A Mention for Unmentionables

Brevity is the soul of lingerie -Dorothy Parker

I have received a lot of questions from people since I started this blog. They run the gamut from the obvious..."You mean you can't buy anything?? Not even a purse or a pair of sunglasses?" Not surprisingly, these types of questions come from my female friends. Then there are the less subtle questions such as, "So, um, I mean, are you naked when you are writing the blog or just generally." I think we can all guess which gender has brought up such thought provoking inquiries. But interestingly, one of the more popular questions has been based in true functionality. "What will you do about underwear?" My response - well, I have a lot.

Apparently this response was not sufficient. People wanted proof. So to my unmentionables drawer I sauntered to do a tally. And what did I find? Some 60+ pairs of knickers of varying shapes and sizes. They range from pretty lacy items to functional cotton, barely there anti-VPL numbers to novelty pairs I have received as gifts, comfy boy briefs to overpriced pieces I have purchased to assist in the art of seduction. Some are certainly in higher rotation than others, but when you have such a breadth of repertory to work with, I suppose the casualty rate is somewhat diminished.

It is funny, of the many thoughts that crossed my mind when embarking on this venture, this was certainly not one of them. I thought about the shopping trips with my mother that occur virtually every time I journey home. The lazy weekend afternoons of wandering around the boutiques of Brooklyn or an extended lunch of window shopping in the City. The idea that there might be a special event for which I could not purchase a new knock-em dead dress. Never once did I think...what if I run out of underpants!?!?!

For me, this is where the basis of this personal challenge becomes very clear. Nine times out of ten, when I have purchased clothing in the past, it is not out of necessity but out of pure luxury. Now I am not saying that from time to time a girl doesn't deserve a treat, but my closet is the proof of the virtual candy store I have acquired and felt in some way I deserved. My goal over the next year is to change my thought process and use what extra funds I do have to achieve larger goals. There is a saying that notes the American philosophy of living to work compared to the French philosophy of working to live. I want that joie de vivre that I know can only fully come when I am free of the burden that my debt has inflicted on my life for the past too many years.


In the meantime, don't worry Mom, I will have on clean underwear in case of a plane crash or a sudden paparazzi ambush.

And excuse me, now that I have completed this post, I need to put my clothes back on and start my day.