I saw the lady in green looking at the blue-haired girl in shades and imagined she asked herself, “Could I carry this look off?”
I recollected my teens and my many shades and styles of hair. I’d been adventurous and before my time. I wore business suits with t-shirts of lace, polka dots with stripes and highlighted braids in my otherwise straight hair.
I had laughed often at the hippie freaks who called me “a freak” and had said to them, “You all pretend to not conform, yet you all follow the crowd.” And follow the crowd they did in their trips to the mall, from their opulent homes, to purchase the latest tie-dyed shirts, bandanas and bell bottom pants. Every last one of them had Jesus-style sandals – as if any of them knew what Christ had worn on his feet!
It’s still like that today. I see the many youth who dress in goth, adorn with tattoos and piercings. They colour or style their hair wild. Were they to ask, I’d say to them, “You all pretend to not conform, yet you all go with the flow, unsure how to make your own mark.”
Writing this I thought of the children’s aid workers who had decided I was a follower. I never comprehended how they came to such conclusions. I was the only girl who climbed over fences and upon the roof. I scaled the cherry tree to toss treats to the other children, fear glueing them to the ground. They complained I was not “ladylike”, as if any child should be obligated to conform to the ways of adulthood. Nope, I’ve never been a follower.
Imaginary goblet in hand, I toast the blue-haired girl in shades, “May you find yourself, your singularity of character, your personal, unforgettable style and most of all, may you capture and hold on forever to your confidence and dignity.”
© Zora Zebic 2016