Today’s guest post comes from our friend Jessica Rappaport, who “laughed” when she read about our request for stories. She says that she and her mom constantly disagreed about clothes — she hated her moms style and her mom hated her style. (I can relate.) She also HATED shopping when she was younger, which she attribues to her ‘practicality’ about spending money. (I can NOT relate.)
Meet Jessica Rappaport: High school English teacher, calm, attentive mama, married to a total foodie, with two awesome kids who will basically eat anything she puts in front of them. In other words, my idol.
“I guess one of the pivotal moments/memories came out of what was supposed to be the quintessential mom-daughter shopping trip — the prom dress. We must have gone to every store in three malls. Finally, we were in the Walt Whitman Mall out on Long Island and we found this little store. Much to her avail, I kept picking out the black dresses. She found one on the rack, which was different looking. She found a size 4 and sent me into the dressing room. I came out and I was not happy. She asked me what was wrong and I told her I did not like the way my tush looked in the dress. Well, my mom was never one to mince words. If you wanted an honest answer, you would go to mom. She was straight-up honest. In front of the entire store, she said “Jessica, everyone has an ASS!! Most teens would be mortified. Maybe, I was in that moment. Maybe, 18 years later and a pair of rose colored glasses has tinted the situation in my mind. I just laughed. I still laugh. I laugh when I try something on and look to see how my tush looks. I can still hear her saying what she did that day.
The prom dress in question. No tush shots were available… (at least that’s what Jess says.)
Despite the fact that we clashed often about clothes. I think I did grow into my own style. I wear what I want to wear. I choose clothes for comfort and steer away from clothes that accentuate the negative.
In the end, I did not really get my style from my mom, but I did get the best style advice in the world. I still miss her and her honesty and feel my daughter has been cheated out of having to endure an Honest Grandma shopping trip.”
Jessica and her mom… xoxo
