I was getting another post-cancer check-up today (and am clear…thanks be to God).
I met several interesting women in the waiting room. One was very elegant, dressed beautifully, coiffed and made-up. I was in my usual Arab-Tahoe Winter Casual: black jeans, Lariat clogs, brown shirt, black down vest and black/brown kefiyya scarf. No seshwar, minimal make-up.
We have a lovely chat, she was very friendly in spite of my inelegance. Looking like this, I am usually ignored in offices, no obvious social capital. As we talked, I noticed her perfectly manicured eyebrows knitting when she looked at my face. I knew what was coming. She didn’t know me well enough to say I looked ta3baani oo nashani, I wondered what spa/make-up/botox type advice was on the tip of her tongue.
“Do you mind a word of advice?” she asked tentatively. It Was Coming. I can smell it, sense the need to advise rise from three feet away. I can clean up so well, women like her see me as a canvas waiting for their brush.
“You should really tattoo your eyebrows“. Mine rose, cringing at the thought.
“You see mine? They are perfect, no? SO easy, it’s only 100JD, I can tell you where to go”. I looked, and sure enough, they were perfect. Alignment, color, arch…perfect. Except there was no hair there. I didn’t even want to ask what she did with it. Shave? Pluck? Sugar? Laser? Oh ow-ow-ow-ow-ow.
Oh My Wow. She was right, they looked lovely, but I just would never do that. In a MILLION years never. She continued to study my rather bushy blonde eyebrows, I was thankful I had at least put some pencil on to fill in the colorless brow, imagine her horror if I hadn’t. I wondered if she was on the verge of grabbing tweezers and going to town.
I thanked her and backed away slowly, saying goodbye as my Lariat clogs quickly clip-clopped toward the door. We will be friends on facebook soon, so hopefully we can laugh over this story together when we have gotten to know one another better.
I loved this! When we were in Central Asia, several of the local girls frequently and enthusiastically offered to give our daughters “unibrows,” which were popular among the young women from very traditional families. Needless to say, our daughters politely declined!
Oh Kinzi, the scene was re-playing in my head while reading and I cracked up laughing. I’ve heard that too, especially after – once again – I messed up my eyebrows while plucking them. But I think imperfect eyebrows are charming in their own way
Crazy lady.
Perhaps she never exerts herself enough to send sweat down her forehead into her eyes.
Sorry – I forgot – women neither sweat nor perspire. Though they may glow.
glad to hear the check up is O.K.
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catch u in + 1000000 years ya3ny to see the tattoo?
Arab-Tahoe Winter Casual–I love it! After 23 years in Jordan I still can’t get The Look. Sometimes I think I’m just lazy. As for the eyebrows, my mom (she is a fashion diva) had hers tattooed when she underwent chemo for breast cancer. Seven years post cancer, her hair has grown back so there are eyebrows over the tattoo, which just looks like eyebrow pencil. Never say never : )
Tattooed eye-brows? Wow, that is just too funny!
I could almost feel your cringe as your struggled to remain polite and friendly. When I was young with straight long hair, it seemed my friends with short beauty parlored hair couldn’t stop themselves from asking to let them “fix” mine. I was always insulted, because I considered long healthy hair part of a woman’s beauty.
glad u r ok and LOOOOL!!