Pop Goes the Body Bubble

Some people so surprise me by their brash behavior. Yesterday, I walked over to Frock You!, looking for a vintage leather mini-backpack. My daughter asked for one as present celebrating her 23rd birthday next week. As I stepped through the store’s doorway, the lady in charge—manager, owner, dunno—immediately focused on my T-Shirt. And why not? She sells clothing. Her business, and I assume personal interest, is all about finding interesting wears to resell.

Ha! The woman popped my body bubble, by moving right in close to read the text contained within the art’s concentric circles. She reached over and lifted my Leica Q camera strap, which covered up part of the graphic. Whoa, talk about pushing into someone’s personal space! And I loved it! Too many Californians that I meet are fussy about bodily zones. Her frankness was refreshing relief from the more typical defined space so many people here project.

Four days earlier, I bought the Tee during San Diego Comic-Con and my annual pilgrimage there buying the next year’s T-Shirts. Since changing my diet in summer 2013 and subsequently, but unexpectedly, losing lots of weight (how’s 60 pounds), I’ve gone from wearing Large to Medium to Small sizes. Hence, the need for new tops each year. I had in the past only bought black Tees, for the color’s sliming illusion—and, yes, that’s being vain. What a change. The “Music I Like” shirt is the only dark one of the eight purchased at SDCC 2017.