The Beauty of Taking Advice
Years ago, when I was a young pup in college, I worked part time at a local department store behind the beauty counter. It was perhaps ironic that I sought employment in the beauty industry while studying feminism and gender norms, but for me at the time, nothing could have been more apropos, and looking back, it was exactly where I was supposed to be. This was the first time in my life where my peers were of different ages, and while I was a sort of naive mascot for these women, I soon learned that I was basking in a fountain of wisdom. These ladies were nothing like the carpooling “room moms” and field trip chaperones that made up the women of my childhood. They talked to me like the quasi-adult that I was, and as they did, I learned about their divorces and custody settlements, their mortgages, and grown-up dating life. I learned about comfortable shoes, and vacations to tropical islands. I learned about making commission, sharing commission, and what to do about those that were stealing commissions. These women were out on their own, many without husbands or partners, and they were survivors. Every day I learned