As a teenager, I was one of the only young women I knew who didn't wear make-up. The choice was not philosophical or intentionally radical. It was the result of laziness and ignorance.
I grew up in Chicago and barely had time to bundle up in multiple layers before heading off to school. And if I had been willing to wake up earlier, I would have been working in the dark -- my mother's cosmetic skills were so dramatic that only a professional Kabuki dancer would have wanted to learn from her.
My avoidance of bras was similarly practical. My shape didn't make one essential, and I found them itchy and awkward. Although it frustrated my father, I avoided the ghastly undergarments whenever possible.
And my decision to let my nutty brown hair curl its way to my shoulders was similarly simple. It took too long to straighten, let alone dye.
Twenty years later, these practices and others (shopping at natural food stores and discovering yoga) have turned me into someone others may see as "earthy."
I'm no evangelist for a healthy lifestyle, although the Fritos and Cheetos I consume might think so, as they drown in the herbal tea I drink to balance their effect.
I just believe in doing what feels right and comfortable to me, so that the inside and outside match. If my internal life is somewhat jumbled and tumbled, why would I want to project an illusion of order and control?
Keeping up appearances has never been important to me, and this attitude transcends how I look. I accord all people respect simply because they exist, not because of their title, rank, or perceived place in the world. Sometimes, I may seem to slight CEOs with my casual style, but more often I hope to treat folks of an allegedly lesser status with greater care than they sometimes receive.
In the early 21st century, this '60s-like behavior seems revolutionary, especially when it's coming from a cotton-wearing woman with graying, kinky hair who seems to be saying that we're all only human, flawed and incomplete.
After many years of wondering whether or when I would finish graduate school, find a job I love, marry, have a child, and "arrive" at some peaceful resting place, I am amazed to at last be learning to simply let life unfold, with or without granola in my yogurt.
This LifeFiles column originally appeared on about 70 TV station websites managed by Internet Broadcasting Systems.
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