BlogHer'10 ~ it's okay to feel pretty

BlogHer came and went in the blink of an eye. I once compared it to planning for a wedding.

We all prepare and primp and practice, to make sure it all goes just right.
We are all nervous and excited and anxious.
We all had different parts of the experience we were looking forward to the most.

And in the end, it probably didn't go exactly as planned, but the overall was good and even some unexpected surprises became of it.

You see, I was a totally different person going to BlogHer this year. I had a year of experience under my belt. I knew what to expect. I knew a lot of people that would be there from various projects and campaigns I have worked on it the past year, or simply just from meeting them via Twitter or blogging. I also wasn't going to have Lily this time, which was both exhilarating and heartbreaking. I would be flying solo (well, sans family, but with some FABULOUSLY AWESOME girls).  I was more confident and proud of myself and my blog and where I have come and knowing exactly where I want to go with it all. I long ago checked my judgement's at the door and am open-minded and go with the flow, making this conference an utter joy to attend. IF you want to care about whats shoes or pedicures people have, great! If you don't, great! I will never judge you for caring, or NOT caring. It's what makes you, YOU!

So yes, I got my nails done.
And yes, I bought some new clothes and shoes.
And yes, I was proud of it.
Proud to look put together and proud that I cared.
Because how often do i REALLY get a chance to look put together?

Not often.

....fast forward to Friday afternoon...

Corine and I were walking through the expo hall and ran into a dad blogger she knew, who invited us to a party that was happening in a few hours. Sounded cool, so we went.

It was at a salon called Hair Rules, where they were partnering with an upscale stroller company called iCandy. We got a chance to chat and they even had some makeup artists and stylist doing some makeup touch ups and throwing a few curls in the ladies already gorgeous hair.  What mom wouldn't want a little extra pampering? I think this event was perfect for me.

So I had one girl teach me about covering up my undereye circles, then she did all the work for me and it looked wonderful. Corine insisted I get some curls in my hair, "okay, okay, fine....", so I sat down in the next available chair.

I explained to the stylist that "I know my hair is really bad. I'm growing out my bangs. I know it looks terrible, but hey....what can ya do when you're growing out your bangs right?"  He proceeded to tell me, that even if I was growing out my bangs, I still needed to get them trimmed and blended." yikes, now I feel really bad because they look horrible. He asked how long it had been since I got my hair cut, "Oh honey, well over a year." He gasps as though I took off my shirt and flashed him, because in the hair styling world, yeah....a year? A YEAR? I am certain time stopped for a whole 5 minutes. I wanted to hang my head in shame. But I DID defend myself "but....but....i have 2 kids, toddlers actually. the only haircuts I worry about are theirs. And really, who has the time? I don't. I am soooooo busy."

He must have seen my shame and desperation and embarrassment.

He says "We'll take care of that."

Hm. Okay. So, he whips out the cover cape thing. He grabs his scissors. He goes to town. Tons of hair starts flying off. I can feel the weight being lifted from my head.

I also feel the weight being lifted off of my spirit. I feel my head being held a little higher. I feel myself looking not just put together, but pretty. And not a normal kind of pretty, like I have on a pretty dress kind of pretty. But a pretty that I once felt, a long time ago.


I was getting a haircut.
I was going to look nice.
Someone cared about what I looked like.
Someone cared about ME feeling good about myself.

I got up from the chair, looked at myself in awe. Then I hugged the stylist, Dickey. I thanked him. I don't think he quite understood how much this simple haircut and style meant to me. I wish there was a better way to thank him.

[i would insert a photo right here, but blogger is being silly right now. But if you CAN'T wait, check out my twitter photo!]

So what I have to say is, if you went out and bought a sexy pair of red heels to wear (to BlogHer or anything else, even if it is just to walk around the house in) it's OKAY to be proud of them. And if you are wearing them to make yourself feel pretty or sexy or attractive, than that is great! And DO IT! And be proud. And don't let anyone tell you that worrying about what you are wearing is silly, because it isn't. And everyone who got on other people's cases because they cared about what they looked like or wore or smelled like when they were at BlogHer need to leave the rest of us alone that actually give a damn. Because it's okay to feel pretty.

Because I am not feeling pretty for you! I am feeling pretty for ME!