Alas, frumpy not yet trendy

Truly, madly, Marchly. Let’s duly and drooly double dribble through the news:

•”Frumpy is the new funky“: No, it’s not. A Philadelphia Inquirer report from the fashion runways says conservative looks with longer skirts and buttoned up blouses are trendy this spring. So that would be conservative, not frumpy. Frumpy is unknowingly having your daughter’s soccer sock static-clinging for its life on the rear of that skirt.

Revealing that once again there is very little original thinking in fashion, one designer called her long-sleeved tan-and-black polka-dot dress creation with a high neck and tie — “the librarian.” Sigh. Even in high fashion, wonderous librarians are relegated to donning only stereotypes. Frumps can be found in all jobs, working right alongside their smartly-outfitted colleagues. They’re the ones with stapled pant hems, strategically wearing their ID badge to cover a stain.

And if frumpy is really funky, truly a trend, where is the unisex, elastic-waisted, coffee-colored and coffee- smelling, chocolate-smeared, cookie-crumby pantsuit called “the journalist”? Add a green eyeshade for a jaunty look.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

•”ZZ Top, George Thorogood to headline new ‘rock legends’ cruise“: Still doesn’t make frumpy the new funky. While the ship leaves from Florida, the rock legends, including Molly Hatchet, will keep a wary eye out for suspicious mid-voyage turns toward ice floes.

Pork board swaps ‘The Other White Meat’ For ‘Be Inspired‘”: That’s the meat producers changing their slogan, not Congress.

Charlie Sheen set to buy Beverly Hills home“: Because you were wondering how the Wall Street Journal would find an angle on this “story.”

“Readers support cosmetic makeover”: Well, one reader anyway. This was from a letter in the Tuesday Dear Abby column from a woman concerned about her friend who may have been passed over for a promotion due to “personal grooming issues.”

The woman doesn’t smell or anything, but chooses not to wear makeup, or pluck her eyebrows or her apparent hairy feet, as seen when she wears sandals. Abby and at least one reader urged the woman to take her friend for a “makeover.”

Others came to the woman’s defense, including a letter writer signed “Mike in Everett, Wash.” Mike suggested the woman look for a job where skills are appreciated over looks: “I work in aerospace, where we value (and need) smart women who can make things happen. We love women with strength and character, and tend to be suspicious of someone trying to pull off the ‘Barbie Doll’ image.”

Speaking for frumpy and non-frumpy alike, the plucked and the unplucked, the smooth and the furry, we value (and need) smart men like Mike.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Sunday, May 18

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Wildfire smoke builds over Darrington on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020 in Darrington, Wa. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Loss of research funds threat to climate resilience

The Trump administration’s end of a grant for climate research threatens solutions communities need.

In the summer of 2021, members of the Skagit River System Cooperative counted fish in the restored estuary of Leque Island near Stanwood. What they found was encouraging. (Chuck Taylor / The Herald) 20210817
Comment: Ignoring the climate choice to adapt or die

The loss of funding for climate adaptation science will leave regions to weather impacts on their own.

Reverse Congress librarian’s unjust firing

I am beyond heartbroken by the unceremonious firing of Dr. Carla Hayden,… Continue reading

Should states handle issue of immigration?

OK, here we go again. The southern states have been screaming ‘states’… Continue reading

Candidates without opponents should decline donations

No candidates registered to run against Jared Mead or Nate Nehring for… Continue reading

Why does Trump need three 747s?

If children can make do with two dolls instead of 30 while… Continue reading

No doubt about what Trump is doing to nation

There is no doubt about it. The Trump administration is in reality… Continue reading

Among the programs sponsored by Humanities Washington was a Prime Time Family Reading Event at the Granite Falls Sno-Isle Library in March. (Rachel Jacobson)
Comment: Loss of humanities grants robs us of connections

The loss of $10 million in humanities funding in the state diminishes what celebrates human creativity.

Comment: Democrats’ tax plan aimed at ‘villain,’ hit consumers

The governor should veto a B&O tax increase that will hit food prices at stores and restaurants.

Comment: Compare tax choices of 3 states and watch what happens

Idaho and Montana cut their taxes. Washington raised taxes to historic levels. Will an exodus result?

Sarah Weiser / The Herald
Air Force One touches ground Friday morning at Boeing in Everett.
PHOTO SHOT 02172012
Editorial: There’s no free lunch and no free Air Force One

Qatar’s offer of a 747 to President Trump solves nothing and leaves the nation beholden.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.