Every smart shoe girl keeps herself well read and well heeled, these Michael Kors are perfect for reaching those tall shelves at the library. Photo by Jean Thornton
It’s the end of another grueling day; on my evening agenda is a sofa and reading a few chapters in A People’s History of the United States. My scholarly endeavor gets derailed when I open my mailbox to find the latest monthly edition of Marie Claire. Good-bye intellectual, hello trendy fashioneasta! An evening of continued learning beyond my government-mandated public education goes out the window replaced with an opportunity to learn the best skin care plan at ages 20, 30, and 40! My goodness, my skin is set for the thirty years!
I am taking beauty over brains: Instead of turning to the coarse pages of literature that, while longer lasting, are completely without pretty pictures, I am making the self-centered decision to choose glossy pages filled with fashion advice that is only good for the next 30 days or until next month’s edition arrives. This could be the argument for Adult Attention Deficit Disorder, as many may not consider reading an article about environmentally friendly shoes lines as academically intriguing as the latest political dissection on the bestseller list. Knowledge may be power, but who says that knowledge has to be academically based? Can that knowledge be about Kate Spade shoes, Prada handbags and this season’s must-have bangle bracelets?
I like to consider myself a somewhat educated person, I have degrees from a state University, that while not “Ivy League,” they certainly were not written in crayons. I can spend hours debating current events, politics, trends in psychology and other topics worthy of cocktail party banter. At the same time I can also argue the advantages of wearing high heels for a female’s good body posture that grabs a man’s attention while giving your calves the best workout available; the reoccurrence of shoulder pads and wide belts on Paris runways, and why wearing jeans shorts is wrong 80% of the time. Yet, speak too confidently about the latter topics and suddenly you are not smart, you are narcissistic.
This leaves me wondering if I am the dumbing down of America that our media and intellectual think tanks keep proclaiming. Like global warming, the threat of a stupider American looms as the possible fate of future – or is it today’s — generations. Celebrity gossip and the latest tax bill Congress is debating may not seem like they deserve equal thought, but in my world they do. Clearly, I am not alone in this belief as the number of celebrity-based magazines such as Star or US Weekly, is far greater than the number of the political magazines lining our grocery store checkouts. There has to be a reason that shiny pictures with captions about the possible plastic surgeries of A list stars are so popular in comparison to the magazines boosting headlines about the testimony given to the Senate Special Committee on Aging. In truth it is easier to enjoy talk of fashion and who was thrown off the latest Hollywood movie set, over the landmine-filled political discussions that can easily go from polite chit chat to a heated argument before you can finish a glass of wine.
At times I feel I must fight for the value of my interests against the value of other’s interest. While on the surface, watching hours of the Style Network might be looked upon as less educational than watching the History Channel, I stand firm in asserting that I am actually learning more from watching a makeover marathon. Almost everyone has been educated in the basics of history since grade school, yet how many classes taught you about coordinating accessories with a Calvin Klein suit? By spending time watching hopeless fashion victims transformed into confident style icons I am only closing an educational loop hole.
It’s true my coffee table is more likely to have headlines proclaiming spring’s must have sandals than a copy of Ulysses. You may call it superficial; I call it a post-scholastic coma that limits how much more I can learn. I am slowly building new synaptic bridges and returning to the world of well-written non-fiction. The reality is it takes a balance of both fashion savvy and political insight to be a well-rounded person. While a killer silver stiletto may be the perfect splash for your outfit, understanding the global effects of the U.S. economic decline is also in vogue.
I put aside the guilt of delving into an article about how to get a sexy beach body instead of learning more about how the pilgrims exploited the Native Americans. Hey, I already know enough to grasp that most of those Thanksgiving stories of peaceful coexistence are somewhat false. But I don’t know how to tone my abs while at my desk! At least I recognize this conundrum and internal struggle of how to best spend the time set aside for reading that will improve my world view, at least the world I can see from my sofa. Sure, Glamour may not give me the wisdom of an educated voter picking my next governor, but it can help pick the right mascara and that’s a pretty vital decision too.
Pearls of wisdom!