My New Friend

I met the most fascinating woman this week.

Our introduction occurred in a clothing boutique. I struggled to determine her age (it’s impolite to ask, you know). Twenties, a very good thirty-ish…I couldn’t figure it out, and of course, it didn’t really matter. We began chatting, and I found myself totally in awe of her. She’s tall, with the most beautiful, unruly head of hair I’ve ever seen. Her deep, smoky voice rarely rises above a whisper. She revealed very little about herself. Originally from New England, she made her way to Texas last year because she felt ‘it would be best’. I don’t like to pry, but I confess I could not wait to hear her story, because I knew it would be absolutely delicious.

Randomly, she asked about my posture. I told her that standing up straight was merely a habit, and anyone could do it. “I want you to help me,” she said, “feel free to physically straighten me up anytime you see me slouching.” There’s no small talk with her; she gazes into your eyes intensely, asking questions, and really wanting to know things about you.

She has no car (not even a drivers’ license), and lives ‘with a few people’. “I like to work,” she said. “When I’m not working I’m at home. I have no family here. What else am I going to do?”

By this time, I’m bursting with intrigue. Her mysterious aura mesmerized me. I want to know everything I can about her!

“Have you read The Secret?” she asked. Of course, I have. “What about The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success?” I explained to her that Chopra’s little guide was the one that got me started on my journey toward enlightenment. “Me, too….yeah, me too….” She responded dreamily.

All I could gather from our first conversation was this: she’s smart – almost ‘scary smart’. She’s taking steps toward finding out ‘what it’s all about’ (her words). She’s been in some trouble that’s separated her from her family. She doesn’t party, because she’s ‘done with that scene.’

And here’s the kicker: she’s only 18-years-old.

She carries with her such presence, such mystique, and such confidence that I naturally assumed her to be older. She possesses that certain something that a few women spend a lifetime seeking. She’s not interested in figuratively purging herself as so many are. In a day in which anything goes, she’s guarded enough to keep others coming back for more – a breath of fresh air, to be sure.

We’ve talked every day this week. She asked me if I might serve as ‘a bit of a mother figure – nothing heavy’ for her, since her own mom is so far away. Having no children of my own, this is the sort of request that really gets you right where you live.

I’ve often heard about old souls, and I know I’ve met a few of them in my life, but none has fascinated me more than this young woman. A kinship between us already exists – one that I cannot explain. And I look so forward to seeing where this ride may lead.

Beth Newman
Image Consultant/Life Coach
Newman Image
www.newmanimage.info
Look, feel, and LIVE your absolute best!
Online consultations available!

No Mystery

Gwyneth Paltrow graces the cover of this month’s Harper’s Bazaar.

I open it, and discover Julia Robert’s toothy grin as she represents Lancome.
A few pages over, Amanda Seyfried endorses a Movado watch. Turning the page, I find Scarlet Johansson wearing the new Roses Collection from Dolce and Gabbana. Next up, it’s Audrey Tatou for Chanel. Turn another page, and there’s Julianne Moore staring at me winsomely through a pair of Bvlgari sunglasses. She’s followed by Ellen DeGeneres, who’s representing Cover Girl. There’s Drew Barrymore, also making a show for Cover Girl. I continue, and discover Madonna kissing some young man for Dolce and Gabbana. Just when I think I’ve trudged through every celebrity endorsing just about every product, I find Halle Berry for Revlon.

I miss models.

As an out-and-proud magazine junkie for the last twenty-five years, I must be completely honest and tell you that I’m bored with celebrity endorsements. I prefer some mysterious young woman looking lifelessly at me from the pages as she tempts me with the latest-this-or-latest-that.

As a kid, I always loved looking at the models almost as much as I loved looking at the clothes and dreaming about the products I hoped to use one day. Christy Brinkley just seemed super nice, Cheryl Tiegs, I convinced myself, was super-cool, Janice Dickinson epitomized super-exotic, and Beverly Johnson seemed super-super in every way. They were beautiful and mysterious, and that’s something we’re in short supply of these days: mystique.

I suppose the mystery started to unravel with Brooke Shields’ proclamation that nothing came between her and her Calvin Klein’s. The early 90’s brought us the age of the super-model. Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelist, and Naomi Campbell lived like rock stars, and we saw much of it thanks to increased publicity surrounding them and famous folk in general. It wasn’t enough for the super-models, or for us, I suppose. Cindy made a pretty forgetable movie, then married and divorced Richard Gere. Linda outraged many when she claimed she wouldn’t get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day. And Naomi….well, you know the story.

We know too much about other people these days. Thanks to the Internet, I know far more than I ever wanted to know about the famous, the infamous, and the regular folks. Mystique, it appears, is a thing of the past, and that makes me a little sad. Too much information has caused me to become a bit jaded, I fear, and the use of celebrities to peddle everything from perfume to pork rinds doesn’t help. I won’t buy Lancôme because I’ve never understood the hoopla surrounding Julia Roberts. Movado missed the mark with me – I’ve no idea who Amanda Seyfried is. I don’t think lipstick when I see Halle Berry; I think, didn’t she just split from her baby daddy?

And if magazines in general continue to bombast me with covers of Gwyneth or Sarah Jessica, I will seriously consider cancelling my subscriptions. I want girls who know how to model beautiful clothes. I want girls whom I know nothing about, thus allowing me an unbiased take on what it is they’re trying to sell. I want a little mystery in my magazines and in ‘real life’ – I’d love to be able to wonder what someone is up to, rather than reading about it, in great detail, on social networking sites. Instead of talking about our lives, let’s turn off the computer, turn off ‘reality’ TV, and go out there a live them. Mystique is such an attractive trait, I think, and I’d love to see more of it. Wouldn’t you?

Beth Newman
Image consultant/Life coach
Newman Image
www.newmanimage.info
Look, feel, and LIVE your absolute best!
online consultations available!