Shoes and Gloves

When I choose reading material these days, I veer from things academic, political and... stuff that creates controversy. If I happen to comprehend morsels of anything written by an expert, I am confounded by other experts who take opposing stances.

When an article comes along that gives me lots of rabbit holes to explore, a sort of intellectual nod to my personal experience and expertise, I go for it. Such was the case when I saw a Feb 2019 book review of “The Invisibility of Older Women” by Akiko Busch from The Atlantic. It’s a review that mentions things I know about, LOTS of things. After all, I AM older; recognizable references are exponentially multiplying. And I am a woman, undeniably an expert on MY female experience.

I mulled awhile over a reference to a line from Virginia Woolf fiction noting that women are sometimes identified by their gloves and shoes.

We don’t wear dressy gloves any more. How elegant my mom and grandmothers seemed when they removed them from their handbags and slipped them on just so before leaving for church or meetings or shopping. Wonder what they thought as they went through that ritual? I wore dainty white ones with my Easter dress, and once in a while on other Sundays. (Mine could seldom be found in my little purse). As a teen I wore long ones on a couple of formal occasions. I remember the state of mind that accompanied wearing gloves. Wearing disposable ones when fueling my car doesn’t evoke similar thoughts. I won’t be remembered for them, I hope.

But for my shoes? Maybe, and that’s okay! I love my tie-dyed tennies with the elastic laces I don’t have to tie. I wear them whenever I can, even if they don’t match. Wait! What DOESN”T go with tie-dyed?

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/02/akiko-busch-mrs-dalloway-shows-aging-has-benefits/583480/?utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share