Wednesday, January 29, 2014

'Under' Dressed


Swimsuit? Or underwear. You decide.
It was a hot summer day.
The girl whose family owned the only swimming pool in the town was hosting an impromptu pool party with her friends.
One girl came without a swimsuit.
“No problem,” the hostess said, “I have a whole drawer full. Just find one you like!”
She then waved, vaguely, before turning back to her other guests.
The guest disappeared, returning a short time later dressed in a modest blue two-piece.
Tossing out greetings to the young men and women clustered around the pool, she sauntered around to where her hostess was sitting.
And struck a pose.
“What do you think?”
Her hostess looked up, then shrieked and jumped to her feet. “Where did you get that?!” she said.
The guest blinked and glanced around nervously.
All eyes were on her.
“F-from your drawer, like you said.”
“The top drawer?”
“Y-yes.”
“That's my underwear drawer!”
“Eeeeeeee!” the guest sprinted back into the house.
She had been covered.
In what could easily be mistaken for a swimsuit.
But just being told she was wearing underwear made her scramble madly for shelter.
I thought this cartoon was hilarious.
Then, I saw it happen to my Mom.
Well . . . something similar, anyways . . .

Our family was getting ready for church.
My current boyfriend, coming to church with my family for the first time and dressed uncomfortably in a shirt and tie, was seated in the great room, waiting for the rest of us.
I was the next to be ready, so I sat beside him and started talking.
Something I excelled at.
But I digress . . .
My mother scurried out of her bedroom and started puttering around in the kitchen, in plain sight of the two of us. She put a roast in the oven for dinner and then started tidying up from breakfast.
I kept talking.
But for some reason, my boyfirend woudn't look at me, but stared, instead, out the window.
I kept talking.
He kept staring fixedly (good word) at something outside.
Suddenly, my mother, still in the kitchen, said, “Oh, my! Look at me!”
I did.
As she was making a fast exit towards her bedroom.
At first I saw nothing wrong.
She was dressed in her usual fashion. Undershirt, bra, full slip.
Skirt. Stockings.
Oh. Wait. Something was missing.
Her blouse.
Suddenly my boyfriend's fixed gaze made sense.
He had noticed as soon as Mom had entered the room.
Huh. Funny that I didn't see it.
Okay, so observant, I'm not.
Mom went through the rest of the day rather pink-faced.
Which was funny.
She had been completely covered.
Modestly, even.
In at least three layers of cloth.
But because the material had been termed 'underwear', she was embarrassed.
As I would have been.
As anyone . . . you get the point.
Aren't we weird?

14 comments:

  1. We are indeed. Funny how you can go to the beach with everything but the bare essentials exposed to view but if you were told that was underwear you had on suddenly you would dash for cover.

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  2. Love it! You're right, framing the outfit as "underwear" somehow makes it socially unacceptable. Such weird creatures we are.

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  3. That is funny, but it goes to show that perceptions are based on what we are told and what we feel when we are told we're 'wrong' (according to those who 'know') lol!

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  4. I do find it funny that women who wouldn't be seen dead in their underwear choose to bare so much more in a teensy bikini on the beach.
    Remember the days when we were mortified if our slips or bra straps were showing?
    I remember a set of underwear that looked almost exactly like my first bikini, the only difference being the lacy trim, I could have worn it to the pool and probably no one would have noticed, but I knew it was underwear so I couldn't.

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    1. Exactly! I remember Drew Barrymore at the Oscars in two slips. One under. One over. Nobody thought anything of it. And she was a presenter, too!

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  5. Two very funny stories that i enjoyed very much.
    I needed a good laugh today; it's been a hard one.
    Blessings for the LOL moment.

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    1. I'm so sorry to hear that, my friend! I'm so glad I could lighten your life just for a moment!

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