The Boyer Sisters, Part 3

[catlady]

@ChunkyBarbie and @freedom_for_all, i've never taken a selfie, and my FB has zero pictures of me.  i'm generally happy with the mirror on my way to work, but that's where it ends.  all of my work ID's suck (but i deal with it).  i'm dreading the day they make us put photos on our emails; right now, it's just optional and only the people in more public jobs do it.

[Palimpsest]

For all of us who hate being photographed.

Jessica Boyer, if I may channel Happy Days for a moment, "Sit On It!"

[ChunkyBarbie]

@catlady, @freedom_for_all on my Costco card I look like a war torn orphan and my drivers license I look like the love child of Hyacinth Bucket.  I just came back from Hawaii and was super sunburnt for the drivers license pic, came out ghost white. I guess that is better than beet red. @Palimpsest, yeah Jessica can sit on it. 

[hoipolloi]

1 hour ago, Palimpsest said:

Some people know how to pick colors naturally, some learn when their clothing is complimented, and some people just don't care.

And some people are just fucking hopeless.

DON'T ask me how I know.

[ladyamylynn]

We had some professional big-shot photographer up from LA to take our photos for the website at my last job. I told him I wasn't very photogenic, which he laughed off. After a few dozen shots, he had to admit I was right. I do take a mean selfie though! Thanks, makeup!

[CTRLZero]

3 hours ago, ChunkyBarbie said:

I did the seasons thing back in the 80's or early 90's, can't remember what year.

Oh, goodness, this brings back memories.  I got roped into doing this with some co-workers back in the 80s, and other than I am an "autumn," the only other thing I remember was that I had to take my glasses off, so I had to take everyone's word for it that I looked best in certain colors. 

 

[ChunkyBarbie]

30 minutes ago, CTRLZero said:

Oh, goodness, this brings back memories.  I got roped into doing this with some co-workers back in the 80s, and other than I am an "autumn," the only other thing I remember was that I had to take my glasses off, so I had to take everyone's word for it that I looked best in certain colors. 

 

I remember being told I couldn't wear peach, but I was rocking the Hell out of a peach Forenzia sweater. Hey, must have been the 80's! I also remember the lady moving from Color of Beauty into Beauty Control, all in the same evening.  It was a long night. 

[MargaretElliott]

Soooo I went to that Dressing Your Truth website, because I was too curious. Apparently I'm a Type 2. My element is oxygen/water, my bird is a dove, my movement is a river, and my energy is medium-low.

This is the biggest load of horseshit I've seen since the Cosmo horoscope section.

I could only view like three articles before I required a subscription to view more, there's advertisement everywhere, and they're constantly trying to coerce you into going to a seminar. It's a cash grab capitalizing on the insecurities of women in order to make a profit. Despite language like, "Be your best self!" and "Everyone is special!" the message underneath is "You're dressing wrong and it's making you look bad. Pay me money and I'll show you how to be beautiful." It's the same thing as every makeup company and clothing company in America is doing. "You're ugly, I'll make it better. You're imperfect, I'll make you perfect. YOU'RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH. YOU'RE NOT PRETTY ENOUGH. FOR A SMALL FEE, YOU CAN ACHIEVE SOCIETY'S STANDARDS. ONLY THEN WILL YOU BE TRULY HAPPY."

Makes me freakin' sick.

Also, since I was curious, I found a PDF of A Girl of the Limberlost. Just six pages in, I understand Jessica's perspective on life so much more. There's an aching, nostalgic melancholy to the whole thing. I can see her identifying with Elnora, seeing her struggles as true and noble. Because let's face it, breaking up an engagement sucks. Especially when your only real goal in life is to get married. Especially when you're not given healthy coping mechanisms. Especially when your sister's relationship succeeds swiftly after. That's the salt in the wound. Elnora, to me, seems melodramatic and irritating. However, this character was presented to Jessica as an ideal, a role model. So, possibly, she takes this language, this style, and applies it to her own life. She is the sad heroine of a Gene Stratton-Porter novel, a victim with a broken heart. I just see a LOT of similarities with the style of her blog writing and the way she presents herself and the style of this novel and the character of Elnora. Perhaps I'm wrong. But the similarities are striking.

[hoipolloi]

9 minutes ago, MargaretElliott said:

This is the biggest load of horseshit I've seen since the Cosmo horoscope section.

Heh. Plus ça change and all that.

Or, more sadly, there's a self-loathing woman born every minute only to be preyed upon by the likes of Ms. Tuttle, a right bitch if I ever saw one.
 

