How do you FRAME yourself?

by

(A small sampling. I am, indeed, an addict.)

Ok, People.

Allow myself….to date myself.

To know me.

To *really* know me.

Is to realize I aspire to be Elton John.

(if you’re young & befuddled please to see caption under photo above)

It’s addiction so raging & pricey Ive been informed decided I was allowed no other.

Fancy shoes? Nah. For the most part Im happy with Payless or the Mart of the Wall.

Beautiful baubles? Chances are the bling you covet is CZ.

Costly couture? Im usually clad in blog review items or apparel from the 90s.

You get the idea.

Im happily frugal until it comes to glasses.  For me spectacle-selection doesnt merely help my vision—-it’s my daily self-definition.

On some level I’d known this, but hadnt articulated it until recently.

The Tornado kept me company one morning as I dressed & prepared for an important meeting.

Without realizing, I lingered over my glasses drawer and *hesitated* before selecting some frames.

“What are you thinking about, Mama?” 

With that question it dawned on me:

  • The pair I choose on any given day provides clues to the people Im with about my identity (am I a business-misfit or a wanna be Mrs. Glass?)
  • The pair I don on any given day indicates how I wish to be perceived (serious? silly? frivolous? frumpy?).
  • The pair I don on any given day oft foreshadows the day’s plans (playground PLAYOUT time? Rimless it is! TV interview? Time for serious librarian specs!).
  • The pair I choose can be an indicator of mood (quirky red triangles? Im game for a chat! Staid & dark? Im all business. No time to play.)
some merely foreshadow silliness

some merely foreshadow silliness

Since the Tornado’s question that morning I’ve realized the moments I spend selecting my frames reveal an answer to a question I think we all struggle with:

Who am I?

At least for the day ahead.

Which leads me to ask you—ala this post in a way—what are your glasses?

 

What item when you put it on (or use!) helps to define who *you* are—both for yourself & others?

 

From handbags to shoes (hair-styles to bling?) please to spill ALL in the comments below.

 

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Comments

  4. My addiction is like Angela running shoes!! And Kashi cookies!!!

  7. My yoga pants is my pricey addiction. They have to fit, have pockets, and withstand a lot of abuse. I need more! 🙂

  9. I am like you, Miz.
    I have three pairs. One FUNKY, one serious and one almost unseeable.
    Love this post!!

  10. I do hairstyles! I love to change my hair. My sister-in-law has worn the exact same hairstyle for all of her life and I cannot understand it! I change with every fashion, and sometimes without!

    I love your glasses. But do you have to have them all updated every time your vision changes? That would drive me crazy!

    • I think about that all the time too! Ive been vision stable for YEARS. It’s coming 🙂

  11. as i sit here, wearing my glasses, i am comfortable in my skin. I then change into my contacts and have to be a little careful for them not to dry out in this heat. I then put on workout gear (to teach) or comfy clothes. I don’t dress up. But i like being able to be approachable, huggable, genuine. Maybe that’s who i am.

  12. I only wear mine at home or on the plane! I hate not having peripheral vision so stick to my contacts lol….but I like to wear fun yet classy glasses!

  13. I’ve not thought about this before, but I think it would be my scarves.
    I love scarves and have wild ones for play and serious for work.

  15. I’ve got one pair of glasses, so it’s not that! Mostly it’s my outfit – am I testing the boundaries of business casual or am I in a full-out suit?

    P.S. Would you be surprised if this reminds me of a post I’m working on about the Holy Trinity? 😉

  16. The fact that I’m drawing a total blank on this question suggests perhaps I need to considering not wearing practically the same thing every day!

    Or else conceding that I have no freakin’ idea who I am. Which ain’t always such a bad thing. 🙂

  17. I may change my hair as often as you change your glasses! But I also change my glasses a lot too. I’ve recently begun wearing readers and I have different shaped and colored frames for my moods. Love this!

  18. I’m with Crabby on this one. I’m pretty non-descript in my daily ‘uniform’. Where expression comes out is my running gear. Leopard skirt anyone? Camo?

  19. Wow – what a fun way to express your mood/personality/needs of the day. The only thing I change each day are my bracelets. And now that I think about it, that’s a pretty new thing for me. I used to always wear the same exact jewelry every single day.

  21. I would definitely say my necklaces.
    I am a beader and create really crazy necklaces which I cannot wear when I am being my serious self.

  22. Interesting! It makes sense that your glasses would be a carefully selected, and perhaps splurge, item, because they are part of who you are, the first thing people see! I don’t wear glasses but you’ve got me thinking about how I present myself differently for different folks. We all do it in one way or another!

  23. Super interesting post!!! I was wondering where you were going with this & what questions you were going to ask us. 😉

    Honestly, I sat here with no answer.. does that mean I am nobody but me OR I need to be more creative or that I just don’t know any of the answers.. then I thought about my post & not that it does all the things your frames do but I do put on make-up for the hubby & friends which says I don’t want to scare the hell out of them but it is OK to scare the other people when I go about & about with foundation only! 😉

  24. He, he. This one made me giggle. I’d have to say these days, it’s my bare feet. I go everywhere I can this way, which as you can imagine, raises eyebrows. But it’s me, fully comfortable and happy, and so bare my feet I do!

