I needed some little things for a couple items on the "honey-do" list, and I noticed a merchant had obligingly provided a very nice coupon for $5.00 off any purchase as a birthday present. So, off I went, in black pleated-neck tunic, white capris and my barely-there sandals, with white toenails leading the way, and my long hair, purse and now-long fingernails - I need a fill, but chose to hold off for a while. (And for some odd reason, my nails just keep growing!)
The greeter addressed me properly, which was appreciated. Several clerks and customers passed me in the aisles as I shopped...with appropriate greetings for my feminine self. Once I was in the check-out line (socially-distanced, of course), folks cutting through the line to get to the aisle on the other side also addressed me as female, which was wonderful.
Best part happened at checkout. The clerk (20something male) entered the card number, noticed my given name (now exclusively for girls) and asked "you're Miss (given name), right?" "Yes, sir." "We here at (store name here) wish you a wonderful birthday, and many more. " "Thanks so much, sir." "You're welcome, Miss _____________. Please come back soon!" "I will!"
A very short - but affirming - shopping run! Somehow, I can't help but believe my "barely-there" sandals and beacon-white toe nails (pic below):
...are an important part of my feminine image. It's quite unlikely that men would be wearing this style of sandal OR have painted toe nails.
In addition, I've found that "buying my own color and letting the nail tech paint my nails with it, then give it back to me afterwards" is helpful. Not only can I later touch up any chips that may happen, without the patch being obvious, but I can stretch my pedi out for an extra few weeks, touching up my nails till my comfortable closed shoes get less comfortable! Then it's time for a pedi.
While
I most likely won't ever be able to wear them like the following during my
lifetime (except perhaps on one of my infrequent 2-week summer excursions), it would be interesting (and fun) to
wear them this long, and this brightly-colored, for an entire summer:
Shoe selection? Easy one….open toe sandals, minimum 2” heel with 3/4” platform - all the time, so nails don’t scrape the ground and get scuffed. A pedicure like this would make the rest of my presentation much less of an issue. Men don’t have pink toe nails so long that they can’t wear regular shoes! "It's a girl!"
Won't happen any time soon, though... :-(
Mandy
