embarrassment

I've been wanting to blog this photo for the longest time. There's a lot I could tell you about this picture. Like that it could be Otger in a dress. But Otger would never wear a dress. No, this picture is about embarrassment. The picture was obviously taken around christmas, but that wasn't the occasion it was made for. My stepmother sewed the dress for a school dance. I had asked for permission to go to the school dance, and received a no. And then my stepmother changed her mind, I don't know why. But she sewed the dress, and her condition for me to be allowed to go was that I would wear the dress. Whereupon I of course didn't want to go anymore, all the others were going to be in jeans, I would stand out like a light house would I wear that nylon floral monster. But then of course she made me go, there was nothing I could do. And yes, I remember the embarrassment. "Eliane is wearing a nightgown!" Who ever dared to ask me for a slow dance had the rest of the class choking with laughter. So what did I learn from this. I guess maybe I learned to be embarrassed. I am still embarrassed lots of times, like when I have to show my work to art directors. But it only takes one single thought of this dress for me to not mind anymore.