Week 2 - Judging a book by its cover

This week's emphasis is on appearance. While I will still continue with the Welcome Home/Dinner routine, I'll be adding appearance rules to my routine. According to Levin's book, "The Stepford Wives," the women of Stepford keep a very tidy appearance. They always wear flawless makeup, dress to the nines - even to go to the grocery store, keep their hair styled perfectly and dress in a way that appeals to their husbands. According to this website, a traditional housewife should:

1. Always wear your makeup.

2. Always take care of your hair. Not a strand should be out of place.

3. If you are not well-endowed in your torso area, use bra inserts, augmenters, or the chicshaper. Large bosoms featured prominently in Levin's original story.

4. If you are not thin, wear a girdle.

5. Wear tight, but conservatively-cut clothing to show off your assets. (Remember to wear an apron during housework)

6. Look in the mirror. Imagine yourself as a girl in a television commercial; you should look flawless, at all times. The picture of the Stepford Wife is the picture of a person who is healthy and takes good care of herself.

Today, before I even realized it, I headed to the grocery store and the Post Office in an old sweatshirt of my husband's and a pair of ratty jeans. I hadn't done my hair or makeup. I looked quite scary, to be honest. It wasn't until I was waiting in line at the Post Office that I realized I was starting the appearance portion of my experiment. I felt like a failure! However, I went straight home and put on a pretty dress, heels, styled my hair and put on makeup and felt much better. Bob was so surprised when he walked in to see me dressed up. Usually when he comes home from work, I'm in a sweater and jeans (if he's lucky), so being dressed up was a welcome change, I think.

I have always enjoyed dressing up, so I don't know that I'll have a problem maintaining my appearance (except if I get lazy). I don't have a lot of dresses, so I may have to alternate between dresses and dress pants but I think that should be alright. I think the biggest struggle will be getting all dolled up just to run errands. Typically I just like to throw on some jeans and a sweatshirt and get out of the house as fast as possible so that I have plenty of time to get my errands taken care of. It seems silly to get all fancy just to go to the store. But since Stepford wives take particular care in keeping up appearances, I'm going to have to give my best effort to make sure I look gorgeous when I step out of the house.

I can get behind this philosophy of looking pretty for one's husband. I think sometimes Bob gets tired of seeing me looking shabby and dull. I've been ill for almost a year and so I rarely feel like making an effort to look nice when Bob gets home from work. I think he's forgotten how pretty I can look when I try. I'm going to make my best effort to wear something other than sweats, even when I feel awful. At the very least, I'll try to do my hair on the days I feel especially crappy. I really do think it's nice for a husband to come home to a beautiful wife. It reminds him why he married her in the first place. It's a shame that once we get married, women just give up on how they look; they only dress up when they are meeting up with other people. Remember the days when you would get all sexy just because your boyfriend was coming over to watch a movie? I think there's something to that. I really think it can put a spark back in the marriage if the wife tries a little harder sometimes.

Dinner went really well tonight (though Bob still thinks it's creepy that I meet him at the front door with a drink - maybe I should suspend that???). I made a roast and served it with fresh green beans. Bob mentioned several times how delicious the meal was. That made me feel so good! And I'm getting better at figuring out when he needs a second helping. I take his plate just as he finishes the last bite of his first helping and ask if he wants another. I think I'm getting this routine down pat. Hooray! Now just to remember to keep up appearances.

Well, off to do some housework. Have a great evening! See you tomorrow.