[ladyamylynn]

Apparently 3 out of the 4 types of women need a godawful Kate Gosselin haircut, if her photos are to be believed.

[Kariina]

Eugh, that Black vs. Gray post pissed me off more than I expected it to. Primarily because it's just like ridiculous self-criticism thinly veiling harsh fashion judgment on other people.

"Like all primary colors, black looks too harsh on people who have naturally soft features. It adds a glare to the face, and lights it up in places that should appear more subtle and smooth."

Okay, aside from the fact that black isn't a primary color...

I'm round-faced, with big soft cheeks, a round smile (I look like a Nick Park stop motion character) skin pale as snow, and ash brown hair. Contrary to Jessica's bizarre manifesto, black becomes me. I'm confident in black. I feel more professional and more adult. It sharpens my features in a way that pleases me. Maybe some people like their clothes to match and need easy wardrobe choices because they don't have years on end of nothing to do but think about the minutiae of their wardrobes. Something tells me they'd go nuts over this concept, for better or worse: http://hello.jcrew.com/2014-10-oct/alice-gregory

My personal opinion? The black outfit looks better on her. I don't even know what she's going on about. The gray outfit makes her melt right into the backdrop of old asphalt and the black sweater outfit is sharp and interesting with high contrast. In my opinion. 

But if you're more confident in 50 shades of gray* Jessica, by all means, you do you. I wish everyone in the world the autonomy to make their own aesthetic judgments about what they feel comfortable wearing. Without having to justify it in a novella.

What is it with fundies loving to pigeonhole themselves? Between the Meyers-Briggs Personality Types, Color Seasons, Love Languages, etc. sometimes I wonder what happened to the whole "God made me a unique special snowflake" thing. What happened to human nuance?

These girls get under my skin more and more.

*pun intended

[December]

1 hour ago, MargaretElliott said:

This is the biggest load of horseshit I've seen since the Cosmo horoscope section.

Aside from the Cosmo sex advice section, right?

2 hours ago, ChunkyBarbie said:

on my Costco card I look like a war torn orphan and my drivers license I look like the love child of Hyacinth Bucket.

 

 

It's Bouquet!

42 minutes ago, Kariina said:

What is it with fundies loving to pigeonhole themselves?

Because some people like to believe that everyone can be grouped under neat little labels.

[Palimpsest]

2 hours ago, MargaretElliott said:

Also, since I was curious, I found a PDF of A Girl of the Limberlost. Just six pages in, I understand Jessica's perspective on life so much more. There's an aching, nostalgic melancholy to the whole thing. I can see her identifying with Elnora, seeing her struggles as true and noble. Because let's face it, breaking up an engagement sucks. Especially when your only real goal in life is to get married.

No, no.  In defense of A Girl of the Limberlost you can't judge by the first few pages  even though it is written in the sentimental style of the time.  If you read the whole book you will see that Jessica shouldn't be identifying with Elnora.  Elnora is a rebel, a go-getter, and has a backbone of steel.  

The Boyer sisters have obviously read too many late 19th century and turn of the century girlish novels for sure.  Their writing style is far more Elsie Dinsmore than Stratton Porter.

Sorry, I have a collection of these Victorian and Edwardian novels for girls.  I like to track the birth of feminism and the emphasis on good education, schooling and college in them.  

If I were Gabe, I'd claim to be an expert capable of writing a curriculum because of reading thousands of books, but it is just a hobby.  I could still win a trivia contest on these books though.  From Elnora, through Anne, Katy, Patty, Rebecca, Judy and quite a few more.

 

[desertvixen]

@Palimpsest, I compliment your taste.

I also really love Ruth Fielding.

[anachronistic]

Dirndls. Seriously. Dirndls. Dirndls in my opinion do not look good on grown women except as a folk costume. I admit to liking jumpers, as in pinafore style dresses, but I would never wear one because my chest is too big. Unless you have a very small chest, dirndls just cannot be modest. 

Also, Jessica, white tights with pale pink shoes make you look like a toddler. I don't mind white tights but was always taught that they are just for kids, not ever adult women. Also you look lovely in black and if you like it wear it. You don't look old or washed out or anything. Black is and always will be in style for anyone (though I admit not liking it on babies. Babies should be colorful.)

