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fabrisseFirst of all, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
riverfox was kind enough to make it for me.
The picture was taken on my 21st birthday, and I first used it as my icon on my 46th. Hence, "Me - 25" the dash was supposed to be a minus sign, but I think most people read it as the equivalent of "Me @ 25."
The friend who took the picture died a month after I attended my first SCA event. I've always been sad about that. She loved medieval art and much of my early exposure to manuscripts was from being her friend. C was diagnosed with lupus when she was about 5. No one expected her to last until 21 (she was 19 when we met), then it was 30. When she made it past 35, we just thought she'd be chronically ill, but still good in mind and enthusiasm. Instead, her sister, who's still a close friend, came home from work one day to find her dead on the living room floor. Her cat stood guard over her and yowled when she wouldn't wake up. I still miss C.
The photo was taken in their laundry room after we'd had a nice meal at a local restaurant. C was doing photography for one of her art courses and needed some portraits.
The outfit... I was a glam and a clothes horse in those days. I wore the veil over my eyes only, by pinning it differently, while we were at dinner. The dress was a vintage one by Adrian (who designed all of Joan Crawford's costumes) from his clothing line. It had a tag that said "Adrian for Garfinkel's" -- which was the upscale DC department store. The back of the dress was "nude" fabric with black lace overlay and a scapular piece over it that swung when I walked. From the front, I looked like a nun, but from the back, it was quite risque.
I bought the earrings and brooch set at the same time and used the brooch as a barrette (which worked with the thick french braid I'm wearing in the photo) to hold the veil in place.
The original photo has my measurements at the time on the back 33-22-34. I wore clothes well, and I still walk gracefully in heels when I'm not on a cane with a stress fracture or sprained ankle.
When I moved back to DC, I tutored with a local after school program. The girls I taught asked me, "Miss Fabi, were you ever hot?" I took a moment to teach them a new word: "incendiary." The next week I brought in this picture as proof.
I didn't think I was pretty back then. The most I could hope for was striking. My lips were too thick (fish-lips was the nicest I was called); I was too short. I wasn't right. I can look at it now and say that I was beautiful.
riverfox was kind enough to make it for me.The picture was taken on my 21st birthday, and I first used it as my icon on my 46th. Hence, "Me - 25" the dash was supposed to be a minus sign, but I think most people read it as the equivalent of "Me @ 25."
The friend who took the picture died a month after I attended my first SCA event. I've always been sad about that. She loved medieval art and much of my early exposure to manuscripts was from being her friend. C was diagnosed with lupus when she was about 5. No one expected her to last until 21 (she was 19 when we met), then it was 30. When she made it past 35, we just thought she'd be chronically ill, but still good in mind and enthusiasm. Instead, her sister, who's still a close friend, came home from work one day to find her dead on the living room floor. Her cat stood guard over her and yowled when she wouldn't wake up. I still miss C.
The photo was taken in their laundry room after we'd had a nice meal at a local restaurant. C was doing photography for one of her art courses and needed some portraits.
The outfit... I was a glam and a clothes horse in those days. I wore the veil over my eyes only, by pinning it differently, while we were at dinner. The dress was a vintage one by Adrian (who designed all of Joan Crawford's costumes) from his clothing line. It had a tag that said "Adrian for Garfinkel's" -- which was the upscale DC department store. The back of the dress was "nude" fabric with black lace overlay and a scapular piece over it that swung when I walked. From the front, I looked like a nun, but from the back, it was quite risque.
I bought the earrings and brooch set at the same time and used the brooch as a barrette (which worked with the thick french braid I'm wearing in the photo) to hold the veil in place.
The original photo has my measurements at the time on the back 33-22-34. I wore clothes well, and I still walk gracefully in heels when I'm not on a cane with a stress fracture or sprained ankle.
When I moved back to DC, I tutored with a local after school program. The girls I taught asked me, "Miss Fabi, were you ever hot?" I took a moment to teach them a new word: "incendiary." The next week I brought in this picture as proof.
I didn't think I was pretty back then. The most I could hope for was striking. My lips were too thick (fish-lips was the nicest I was called); I was too short. I wasn't right. I can look at it now and say that I was beautiful.
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no subject
Date: 2013-12-03 08:10 pm (UTC)And doesn't it break you heart that we didn't appreciate ourselves back then?
Not only were you beautiful, you still are. I've seen the photos.
no subject
Date: 2013-12-03 09:29 pm (UTC)Thank you for the lovely compliment, and a chance to think back.
no subject
Date: 2013-12-03 08:37 pm (UTC)(Actually it kinda looks like an isotope symbol, possibly indicating the entire world supply of Maenadium-25. Maenads get a bad rap.)
I'm glad you figured this out, by the bye. I find it disturbing when women don't know how good they look. (It's merely annoying when men don't.)
no subject
Date: 2013-12-03 09:30 pm (UTC)Honestly, I think it was the Vampire Ball in Heidelberg when I was 24 that I figured out I looked reasonably good.