Tomorrow I have to try REALLY HARD...

[brooklyngirl]

@Spiky Bugger, I can only imagine!!!

When I was SMO and pregnant with what turned out to be a very overdue 9.5 lb bundle of joy, there was a dearth of plus-sized maternity clothes (especially size 30). I found one shirt that actually fit *and* was work-appropriate. I bought it in every color and pattern in which it was offered. My then boss, who was extremely vain and took to calling me in her office for matters such as to her view as to how my eyebrows should be plucked, called me in her office for another fun tete-a-tete. The topic at hand: Whether or not I sewed my own clothes. FMR.

What? I never understood how people don't realize they're being offensive in situations like that. Or do they just not give a **** if they hurt people's feelings? ******* or clueless- the age old question

 

[JackieOnLine]

@Spiky Bugger, I can only imagine!!!

When I was SMO and pregnant with what turned out to be a very overdue 9.5 lb bundle of joy, there was a dearth of plus-sized maternity clothes (especially size 30). I found one shirt that actually fit *and* was work-appropriate. I bought it in every color and pattern in which it was offered. My then boss, who was extremely vain and took to calling me in her office for matters such as to her view as to how my eyebrows should be plucked, called me in her office for another fun tete-a-tete. The topic at hand: Whether or not I sewed my own clothes. FMR.

wait, WTF? I can't imagine what she was thinking, seriously?

 

[hilary1617]

I do regret not responding by asking her if she'd like me to crochet her a pair of pants or cobble some shoes for her, but I was so taken aback by the bizarre nature of her comment I was left speechless. My perception was that she was intently focused on appearances (particularly her own) because she didn't have much else to bring to the table. She didn't last long, despite her properly-plucked eyebrows, non-homemade garments and such.

 

[Elizabeth N.]

@Spiky Bugger, I can only imagine!!!

When I was SMO and pregnant with what turned out to be a very overdue 9.5 lb bundle of joy, there was a dearth of plus-sized maternity clothes (especially size 30). I found one shirt that actually fit *and* was work-appropriate. I bought it in every color and pattern in which it was offered. My then boss, who was extremely vain and took to calling me in her office for matters such as to her view as to how my eyebrows should be plucked, called me in her office for another fun tete-a-tete. The topic at hand: Whether or not I sewed my own clothes. FMR.

 

[DianaCox]

My senior thesis advisor at Yale - a middle-aged woman who was passed over for tenure, but was kept on because she was running the lab of a gifted and beloved professor who was succumbing to early-onset Alzheimer's - was unduly interested in the fact that I was fat, but had an older boyfriend who was willing to have sex with me. I weighed about 180 lbs at the time.

 

[hilary1617]

I wonder what is at the root of the fascination. My former boss was obsessed with all things appearance, especially not "letting herself go". Not sure if your advisor had a similar burden. I wonder if there is some curiosity or even underlying jealousy by those who go through extraordinary measures to maintain a certain appearance simply surrounding the fact that there are other people who doen't seemed concerned at all with such things (at least they certainly don't present as making those types of sacrifices though as we know many, many MO and SMO folks are out there quietly living yo-yo dieting deprivation).

I live in a land of fake-tanned, obsessively-thin, botoxed second wives who routinely wear lululemmon yoga pants that leave little to the imagination and tops that highlight their PS, accessorized with obligatory designer handbags and shoes. I must have appeared to be an alien to them when I was SMO.