Saturday, November 15, 2008

Aging, weight loss and plumber's crack

So, I recently lost some weight. Not a lot, but enough weight that I can no longer wear any of my pants without them falling down. For a while I could simply belt them to keep them up. But now when I try to wear a belt all the fabric gets bunched up and I kinda look like some backwoods hillbilly holding up their jeans with a rope. (Not that there's anything wrong with that; I'm just saying. No offense, West Virginia.)
I bought some smaller jeans at Sam's Club the other day. Which, BTW is where all the trendsetters buy their clothes while shopping for toilet paper and paper towels in bulk. I got these jeans pretty cheap (the best kind) and they were Levis bootcut, so I knew there was a possibility they might fit me -- a rare quality in a pair of jeans. The problem with buying clothing at Sam's is, there are no dressing rooms, so you can't try anything on. (Actually, you can, but I've found that they tend to frown upon this practice.)
Where was I going with this? Oh yeah, I remember now. I get home, put away all my bulk items and tried on my new jeans. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they actually fit very well. The only problem is that they are the low rise variety. Which is fine. But these are the really low rise variety. I modeled them for my hubby and he thought they looked good. My daughter saw them and asked that I wear them to school when I came to read to her class. She likes to pick out my clothes so that I can look "fancy".

Now, I'm at a point in my life where I think twice about what I'm wearing. As much as I try not to, I do care what other people's impressions are of my outward appearance. Did I look like a middle-aged housewife trying to look hip? I've been told by friends that they don't think of me as being 43, but I've always chalked that up to the fact that I'm extremely immature, not from any youthful appearance. I don't want to become a parody like Sally O'Malley going around screaming, "I'm 50!" It bugs me that so many women (and men nowadays) are so afraid to age gracefully. I say this somewhat hypocritically because I color my hair every month to cover up the grey. So I ask you -- how old is too old to wear low rise jeans?

I decided to go ahead and wear my new, hip jeans. They were a bit on the long side so I wore some high heeled boots. (Not real boots, but those slip on ones that look like boots. I have huge calves that make wearing most boots impossible -- but that's another story.) I gotta admit that I was feeling pretty sassy when I went up to my daughter's class. My daughter gave me a big hug and told me I looked "fancy". That's pretty high praise from her. As I do each Friday, I read to her class then went to the cafeteria to have lunch with her. The lunch tables are basically large, picnic tables -- no chairs only benches. When I sat down, I was not feeling sassy. I was feeling a draft. I was feeling grateful that grapes were not on the menu because kids from neighboring tables could have enjoyed a rousing game of butt-crack basketball. Awkward...

So, enough about me, how was your Friday?

Update: Speaking of weight loss (or not), have you tried the new deep fried macaroni and cheese bites from Jack in the Box? They're delightful!

12 comments:

Christine said...

What's the right age for low-rise jeans?
Whether 14 or 48, I would say, unequivocally, when the loveable "side-handles" and belly-jelly hang over the edges, you're not the right age!
I stopped being the right age when I was 22.

Christine said...

ps. Congratulations on the weight loss!!!! Are you still going to join 24 hr. w/ me?

Anonymous said...

I think that it's not so much age, but personal body fitness determining how high or low the rise should be on your own body.

My would need to be pretty high right now, sad to say.

High or low rise aside, if you were showing skin, that that's a different story.

Legally, low rise with skin showing is for 25 and under only.

Butt crack views are (or at least SHOULD be) illegal in all 50 states!

Unless you're on MTV, then feel to do all 3 simultaniously. Just use a stage name.

And please, call me when you're video airs! I'll have the grapes ready!

katdish said...

christine - As I have discovered the wonderful delights of deep fried mac and cheese, I think that a membership to 24 hour fitness is still in order...

Sherri - in my defense, skin was only visible after I sat down -- a completely unintended set of circumstances. And before I air said video, I'm going to need to find a wide angle lens for my camera.

Beth said...

So I've been wearing the same 3 pairs of pants since the baby was born. I'm sick of these pants. I got some of my skinnier pants (low-rise!) out just to try...thinking maybe I could wear a pair to church tonight.

It was a muffin top disaster.

Back to the 3 pairs of pants!

Did I mention I visited the youth center this week and the kids asked me if I was pregnant again?

Thanks kids.

Now I'll go get ready for church. I will brush my hair and a big wad of it will fall out. Because that's what happens 4 months after I have a baby. Muffin top and losing my hair. Someday I'll be fancy again...someday....

katdish said...

Beth -

"muffin top disaster". Oh my goodness, THAT was hilarious! (not for you, I'm sure, but still.)

Helen said...

Katdish,
Congratulations on the weightloss! Of course, you know my big old round self hates you now, but only in a most Christian way, right? Just kidding! I am happy for you. Don't worry about skin showing. You are in a warmer climate, so I am sure that a little back showing isn't the worst of it amoung the crowd. If you are feeling a draft, you can always pick out some of those longer tunic style blouses when you get new clothes due to being thinner. (Before you make fun of those, be aware that I love those blouses and have more than one. You can still make fun of it, but it is only fair that you know what you are doing when you do! :-) )

Beth said...

I want to give the person who brought the long tunic style shirts back into style an award! This makes it possible to wear low-rise jeans at any age because the entire area is covered. Even if there is slight muffin toppage...

:)

Joy said...

I vote to bring back those high waisted pants from the 80's. I could hide a lot of my tummy behind those.
When I wear the lower rise. I get asked if I'm pregnant.
Not a fun question for this almost 43 year old.

katdish said...

Oh, I'm a huge fan of the long tunic style blouses! They are especially handy after a big holiday meal...

No one has to know that you've unbuttoned your pants.

Hi Joy! Thanks for commenting on my silly little blog! I'm not opposed to the higher waist, I just don't like the straight legs. Boot cut (or as we used to call them, bell bottoms) give the illusion that my sizable, um, ass-ets are somewhat smaller. And did I mention that I have huge calves?

Vicki said...

I say wear them in all their glory! Just buy some of those longer shirts that stores are finally selling now.

Butt-crack baseball: hilarious!!

Thanks for submitting your post to BPOTW!

Mary Ann said...

Wow, this was fantastic. I AM 23 and don't have the guts to wear those super low waists. Props to you for bravery and confidence. I bet you were looking quite snazzy.