[MargaretElliott]

@Palimpsest, surely you agree that there's a striking tone of sentamentalism that rings true of Jessica's posts on the blog? Not that this tone is bad, it's a product of that style and era. I plan on reading more, I hope to enjoy it as much as you clearly do  I can just see the influences of style and language, and perhaps Jessica is trying to emulate it (it is her favorite book, after all).

[Hummingbird]

I for one liked the Color Me Beautiful system of the 80s. I didn't have a lot of money, and it helped me streamline a business wardrobe. It required just a few pieces, as I recall, and everything had to work with everything else. Kind of like the 'capsule wardrobe' concept out now. I think I was a 'summer,' but whatever season I was I stayed away from the pastels because I'm too pale.

[Pukingpearl]

2 hours ago, Kariina said:

 

What is it with fundies loving to pigeonhole themselves? Between the Meyers-Briggs Personality Types, Color Seasons, Love Languages, etc. sometimes I wonder what happened to the whole "God made me a unique special snowflake" thing. What happened to human nuance?

These girls get under my skin more and more.

 

These things give them a defined self of self in a world where they're not allowed to be a full person. Maybe they can't have a career or interests outside of home making, but they can at least be an autumn! 

[purjolok84]

7 hours ago, anachronistic said:

Dirndls. Seriously. Dirndls. Dirndls in my opinion do not look good on grown women except as a folk costume. I admit to liking jumpers, as in pinafore style dresses, but I would never wear one because my chest is too big. Unless you have a very small chest, dirndls just cannot be modest. 

Also, Jessica, white tights with pale pink shoes make you look like a toddler. I don't mind white tights but was always taught that they are just for kids, not ever adult women. Also you look lovely in black and if you like it wear it. You don't look old or washed out or anything. Black is and always will be in style for anyone (though I admit not liking it on babies. Babies should be colorful.)

I love wearing dresses and would love to have a dirndl, even if it was just for around the house (it would definitely not be modest!). To me, they just seem so breezy and flouncy, which is what I love in a dress. I think Brigid will make a lovely dirndl; she will wear it often and we'll see it from different angles and in different lights in a huge photo collection.

Jessica has no idea what's she's talking about - everyone looks good in black. If this wasn't the case, tuxedos would be a completely different colour altogether.

[wikinggirl]

8 hours ago, anachronistic said:

Dirndls. Seriously. Dirndls. Dirndls in my opinion do not look good on grown women except as a folk costume. I admit to liking jumpers, as in pinafore style dresses, but I would never wear one because my chest is too big. Unless you have a very small chest, dirndls just cannot be modest. 

Also, Jessica, white tights with pale pink shoes make you look like a toddler. I don't mind white tights but was always taught that they are just for kids, not ever adult women. Also you look lovely in black and if you like it wear it. You don't look old or washed out or anything. Black is and always will be in style for anyone (though I admit not liking it on babies. Babies should be colorful.)

Agree. For me dirndls are either a folk costume or for Octoberfest. I don't think I would wear one because I'm not from the region (but we do have some folk costumes that resembles the dirndl)

And Jessica's shoes! I might be a BEC but they look like slippers and not something you would wear in January.

[jozina]

What did I just read??  Jesus wept.

No-one but you gives two home school diplomas what you look like in black Jessica.  No-one.  You're a human, some people will find you attractive, some average and some less than average.  Who cares.  Hopefully there's more than that to you, though I am doubting there's much more than vanity.  Fishing for compliments is not what Jesus was on about with being fishers of men.

Actual LOL at black being a primary colour.  "Would it surprise you if I told you that it is a proven fact that not everyone can wear black and look nice in it?" Proven how?

Did everyone else notice the link to that utter dreck is an affiliate link for "Charlotte 2"?

Dirndl are all folk costume or Oktoberfest to me. A friend's ex* had a huge Heidi/Sound of Music fetish going on and wanted her to wear a dirndl in the bedroom for super sexy adult times, so that was the first thing that came to mind with them.  That and what a fun and lively vanity modesty blog post you could do with a dirndl for fun sexy adult times. Way more interesting than fifteen photos staring at a branch, twirling to the left, twirling to the right, looking at their heel, looking past the camera etc.

Also this:

Quote

 Also, aprons are a part of traditional Dirndls, which, if you have ever cooked, or done housework without an apron, you will know that it is highly likely that you will get food (or dust if you are cleaning) on yourself. 

My home must be cleaner than I give myself credit for, because very rarely do I get dust on myself when cleaning. We do clean more than once every 3 months.  I also manage to cook without getting food on myself a good 95% of the time.  Homemaking talents. I have them apparently.

