Saturday 2 August 2014

Bringing it back: The Lady Hankie


Summer is in full force now and it is getting humid y'all.  And with the heat and the humidity, comes sweat.  Didn't see that one coming did you?  Well, today I'm talking all about sweat.  I do it.  You do it. Your grandmother does it too.  We all sweat.  Its natural.  Being from a Southern (U.S.) family, I think its perfectly normal too be sweaty in the summer.  But the Northern people-- oh the North!  Here people do everything and anything to look like they are not sweating.  So weird.  Its hot, just be sweaty!  

When I was younger, all the adults I knew in the South always had a small towel or something with them on hot days.  It would be draped over their shoulder or in a pocket, but it was there.  My daddy still does this.  And I love it.  He is unapologically sweaty.  He always has his cloth to wipe his brow.  And I love that.  

In the summer, I had a habit of having a paper towel or something in my bag for if I got really sweaty.  I would clandestinely wipe my brow or upper lip when no one was looking.  I was a sweat apologist.  Keeping it secret.  Keeping it quiet.  But I'm older and wiser now; and somewhat sweatier.  So while I was with my friend Kate on an antiquing mission, I bought a bunch of vintage handkerchiefs.  I didn't know exactly why I bought them, but my heart had a plan.  

As we walked around the village of Waterford, I began to sweat.  Then I remembered that my Gramma had a hanky that she used to wipe her brow in her hot ass kitchen.  So I pulled out my hankie and right on the street mopped my sweaty brow.  

It felt glorious.

I can't reccomend it enough.  Get a pretty hankie.  Go outside.  And when you get sweaty, don't apologize.  Just pull out your beautiful cloth and pat yourself.  Free yourself from the cult of dryness that is unnatural.  Be proud.  Be sweaty.  And bring back the lady hankie!

7 comments:

  1. I LOVE this!! I think you may have just summed up my sweat/heat complex of the past nine years as a "Northerner" living in Texas ... And it's not like you're not going to sweat in 100F weather. I am going hankie hunting :)

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  2. That hankie you have (we used to call them scarves) is gorgeous. My great grandmother had drawers and drawers of them. Unfortunately after she passed I am unsure where they went. But now you've got me thinking I should find them. How feminine and beautiful for a lady to pull out such a conversation piece and dab her brow/upper lips/chest etc. Very very lady-like. :) I love this!

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  3. This is amazing! Join the sweat revolution!

    On another note, I need to go out to Waterford sometime it sounds amazing!

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  4. OMIGOD! We could go together! Blog meetup of the century! We should do something and cross-blog it. Please let's plan this.

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  5. Just sweat it out, Magda. No one in the South cares. Trust me. Not like here where they go, "Ew, you're sweaty."

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  6. I do too ;-) And I like the idea of being comfortable. I may have pulled it out and stated, "well, I do declare; it is powerful hot today." once of twice while doing it, but eh. My friends put up with it.

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  7. We totally should, I have been meaning to for ages. One of my coworkers owns a booth there. Are they only open on weekends or during the week too? If we have to go on a weekend September would be better. E-mail me hope.moonshadowcat@gmail.com and we can plan something!

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