On dressing up again

A lot has changed since I last wrote; I hit a milestone age and I wanted to do at least one post while at that age. I've also had two Chicagoversarys, my 21st and 22nd (I moved here August 11, 1995). I'm about to hit ten years on Flickr (August 30), which also marks ten years on ANY social media (I only had email and this blog before that, a world I can barely recall). Which is ten years with photography as my main interest in life, even if the things I obsessively spend my time seeking out and photographing, and the people I do it with, have changed many times. But wait, I wasn't doing the Flickr reminiscing yet, I wanted to talk about something I did on Instagram, which I finally joined in late June this year. And IT'S changed my life, though nowhere near as dramatically as Flickr. It's more a process of accelerating things I was already doing, and giving me a place to focus on them and get feedback.

For example: Skirt Month. In July I pledged to wear a skirt or dress, preferably a different one, every day that month, and post a photo on Instagram. I'd done this for a week in spring (before IG). I succeeded in July, too, and later took this photo of every dress and skirt I'd worn. It's more than 31 because I own more than that, even just of summery clothes, and some of these outfits were too fancy or weird to wear an entire day!

What motivated this project?

1) I had tons of stuff I hadn't worn in months or years or had forgotten about entirely--I started searching my deep collection of vintage clothes, still bagged since I moved...years ago, late in the month, and found some great ones like that black with floral print and huge collar mod dress--and this would help me rediscover these outfits.

2) I was starting to enjoy posting photos of myself online again. After only a handful of self-portraits (I've done them on Flickr since long before "selfie" was a common term) on Flickr in the past few years, plus occasionally changing my profile pic on other social networks, Instagram had me posting a lot of photos of myself. Sometimes my IG is 1/3 or more photos of me...though it's settled down since July. (Until I do another daily project: my city/neighborhood/sports/band t-shirts?)

3) Some of those older pictures, taken by me or photographer friends, were more...adventurous than anything I'd posted in a long time. Wearing vintage slips, tights...I don't think I'd even worn fishnet stockings (still not a common item in my wardrobe) in a few years. I knew I had friends who appreciated these photos and I was finally willing to put up with encountering random online people who would too.

4) Mainly, it was a challenge to simply dress like this again, aside from photos. A little of it was anxiety about my weight and appearance, but much more, it's about things that are hard to discuss. That wearing anything tight, short, revealing, and/or just really bright and noticeable was hard for me. That I've felt uncomfortable for a long, long time at being LOOKED at. That although I haven't shut down from my body, I've wanted to shut off certain kinds of attention. That it felt unsafe.

And no matter how much you know rationally that clothes don't cause assault or harassment, it can FEEL unsafe to wear them. Maybe you don't avoid them because you actually think you'll be safer, but because you fear the blame of others if anything happens. This was a heavy thing to have on my mind this summer, but it was there. And I made it through. Going to festivals and bars and coffeeshops and on the CTA and riding my bike in these outfits (there's a few I couldn't ride in, but I could do most!) was okay and I got almost no negative attention.

5) And yeah, it felt good to get a lot of social media compliments again. (Honestly I was disappointed how few comments and compliments I got from friends and acquaintances in person, but oh well, the next day I'd get that online. A lot of people haven't seen me dress like this in a long time if ever; maybe it was startling.)

So I wore everything in that photo and had a few more summery things I didn't get to because they didn't fit quite right or were a bit too formal. The majority of items above were from thrift stores over the years, nearly all for $5 and under. A few cost a little more at vintage stores, and a few are sale items from Target and Old Navy.

If you want to find the photos, they're all on my https://www.instagram.com/kofchicago/ tagged #skirtmonth

I agree with this booklet

Cooking is Fun
Originally uploaded by mod as hell

Didn't mean to have that previous post be at the top of the page for so long. Oh well. Tonight I finally got the rest of this 16-page recipe booklet from 1955 (1961 reprint) posted on Flickr (the full set is here). It's from the National Dairy Council out of Chicago...and does seem to have a lot of dairy in the recipes, now that I think about it. Adorable front and back cover, lots of basic kitchen tips, many decent recipes and some terrifying ones, as is standard for this era. (Well, prunes aren't bad per se, but "Prune Whip with Ice Cream?" For kids?)

I've made soup from scratch several times this year already and I'm quite happy about this. It's easy and it makes meals for days. Going to Soup and Bread nights at the Hideout in Chicago (okay, only been to one so far) has inspired me even more in soup-making.

Ugh, so much to catch up on. I might be inside a lot the next couple days blogging, what with the weather, and waiting to buy a CTA pass. This weekend is the last weekend (in over 20 years!) that Metra passes will be $5 (going up to $7, still probably the best transit bargain in the U.S.) so I need to make it out at least on Sunday...

New for 2008!

Colorful cabinets
Originally uploaded by Mod As Hell

A Flickr photo? Doesn't that mean I'm lazy, unmotivated, and depressed? Well, as for the latter--I was in an awful sleep-deprived misery last night. I'm feeling better now, but still feel bad because now TWO good guy-friends have gotten sick from food from a place on my block. (This time a restaurant, not a bakery.) Neither got sick from food I made, I hasten to point out. And at least this time, it wasn't on Christmas (yes, I inadvertenly gave someone food poisoning on Christmas, in 2005).

But if you'll notice, this photo comes from a NEW Flickr account. (It was a favorite on my main account, so yes, I've posted it twice.) This morning, I set up the second account I'd promised, one just for my collections of stuff. Mostly 1950s-1970s, hence the name. (I couldn't believe "Mod as Hell" wasn't taken, but then maybe I'm the only person who thinks that's clever anyway. "Busy Gal" [the name of an early Barbie outfit] was taken as an email name, but I'm using it for my "occupation.")

So, a little motivation. But lazy? Yes, here's text from Mod As Hell's profile, so you'll know what I'll be posting there:
"I just created this second account to serve as a delightful repository for photos and scans of my vast, vast collections of colorful and kitschy pop culture detritus. My apartment is filled with thousands of (not thousands of each, but thousands of things total) vintage things: pulp novels, home ec guides, beauty and dating advice books, recipe booklets, dishes and barware, dresses, hats, shoes, purses, ties, sewing patterns, Barbie and friends dolls, record albums, and so forth. And many other oddball things from thrift stores, dollar stores, yard sales, etc.: weird toys, Asian stationery, bizarre coffee mugs, bowling bags and trophies...I could go on and on."

Because really, how can I deny the world delights like the 1961 paperback "Monica": "Joe Came to Sell Storm Windows and Almost Perished in a Blasting Hurricane of Love"?!