    And have you checked out Warby Parker, btw? Great prices/styles.

  27. It has to be my “hooker boots”. (Ya know, from Pretty Woman) They are high and HOT! I use to think I was too big to dress with some style. I fell in love with knee high boots and over the top knee socks. They make me feel young and stylish.

  28. Well, you KNOW that I love me some shoes. But since most days I’m in runners, they don’t really provide a portal to my soul 😉

    Hair does though! Ponytail, braid, barrette, down straight or curly. That’s how you can tell how I’m feeling!

  29. My hair, definitely. Some days it’s in a pony tail – I’m ready for activity. Some days it’s straight – an everyday kind of day. Some days it’s curly – oooh, things are HAPPENING! 😉

  30. When I worked, it was my purses (I changed it every day). Now, I still change it pretty often but not daily.
    And, always its shoes – cowboy boots, running shoes, sandals, heels, flip flops it doesn’t matter – I love shoes and think they help set my mood (even for workouts!!!).

  31. I like to think about the clothing I choose to wear and if I choose to wear my glasses and contacts as just different expressions of all the different parts of me.

    Because let’s face it…jocks can be nerds, girly girls can be tomboys and a girl that loves big t-shirts and sweat pants can also love to wear 5 inch heels and dresses!

    We all have so many sides and moods, it is fun to get to express them all!

  32. Laser surgery means no more glasses! Though when I see how hipsters & geek couture has evolved, I get a little envious. I’m probably like that (addicted/expressive) with hoodies.

  33. I would say shoes…or bracelets! Heels mean I have a presentation at work…flats mean I have a run that night and don’t want to kill my feet…flip flops mean that I just want to be comfy!!

  37. Before I got glasses for myself I would use my mom’s glasses… And well, she hadn’t updated hers in FOREVER… So you know what the bookworm’s glasses looked like? Yeah, those were my moms! I rocked those all through high school like no one’s business! I freaking loved them actually! HA HA HA HA!! 😉

    However, I have to admit… I AM NO BOOK WORM!

  43. I have JUST started wearing reading glasses – the kind you can buy in drugstores – and I’m a little addicted. I have pairs at work and at home, some in purse…and they are all very different. I like the “naughty librarian” look the ones at work give me. HA! Kidding!!! I also have many, many earrings – I’d say they are how I set myself apart. Have a great day Miz!

  44. I spend the most time thinking about what I will wear. Hair? Meh. Make up? Meh. But putting together an “outfit” that’s where I stand in front of the closet, trying multiple shoes/scarves/earrings/necklaces/pants/tops/dresses until it feels “right” for the occasion. Hiking to a dinner out with my hubs. My frame is most definitely the outfit.

  45. My glasses are purely functional and have nothing to do with who I am. yeah, poor me.

  46. We have an eight page dress code for work (amazingly glasses are not covered in the code) so I am just trying to stay between the lines most days as far as appearance goes. As a result in my real life I wear funky, colorful, loose and comfortable clothes. I just feel like I can finally breath once I get changed.

  48. I don’t really have one set “item” that I like to change. Although I used to love changing my earrings!

  49. Is it a coincidence that as I’m reading this I have a shopping bag on the Lululemon site full with goodies??? Yes their clothes are pricey, but I like the way they feel when I practice yoga and train clients. I feel GOOD in them. It’s my guilty pleasure, but I certainly get good use out of them, so to me it’s worth it.

  52. My socks! I can express myself, to myself! So I can be in the office in my nicest suit, but have crazy socks on yet almost no one has any idea!

  53. I used to wear expensive glasses (specs and sunglasses) but lately I’m more money-conscious and don’t really care too much about that sort of thing so went for a deal recently where I got new specs and prescription-lens sunnies paid for by my health fund. Excellent.

    There are – however – some things I’m ridiculously precious about… in terms of where I spend my money! I have very few pairs of shoes but they’re decent ones (not Jimmy Choo etc of course!)

  56. I don’t own more than a couple pairs of glasses but of the two, I choose as you do in which way I want to be perceived for the day. This is also how I feel about my hair. Wearing it up, wearing it naturally curly, straightening it, wearing it in a bun, wearing it in a pony tail, it defines which outfit I am going to choose to wear and what I am going to do.

  57. I have to say that (my glasses) are definitely watches. My wife forbids me to buy anymore but i can’t help myself. They do indicate my mood depending on if i feel down, confident,silly or sophisticated.

  58. I’m all for expression tees! I love t-shirts with funny captions and prints. I am a funny person (or at least that’s what I think of myself) so I like expressing myself through what I wear.

  61. Nice post on the glasses. It reminds me every day that the Lord has provided me with one pair of black rimmed glasses that I wear every day. It is such a blessing in this country with all the amenities and luxuries we take for granted every day. Thanks…

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