The decline and disappearance of vanity.

People may tell you that vanity is not a good thing. People may tell you that competition is not a good thing. People may tell you that obsession with fashion is not a good thing. People may say that the world would be a better place if none of us worried about our appearance.

I agree that the totally self absorbing vanity that has someone trapped in front of a mirror from 4 o'clock in the morning slavishly doing their hair and make-up regime; or the soul destroying competition that has a person living on a treadmill while eating just a cracker a day; or the clothes addiction that sees some women invest more in their wardrobe than they do in their superannuation, is certainly not desirable. However a complete lack of vanity, a complete disinterest in personal appearance and a total 'letting down the guard' of style is a completely pitiable decision.  

The following is the result when one is removed from the scrutiny of the public eye. When you witness for yourself the terrible transformation that I underwent from chic city chick to comfort seeking country bumpkin, you will also be forced to agree- a little bit of vanity, a little bit of competition, a little bit of fashion awareness is a good thing.

Below:  me just before we bought the farm and moved to the country:

The following are photographs taken of me within months of stepping foot in the country:
As you can see, I appear to have lost all my style and good looks and my best friend is a sheep.....
The hat, the boots, the tracksuit pants....Brilliant!

Allowing yourself to be photographed in a  dressing gown and slippers is sad enough, but when they are teamed up with a brown track suit.... I am surprised I am not divorced!

Here, not only do I appear to have forgotten how to apply the most basic of all makeup, I am also wearing my husband's over sized sandals that don't even look stylish on him. And again, those God awful brown track suit pants.....The sheep is hiding from the camera, not wanting to be shown in my presence. No wonder he started head butting me whenever I came near him.

If being fashionable, sporting  high heels and makeup, having nicely manicured nails and having a stylish coiffure are important things to you then you may find yourself a little lost at sea in smaller country communities. It is not impossible to remain stylish and well put together in the country. It does take more effort and you may very well find you are the only girl in town who is bothering. If you are unfortunate enough to be the only female in town flying the flag for vanity, you could also become the target of gossip, and possibly be suspected of being a man eater, in which case you will be monitored like a hawk whenever you are around any of the male members of the community.

Truthfully, I predict you will tire of being the odd one out, standing out like anyone who is over dressed for an occasion. You will slowly start toning down your production. First you will lose the excess make-up. Gone are the foundation, blush and lipstick. In is the invisible cover and lip gloss. Soon you will just be dabbing on some under eye concealer and a bit of mascara. Your nail extensions will have been long gone by now. Not only are they impractical for a life on the land, there is no manicurist or nail artist close enough by to do the necessary repair work you always require. If you enjoyed hair extensions, they too will have been removed. The difference just one week can make in their appearance is obvious, and your ability to get to a hairdresser who actually specialises in hair extensions the week you need one is not guaranteed. You will consider a hair style that is ‘easy care’ requiring just a comb pulled through it in the morning. Your hair dryer will linger unused in the back of your cupboard. Eventually you will give away the makeup completely, preferring to go ‘au naturelle’ like everybody else in town. One day you will realise you have not really looked in the mirror for weeks.

You will not have worn a pair of heels since the first social gathering you attended where you found it difficult to walk over the muddy clay and gravel without sinking inextricably into the ground, and then were the only person not in Rossi boots. Your skirts and dresses will make their way to the darkest recesses of your wardrobe and you will only see jeans and track pants hanging on your line. Your evening gown will gather dust and go out of fashion before you have another opportunity to wear them. Your foot wear has been reduced to a pair of slip on sandals (possibly your husband's), a pair of thongs and a pair of Rossis.

You will have started to gain weight, forget to properly cleanse tone and moisturise, and find yourself with unshaved legs more often than you care to admit.

You will not really be alarmed by the decline in your physical appearance until you go to the city. Then it will hit you and you will notice how out of synch you have become in a place you used to move around in with ease. If the discomfort you feel about yourself is strong enough, you will be very relieved to get back to the country.

Yikes! BE WARNED!