Reality Check

[maveness]

I have on a very cute new top today. Black background, blue and green paisley print, faint silver pinstripe on gauzy fabric with satin collar and cuffs. It's funky and retro and has lots of attitude. I've received many compliments on it, which makes me smile, because what woman doesn't like being told she looks good on occassion?

Well, I'm me and can be annoyingly open about things. So of course I smile brightly and say "Thanks! And it was $12 at Wal-Mart! Can you believe Wal-Mart had something like this?"

See, I believe in sharing the joys of good deals.

No one has said anything about the fact that I got it at such a price from Wal-Mart, but for some reason me repeating that mantra over and over again made me remember something from a few years back.

I was at an art gallery for a coworker - she had won and exhibition at this gallery and they were having the opening with refreshments and schmoozing. It's fun to look at art (especially hers), so I went to support. I wore a necklace that night that was a cute little necklace (looked like stained glass) that I got for $3 once. While looking at some art a woman stopped me (perfect stranger) to tell me how lovely my necklace was. I said thanks and did my embarrassing "and it was only $3!" To which she admonished me that I shouldn't tell the price, just say thanks and let others think it was an expensive piece of jewelry.

That woman's response has never set well with me, for two reasons. One, she didn't know me and my issues with blabbing too much information. Yes, there's no reason that I tell the price. My only excuse is that my grandparents are major penny pinchers and so I'm used to find things I really like for a steal. But second, the piece was a combination of a "silver" choker (the kind that you can wear for about six months before the "silver" wears off) and a pendant with the "glass" on it (it was plastic glass for grief's sake). Anyone with an eye for jewelry really studying it could tell that it was cheap. It was your basic fashion jewelry not meant for more than a season. Anyone who thought it was expensive and placed value on the expense and not the prettiness was just being pretentious.

And like my favorite movie says:

"An ounce of pretention is worth a pound of manure."

***

Oh, and GIP. New icon. New default icon at that. Marcia looks pretty.

Comments

[allpurposegirl.livejournal.com]

You need to walk around with a camera,lol. LOL@ quote it sounds so Steel Magnolias

[maveness.livejournal.com]

I kept looking to see if it was on the Wal-Mart website, because that's the easy way, but alas...no.

It is Steel Magnolias! Hee! Shelby says it, quoting her daddy.

[bubblesbrnaid]

because what woman doesn't like being told she looks good on occasion?

*waves* Me me me!

I'm all for honesty. People say that to me, I start wondering a: what they're smoking; b: why they're not sharing; and c: what they want. :)

[sullivanlane.livejournal.com]

I tend to overshare when it comes to how much I pay for stuff, too. In fact, I get very embarrassed when I know I've spent too much on something (even if it's really fabulous). I told the Monkey I didn't want to know how much he spent on my engagement ring because I'd feel embarrassed about it.

[maveness.livejournal.com]

It's because we want to share the deal! Saving money is great, and it's great to share that news with others! (Plus I think it's in how we're raised. I know my parents and grandparents are all frugal, even though they don't have to be anymore, so it's important to them to cut costs where they can.)