Dress for Success
Remember that scene in that one movie where the woman changes how she dresses and the music plays and after that she looks better and good things happen to her? Remember that one?
...that's every movie, you say? Dammit. I knew it!
Well, regardless of which movie springs to mind for you personally (for me it's Aliens: all the Marines dressing up!), the message is clear: dress the part.
With some dances - flamenco, ballet - this works out just fine. Everyone immediately knows what a flamenco dancer or a ballerina should be wearing. Tango is generally considered the realm of the slinky red dress.
Problem One: Not one thing about me is slinky.
Problem Two: Slinky = expensive. Planchadora = cheap.
Cheap as in, I hate to pay, not cheap as in...well. If you wear a bra and miniskirt to a milonga, people will make assumptions. The first assumption is, "Her technique is terrible," and that assumption is almost always correct. The second assumption is probably cattier. But seriously, if you have gorgeous technique, you can wear pajajmas and hiking boots and men will still want to dance with you, because you make the dance look good. Just learn!
Personally, I like pants. They make me look taller, they remind me to extend my legs when I walk backwards, and they help correct my posture. I have slinky skirts, and when I wear them I have no idea how I'm standing or how far back my leg goes, because there's no resistance. With a waistband and some insteams I can get a feel for how I'm doing.
Also, in a skirt, how many ochos before the world sees your underpants? Not many.
There is no rule, though, that says I can't have some awesome tops. I have bought material, and plan to make slinky shirts over the weekend in a delightful montage full of giggling and sighing through my bangs and getting stuck trying on one of my own shirts, because that's the sort of wacky hijinks people get into when they make stuff!
(Actually, that last thing has happened to me. Not that I sewed it closed, I just wasn't paying attention and put my head through an armhole.)
(Don't judge me.)
...that's every movie, you say? Dammit. I knew it!
Well, regardless of which movie springs to mind for you personally (for me it's Aliens: all the Marines dressing up!), the message is clear: dress the part.
With some dances - flamenco, ballet - this works out just fine. Everyone immediately knows what a flamenco dancer or a ballerina should be wearing. Tango is generally considered the realm of the slinky red dress.
Problem One: Not one thing about me is slinky.
Problem Two: Slinky = expensive. Planchadora = cheap.
Cheap as in, I hate to pay, not cheap as in...well. If you wear a bra and miniskirt to a milonga, people will make assumptions. The first assumption is, "Her technique is terrible," and that assumption is almost always correct. The second assumption is probably cattier. But seriously, if you have gorgeous technique, you can wear pajajmas and hiking boots and men will still want to dance with you, because you make the dance look good. Just learn!
Personally, I like pants. They make me look taller, they remind me to extend my legs when I walk backwards, and they help correct my posture. I have slinky skirts, and when I wear them I have no idea how I'm standing or how far back my leg goes, because there's no resistance. With a waistband and some insteams I can get a feel for how I'm doing.
Also, in a skirt, how many ochos before the world sees your underpants? Not many.
There is no rule, though, that says I can't have some awesome tops. I have bought material, and plan to make slinky shirts over the weekend in a delightful montage full of giggling and sighing through my bangs and getting stuck trying on one of my own shirts, because that's the sort of wacky hijinks people get into when they make stuff!
(Actually, that last thing has happened to me. Not that I sewed it closed, I just wasn't paying attention and put my head through an armhole.)
(Don't judge me.)
No comments:
Post a Comment