Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Soothing The Wound

The hardest part of my life was between ages 5 and 12. I knew something was terribly wrong but, despite constant protests, I was powerless to fix it. Everyone told me I was a boy and yet I knew that was wrong. My parents, teachers and even strangers corrected my frequent assertions of feminine behavior and dress. Later, in my teens, I came to accept my fate as unavoidable and learned to adapt to a misshapen life as a man.

Why this snippet of autobiography? It explains the emotional force of today's outfit. From the instant I spotted this dress on the rack at Rosie's Vintage I was mesmerized by it. The dress is exactly the style worn by girls my age in my youth. Feminine and childlike. You can't imagine the depth of my longing to wear a dress like this back then, the ache of having it withheld from me. It felt as far away as Mars.

So, I snapped the dress up to soothe those old psychic wounds. And am wearing it today. I adult-icize it with some cute heels from Torrid. (Yes, I'm a big girl and shop there.)

Thoughts?















27 comments:

  1. You look positively beautifully ... so glad you found something to soothe the wound! I am so happy that you found this dress and I can see the happiness beaming out of you!!! Go Ally!!!!

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  2. This is such a pretty outfit, Ally! I love how you've modernized it with the shoes (you could also try changing out the belt) and it really suits you! How wonderful to be able to revisit this style the way you want to. Hugs to you, my friend! Also, with a moto jacket, this is a killah "girl gang" outfit, hee hee!

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  3. well for one thing it suits you very much and I am sorry that like many of us you had to suffer being withheld the pleasure of wearing it. How stupid that something so benign could be such a dramatic faux pas back then...

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  4. Oh my, how this dress brings back memories! I had something soooo similar and loved it. It looks fabulous on you, enjoy!

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  5. That is a great dress and "You wear it well...a little old fashioned but that's alright."
    I like the style and I really recall the memories of the desires to try on some of the dresses that the girls would wear at various ages along the road of life. I am still partial to the styles of the 50s and 60s. One of my favorite styles is the traditional shirt dress.

    Pat

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  6. i love this look on you. i actually recall having something similar in my wardrobe in my younger days, too--it's so cute with the round-toe heels.

    for the record, you know there was obviously never anything "wrong" or "different" with you. but it makes my heart sing to see that all these years later, you are finally able to play around with the clothes you wanted to dance around in during your younger days :) XOXO

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    1. Thanks, Charlotte. I'm sure you were pretty in that dress back then.

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  7. This dress is so cute on you! I would totally wear something like this right now even! I'm glad you found something that you would have loved to have worn back then and I love that it makes you happy now. <3

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  8. I love this dress on you! The colour really suits you. I like Sheila's idea too.

    bisous
    Suzanne

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  9. This dress is really cute on you! And I love that you're opening up + sharing your story- I'm sure it's very cathartic!

    -Ashley
    Le Stylo Rouge

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    1. Yes it is. Thanks for the support, Ashley. You're wonderful.

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  10. Its a beautiful dress and fits well. Most important for me here is that a little girl was able to wear what she wanted. Sometimes dreams take some time to come together, I am happy that yours came true. A big hug-

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  11. You're radiating and look beautiful my friend.
    I look forward to reading more about you.

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  12. What we couldn't have in our Youth CAN be acquired when we're Big Girls or Boys, I've soothed some wounds with a bit of Vintage Retail Therapy on occasion. *Winks* I recall early in the Young Prince's development his Dad took him on a shopping trip to buy a Belt. He insisted on a White one with Daisies and tho' his Dad tried to talk him into a Boy's Belt, he was intuitive enough to buy the Girl's Belt his Son so Loved. Acceptance was difficult for his Dad's side of the Family, including his Name Change after Adoption, but their Love allowed them to be open enough to try to accept him how he is. My own Unconditional Love of coarse had it's concerns about his Safety in Public, so we've had those Deep discussions on which boundaries he'll cross and where given Society and it's constraints that can be so very harsh to anyone whose 'different' in any kind of way. BTW: My Share, being the Tomboy that I was during the Era that these dresses were popular I fought tooth and nail NOT to wear them and borrow my Dad or Brother's Clothes! *Ha ha ha* Mom was never quite sure if I'd be her other 'Son' or not? *Smiles* I still HATE Dresses and can't even recall the last time I wore one, The Man is OK with that aversion I have to some of the ultra Feminine Wardrobe.

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    1. Just a Thought... why has it been always more acceptable for a Woman to wear Men's Clothing than for a Man to wear Women's? Even the most Feminine Friends I've ever had have donned the Boyfriend Shirt and borrowed from their Guy's Closets! Curious, isn't it?

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  13. This would be amazing with white, silver, or pink go-go boots!!!!!!!

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  14. Ooh, it is really cute! I am glad you were able to seize an opportunity that you missed in your childhood!x

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  15. This dress doesn't look like a childish dress at all (thank God). It looks perfect on you. A very good look.
    Greetje

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