I'm not sure if I should thank or curse ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
shadowspar for introducing me to this character generator, but while I shouldn't have been doing it at work, I admit it *was* fun to re-imagine myself as a Disney Princess.
It'd probably be more fun to mess with the clothes to get something much more fanciful, but I decided I'd start with trying to replicate things I actually wear, which is why my virtual self is wearing red shoes that don't quite match the outfit but darned if they aren't comfy.
Those red shoes (which are actually mary janes) are what I'm wearing today, which brings me to my weird moment in shoes and clothing this morning. I'm wearing a bright red dress (it's the comfiest thing I own) and a bright red hat ('cause why not go all out?) which most logically would have gone best with sandals. But since I sprained my ankle, I've found my sandals a little too wobbly. They're quite flat, but the cushy padded sole combined with a slightly loose strap is just enough that I find them harder to walk in on the rough sidewalks around my house. I debated it long and hard this morning: they look better, and I'm strong enough that making my ankle work a bit harder is probably not dangerous so much as it is useful exercise.
... But then I thought about it, and realized in my bright red dress, I was potentially a target for harassment, and the sandals would make it harder for me to run away or fight if that were necessary.
So yeah, I'm wearing shoes. And I kind of hate the universe. I get just enough whistles and strange men trying to talk to me here that I apparently can't leave the house looking pretty while I'm on my own without planning a defensive strategy.
I've always prepared to keep myself safe when leaving the house, be it reflective wear for biking or making sure my bag doesn't impede my movement. But I'm noticing here that I worry a lot more about clothing than I ever have before: I dress down, sometimes changing clothes, before I go to the library or go shopping, because I don't want to look richer than the average (and believe me, I don't have a particularly expensive wardrobe, but it's nicer than average the minute I leave campus). Street harassment is so much more common that I've taken to wearing headphones more often, even if they're not plugged in, just so that when random dudes go beyond whistling and try to talk to me I'll have a plausible reason to completely ignore them and they'll give up faster.
I wouldn't have given the dress a second thought in Ottawa.
But a man broke into my house when I was wearing this dress here because he could see me through the window, playing video games.
I'm not aiming to spend my whole life afraid, but I'm not going to take foolish risks either. I'm still wearing my favourite dress, but I'm wearing shoes, and I'm prepared to run if I have to.
So if you're ever wondering why I'm so firm about not staying in Albuquerque (or even the US) once this contract is done, this is a reason.
shadowspar for introducing me to this character generator, but while I shouldn't have been doing it at work, I admit it *was* fun to re-imagine myself as a Disney Princess.It'd probably be more fun to mess with the clothes to get something much more fanciful, but I decided I'd start with trying to replicate things I actually wear, which is why my virtual self is wearing red shoes that don't quite match the outfit but darned if they aren't comfy.
Those red shoes (which are actually mary janes) are what I'm wearing today, which brings me to my weird moment in shoes and clothing this morning. I'm wearing a bright red dress (it's the comfiest thing I own) and a bright red hat ('cause why not go all out?) which most logically would have gone best with sandals. But since I sprained my ankle, I've found my sandals a little too wobbly. They're quite flat, but the cushy padded sole combined with a slightly loose strap is just enough that I find them harder to walk in on the rough sidewalks around my house. I debated it long and hard this morning: they look better, and I'm strong enough that making my ankle work a bit harder is probably not dangerous so much as it is useful exercise.
... But then I thought about it, and realized in my bright red dress, I was potentially a target for harassment, and the sandals would make it harder for me to run away or fight if that were necessary.
So yeah, I'm wearing shoes. And I kind of hate the universe. I get just enough whistles and strange men trying to talk to me here that I apparently can't leave the house looking pretty while I'm on my own without planning a defensive strategy.
I've always prepared to keep myself safe when leaving the house, be it reflective wear for biking or making sure my bag doesn't impede my movement. But I'm noticing here that I worry a lot more about clothing than I ever have before: I dress down, sometimes changing clothes, before I go to the library or go shopping, because I don't want to look richer than the average (and believe me, I don't have a particularly expensive wardrobe, but it's nicer than average the minute I leave campus). Street harassment is so much more common that I've taken to wearing headphones more often, even if they're not plugged in, just so that when random dudes go beyond whistling and try to talk to me I'll have a plausible reason to completely ignore them and they'll give up faster.
I wouldn't have given the dress a second thought in Ottawa.
But a man broke into my house when I was wearing this dress here because he could see me through the window, playing video games.
I'm not aiming to spend my whole life afraid, but I'm not going to take foolish risks either. I'm still wearing my favourite dress, but I'm wearing shoes, and I'm prepared to run if I have to.
So if you're ever wondering why I'm so firm about not staying in Albuquerque (or even the US) once this contract is done, this is a reason.