*I know

[BackseatMom]

What a strange and unfortunate cultural clash. The model of femininity these fundies subscribe to pushes skilled mothering and homemaking, along with deep piety and help meeting, as the ideal qualities to find in a wife. These are seen as the only needed full time occupations. And they can be - being an involved mother, a skilled homemaker, and performing various acts of thrift like gardening and canning, would be plenty to keep one busy.

However, the evidence seems to support the idea that Fundy boys aren't really looking for that. Like most boys, they are looking for a pretty and friendly outlet for their urges (after marriage, natch). So it makes more sense to spend hours working on you hair and clothes. This 1) undermines modesty and 2) makes learning any real skills an uunrewarded endevor. 

So you end up with vapid, bored, and boring girls ( like the boyers, like the duggars) who cant really do anything of value once they get married, and who have extremely limited and shallow interests. It should be a crime to do this to your daughters.

[Palimpsest]

15 hours ago, MargaretElliott said:

@Palimpsest, surely you agree that there's a striking tone of sentamentalism that rings true of Jessica's posts on the blog? Not that this tone is bad, it's a product of that style and era. I plan on reading more, I hope to enjoy it as much as you clearly do  I can just see the influences of style and language, and perhaps Jessica is trying to emulate it (it is her favorite book, after all).

Oh, yes.  I thought I'd acknowledged that. Sorry to quote myself.

16 hours ago, Palimpsest said:

In defense of A Girl of the Limberlost you can't judge by the first few pages  even though it is written in the sentimental style of the time.

With all of these books you have to suppress your gag reflex at the sentimentality as you read and search for why they were ground-breaking - in the context of the time.

I said that Jessica's style or writing was more Elsie Dinsmore (or rather Martha Finley) than Stratton Porter because Elsie is a freaking Botkin compared to most of the strong heroines of other books, like Elnora.

I don't know why Jessica likes Limberlost.  I suspect it is because she thinks she is a nature lover (all that gardening) and Limberlost is an ode to nature and environmentalism.  She probably ignores a lot of what I like about the book and picks up on what I dislike to go into rhapsodies over.  She liked Freckles too and I hate that book.

Just for laughs, see My Lady Bibliophile on the Stratton Porter books.  She stands on her head to defend Elnora's independence and love of education in a home schooling and "Christian" context.  She also picks a quote from Philip Ammon, totally out of context, to "prove" that Stratton Porter is totally against girls going to college.  http://ladybibliophile.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-girl-of-limberlost.html

 

[Palimpsest]

Oh, my giddy aunt.  After the brief interlude of Brigid cheerfully researching dirndls - now I want to shake some sense into the parents Boyer.  And these girls really need to get out more.

Quote

A few months ago, my Mom, sister, and I attended a lady’s retreat that our Church put on. The topic was fear & anxiety, and in one of our small groups, we were supposed to write down and share our fears. It was there that I realized something that I hadn’t addressed before: my hidden, but greatest fear: dying young. I fear not getting married, not having children, etc.-just in general, dying too soon to have all my dreams and desires realized.

How dreadfully morbid.  She's a teenager.  She should be out and about enjoying life to the fullest not mooning around home worrying about death and not getting married.  

At least Charlotte comes out in the right place.  I have hopes for Charlotte.

Quote

There is still a place for patience, discretion, and self-control in all things. Still too, there is a place for planning and dreaming. But, my problem is that I’ve been doing so much planning and dreaming, that I have forgotten the work that I can get done today, and the gifts that I’ve been given today.

So, in short, what is my resolution? To live each day to its fullest, and not worry about tomorrow. 

Carpe Diem, Charlotte.

 

[SamiKatz]

22 hours ago, ChunkyBarbie said:

Ultimately, I think the girls, especially Jessica are bored, bu

I'm not photogenic either. It stinks. When we have family portraits taken, I have to wear a ton of make up. We are talking Dolly Parton levels bordering on Tammy Faye, or I am completely washed out. Yet, in photos it just looks like I'm wearing a little eyeliner and lip gloss. So weird. 

I hate selfies.  I will look great in the mirror, but if I take a selfie... God, it is demoralizing. I look baggy, haggy and fat. It is sad. 

 

The photos are a lie!!!!!!

 

I took an iPhone photography course that said the MP of the front-facing camera on smartphones do not have the same MP as the back facing camera hence the reason people generally don't look so hot in selfies.  Apparently, you try to take the photo remotely or have someone else take it for you.  I would assume those selfie sticks would help as well.