My kids take swim lessons on Saturday. After spending a fortune at private lessons last year, only to still have them prefer their floaties over their working arms and limbs, I opted for a less pricey alternative this time around. The park and recs near me are cheap, but they require one adult per child in the water. Since I couldn't swing that with Rex at work, I opted for a fancy swim and tennis facility across town.
I'm honestly still in shock at how nice this place is. For not much more money than a public facility, they have heated pools, lawn chairs with umbrellas for post swim chats, a sparkling child care facility and amazing enrichment classes. It's like finding an oasis in a desert of under funded city programs. I can't wait to swim laps while my kids are at school. It's only three dollars to do so, and I've spent more on a Big Mac with less positive results.
Of course with the shiny exterior comes shiny people with not much interior. I've encountered more botox, hair dye and acrylic than an MTV fashion show. I've seen Mercedes beeping at BMWs over parking spaces. I've seen sixteen year olds in Abercrombie screaming at boyfriends in Polos about getting the wrong cappuccinos. I've seen more nannies than a babysitting service and more tans than an ad for Coppertone.
As I schlep in with my Trader Joes grocery bag serving as pool tote/lunch box and towel carrier, my hair up in a mama-do, I often think of my sense of style. I don't give a hoot for designer clothes. I'm fine with Yuban over four dollar coffee beverages. And if I never drove a car from Germany, I'd be perfectly content. I'd take that extra line from the Mercedes emblem and go for peace among people instead.
I'm certainly not saying that my looks aren't important to me. I'm considering silk wraps for myself. I'm waffling between a perm or extensions. I'm attempting to lose my final seven pounds. But I'm doing it for me, not everyone else. Why? Because when I look and feel good, I feel sexy. And that leads to more sex. Which works wonders for my marriage.
I'm curious to you married women how much you emphasize your looks. Is it to fit into an elite status of perfectionists, or is it to really make yourself feel better?
Men, what do you think? Husbands have been known to say, Oh, I would love my wife no matter what. But let's get real here: Is she hotter to you with bright red nails or long glossy blond locks? Do you have a thing for tans or designer purses versus the goth pale look with Vegas card symbols on their totes reading, I Spade My Cat?
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off win first prize for, How Many Mothers Animal Cookies Can You Ingest In One Sitting. Come on, that's sexy. You know it is.
Posted by Andrea Frazer
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