a girl

By Angie Long

I am happy to say I have never felt as if I was trapped in the wrong body, a.k.a. gender dysphoria (I admit I would currently like there to be considerably less of this body I am in, but I am still quite happy to be of the female persuasion).

I can wear a T-shirt and jeans and it’s perfectly acceptable, or I can put on a pretty dress and high heels and nobody would look askance

– but if my spouse did the latter and paraded down Commerce Street, well, they would probably call out the men in white coats.

Women definitely have the edge on versatility of wardrobe.

Yes, I can truly say I enjoy being a girl. It’s fun.

Come this time of year, I love seeing all the lovely citrus shades and brilliant blues of the new spring apparel, not to mention all the possibilities for accessorizing.

Men have neckties, pocket squares and belts to work with (well, there is jewelry, too, but if they put on too much bling bling they end up looking like one of Victoria Gotti’s little hoodlum children).

We females have so-o-o much more. Why, in purses alone, there are infinite possibilities: clutches, shoulder bags, handbags; cloth, leather, straw; basic black, navy or a myriad of delicious colors and patterns. Should you go with the matching wallet? What fun deciding.

And then there are belts and scarves and my personal favorite accessory, the hat: I have about two dozen and counting. I truly think there is a hat for everyone, in spite of what some women say about not being able to wear hats. I think they just haven’t met the right style for them yet.

Also, I learned a long time ago you have to wear the hat and not let it wear you. Accept the advice given to me years ago by one of the last true milliners in the state: &uot;My dear, you can wear a hat or have a hairstyle, but you cannot do both at the same time.&uot;

Women can also have fun accessorizing underneath, too. As my sister-in-law Pam says, &uot;Even if you are wearing sweats and jeans on the outside, having something frilly on underneath it all makes you feel feminine.&uot; How true.

As females, we can go out with bare faces or have fun with makeup. Again, if my spouse showed at the dealership sporting my Bad Gal mascara and terracotta lipstick, I can only imagine the look on Ken’s, Harry’s, Allan’s and Mr. Charlie’s faces, can’t you?

I think we should celebrate our femininity. If you gals haven’t done that for a while, I encourage you to go and get yourself a pretty new top, a lovely shade of new lipstick or gloss and at least one new spring accessory. There are good buys on all of the above if you do a bit of looking.

And men, if you have made it through this girly-girl column of mine, may I suggest you pay your better half a nice compliment, if you haven’t done so recently. Let them know you, too, enjoy and celebrate the fact they are girls.

Angie Long is the lifestyles reporter for the Greenville Advocate and can be reached at 383-9302, ext. 132 or via email at angie.long@greenvilleadvocate.com.