vita frugalis

I had been doing the "minimalist" thing for quite a few years, but I realise that if I don't make the effort to look feminine, then I won't stand out. I just didn't care what I put on, or what I looked like, as long as I was comfortable

So, I went on a campaign to revamp my image two years ago. I wanted to look eatable and approachable, but I wanted to change in stages. I started by wearing at least two coats of mascara, and ended up wearing unreasonably high heels. I wanted to see if this new look would have different results than my previous this-is-not-really-my-body look.

I was very defensive about my transformation, and I actually stopped speaking to someone who criticised my designer mules when I tripped on a fault in the pavement on the street. I had almost injured myself, but his response was "what, you can't walk in the shoes?" (The shoes had no heels). I guess he felt that I had bitten off more than I could chew, but being a black Jamaican woman means that I should be chic.

So, I guess that one side effect is that my ego became more fragile.

Now that the makeover is complete, I get compliments every single day, I get photographed more often, and people have been increasingly obliging (especially men). However, I've had zero dates so far in these two years ago (the ignoramus above doesn't count). Strangely enough, when I didn't give a shyte what I looked like, I had no problems at all.

Having become more self-aware, I'm not sure what has changed in the appeal. I'm not about to make a guess. At least I have a good sense of humour about that and I feel good about myself.

The women are not as nice as the men because this might have hit them out of nowhere. What's worse is, they don't know what to think because I'm single, so by all appearances, I'm doing this for a man.

I get rather nasty stares every day from women under 40. Women in their 30's and 20's cling a little more tightly to their boyfriends in the mall. One of my friends has avoided me since her husband told me (in front of her) that I have a "nice body".

Besides the psychological costs, image transformations are expensive if your ass increases to twice it's original size.

Note: Only my ass has increased in size. The rest of me is the same. Unbelievable! My breasts should be growing to twice their size, not my ass!

Because of my strange shape, I can't buy anything off the rack even though I'm underweight.

I make up for all that by wearing handmade accessories, but that doesn't stop anyone from staring at my ass.

I highly recommend image transformations as a good way of finding out what the world wants from you.