less.