Easter Eggs from the Glossies

During my "research" for this new series on je ne sais quoi, I decided to consult some popular fashion magazines for their take on femininity. And naturally I came across the usual far-fetched images that fashion designers seem to think we women will relate to.

And so, for some fun, I thought I would make some "Easter eggs" out of a few hand-picked goodies....
Ah...Julianne. So lovely. So elegant. And yet...what is that I see? Is that a bird sitting on her hand while she's looking so sultry? Why yes--yes it is.

I tell you--there's nothing like a bird on a pretty lady to make me want to run out and purchase an expensive handbag! They sure know how to push my buttons!
Ahem--now for the second girl. First, I suppose I'll give her the feathered fan. It's fun, if not a bit of an unconventional accessory to be carting around with her gray hoodie. But seriously--are we supposed to believe that she absentmindedly forgot her shirt? That she's ever-so-casually just walking around with her giant feathered fan and her hoodie draped across her one shoulder?

Why...that's just preposterous! Who would do that? No one--that's who.
Ahhh--so, so many things to comment about on this one:

...The enormous, frizzy pink hair that looks an awful lot like cotton candy (and I was just thinking this morning about how I wish I could get my hair to look like carnival food--)

...the marshmallow-peep bird (again with the birds! Am I missing something?)

..and the neon signs screaming "Smell Me!"

Honey--I'm pretty sure you don't need neon to get attention. I think you should just try to calm down.
Isn't it every woman's fantasy to have a curly-headed boy standing in the street blowing petals into the air without care while wearing a teal t-shirt and a darling vest?

What was that? Oh...it's not your fantasy? Hmmm...I guess I'm wrong.

Please note that my husband would rather have his toenails slowly pulled out by terrorists than to be spotted around town wearing the look above and in possession of petals.
And finally, the piece de resistance. What whimsical fairy have we stumbled upon here? The blank, phantom look. The lifeless eyes. The floating limbs.

Could someone Please help this poor girl who seems to be harassed into dazed submission by what I can only assume is her extra-long hair accessory?! Because really--she's starting to look ridiculous.

Disclaimer: please do not make the false conclusion that je ne sais quoi has anything to do with the images above. If so, I'm afraid I have failed you after just the first week...

Happy Friday everyone!
--steph

What do You Picture? (defining je ne sais quoi)

By it's very definition, je ne sais quoi is...well...hard to define. It's an elusive quality; difficult to pin down in exact words (hence the reason we use the phrase in the first place).

As such, it often means different things to different people. And so, before continuing any further along with this series, I thought it appropriate to assign a little homework.
The homework is this: I want you to spend some time over the next day or two thinking about what you envision when you hear "je ne sais quoi." Is it the timeless classic attraction of someone like Audrey Hepburn? Or the allure of the vintage female? (Certainly these are my first thoughts, but I'm a mid-century kinda girl...)

Or maybe instead you see someone like Hilary Clinton or Oprah Winfrey. Perhaps even your idea of mysterious appeal is in the form of Rhianna or Beyonce.
Whatever it is, I want you to think about why you are drawn to these women and images. What qualities attract you to them? Is it their look? Their lifestyle? Their career? Their talent?

To help you in this quest, you might consider browsing through a handful of women's magazines to see which people and photos you like most. And then ask yourself why you like them.
And please feel free to share what you find! I'm partial to the bombshell above from Mad Men, but far be it for me to determine what je ne sais quoi means to you! I'd love to know who and what you're picturing during the next several weeks as we dive further into the subject of "the hard to define."

First thoughts? Ideas? Post your comments below!

Je Ne Sais Quoi: not Finished, but Enough

I’m a big fan of the glossies, as most of you already know. Somedays, when I just want to relax, I’ll head to the local bookstore to drink a hot tea and flip through the tabloids and fashion magazines at my leisure. I’m rather ashamed to admit that I take voyeuristic peeks into the lives of celebrities--and I like it. And I scour the fashion pages even though I know they’re exacerbating my urge to consume in excess. And I read the fitness sections as if they’re somehow going to motivate me to actually leave the bookstore and go for a jog (they never do...). I even like the silly quizzes, though I don’t mark them up in the store (because that’s just rude).
But one thing I’ve recently been noticing about all of these glossies is that they’re always trying to get me to improve myself. Whether it’s the 5 simple steps I can take to eat healthier, or the 10 secrets to making me a dynamo in bed, the underlying message is You Can Do Better.

Now, the truth is that I could do better. And I have to admit that part of me appreciates the encouragement and motivation. But once the gloss wears off, it just starts to feel like A.Lot.Of.Work.
And so I wonder--do the women who possess the elusive je ne sais quoi have some kind of secret self-improvement regimen that the rest of us don’t know about? Or are they maybe just more successful at implementing all of these earnest suggestions and check lists that line the pages of women’s magazines?

Somehow I doubt it--on both accounts. My suspicion is that actually the women with je ne sais quoi have mastered something else entirely--rest. They aren’t striving for perfection, but instead are resting right where they are. And this is why we are attracted to them.
I’m learning that there is a great chasm between a spirit at rest and one that is striving. The latter is driven to always improve, always grow, always advance, while the former says "I could improve, but I’ve done enough for now."

...Yes, I could fold the laundry while talking on the phone...but this conversation is enough.
...And Yes I could wake up twenty minutes earlier and squeeze in a workout, but my weekend walk is enough.
...And Yes I could be better in bed, and better at correspondence, and better at cooking, but Damn It! I Am Enough, just as I am.
Not perfect, not finished, but Enough.

Imagine what that would feel like. No wonder there’s just something about a lady like that.

What do you think? Have we gone too far with the self-improvement, or do you find it genuinely helpful? Share your thoughts below!