[stylist] Representing blindness

Mon Feb 11 17:05:40 UTC 2013

I usually leave my house dressed in slacks, a nice shirt or sweater, and
jice boots or shoes.  I don't where flip flops or sandles.  It is just my
style.  It is just what I do.  

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Anita
Ogletree
Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2013 11:54 AM
To: Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] Representing blindness

Bridgit I thought I" theonly one who felt like that.  It's as if 
I can feel people watching me whenever I am in sweats or simple 
clothes.  Don't let it be aquick trip to the store or somewhere 
we're only going to be a moment doing (like dropping something 
off at the post office, etc.) and I have on an old pair of pants 
and a T-shirt.
My daughter-in-law has this crazy idea that whenever I have on 
jeans and sneakers.  She says "Idon't dress down like that." Her 
thought is that she should wear 6-inch heels just to walk around 
at the flee market.  That crazy woman works at a place where 
mostly men driving 18-wheelers and they come in dirty and smelly.  
She will wear heels and walk out to check on trucks and trailers 
where there's mud and ash.  I mean I know that she has dress 
professional as a manager but she's working where there's dirt 
and stuff.  She could dress in comfortable jeans and a nice 
casual shirt with comfortable shoes.
But that's not my business.  It just gets to me that sighted 
people focus so much on the wrong things that doesn't make sense.
Anite

> ----- Original Message -----
>From: Bridgit Pollpeter <bpollpeter at hotmail.com
>To: <stylist at nfbnet.org
>Date sent: Tue, 12 Feb 2013 10:16:07 -0600
>Subject: [stylist] Representing blindness

>Donna,

>I agree with you.  Our personal sense of fashion and preference 
shouldn't
>always be a reflection on our blindness.  Yes I love fashion and 
make-up,
>but I don't walk around looking like a fashion-ista every day.  
You
>parents can appreciate this.  Most days I'm in my yoga clothes 
since
>Declan and I hang out at home a lot.  People might think, "Oh, 
that blind
>lady doesn't know about fashion or care," but I'm just trying to 
be
>comfortable for my particular situation.  When I leave the house, 
I will
>dress a little differently.  When my sighted parent friends dress 
this
>way, people just think, "Oh, they have little children." 
Annoying.

>Bridgit
>Message: 22
>Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2013 21:55:47 -0500
>From: "Donna Hill" <penatwork at epix.net
>To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org
>Subject: Re: [stylist] To ponder- exercise and representing 
blindness
>Message-ID: <EED51D86EFC047148078ADB915BA754B at OwnerHP
>Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"

>Bridgit,
>I think that one reason we get this business about representing 
blind
>people
>is because of how very few of us there really are.  Lynda pointed 
out
>that
>she's the only blind person most of the people in her life have 
ever
>known.
>I think that's true for many of us.  I don't like having that
>responsibility
>thrust upon my shoulders either.  It makes me feel like I must be 
from
>another planet.

>I think, though, that whether we see ourselves in that role or 
not, we
>are
>representing blindness to an ignorant and pathetic world.  We 
can't get
>away
>from it; it's just the way things are.  Nevertheless, your 
attitude is
>the
>right one.  Just do whatever you want to do for you.

>For me, one of the things that gauls me -- and it falls under the
>heading of
>the mantel of responsibility of representing ourselves to the 
sighted
>world
>-- is the dress code thing.  I would be embarrassed to come to a 
national
>NFB
>convention without a serious shopping trip.  I'm not into 
fashion; unlike
>you, I don't like or want to wear make-up.  I'm usually in jeans  
with
>flannel shirts for the cold weather and short-sleeved cotton 
shirts in
>the
>summer.  If I have to go somewhere special -- and we don't seek 
out
>places
>where people dress up, because they also wear perfume which we're
>allergic
>too -- then I do have a few "nice" things in my closet.  I don't 
feel all
>that comfortable in them though.
>Donna

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