I don’t know why I remember posing with my bathing suit and heels on in the middle of my living room that one day. I had to have been six or seven years old, one of my earlier memories that stayed with me. My flashbacks are randomly triggered, at any given time I could be standing in the goalie when I was 8, giving Santa Claus cookies at midnight, or sitting on the couch at after-school daycare. This time, I believe the color purple triggered my memory- and polka dots. One of my favorite patterns as a kid. I was always stuck between pink and purple as my favorite color, they were both so intriguing and pretty. When my parents were busy watching their TV shows and I was up to nothing, my hobbies included, but were not limited to, teaching my stuffed animals using my whiteboard, or going through everyone’s closet playing dress up. It was dead winter and I was never a cold-weather person, so in attempt to soothe my misery I put on my favorite bathing suit. A two-piece that had a scrunchy-type elastic fabric top, and a matching bottom that had an attached skirt over the briefs. It was a faded purple, I had it for a while at that point, even the fabric started stretching after wearing it too much, with white polka-dots. To complete the outfit I grabbed my slip on plastic dress-up heels that were silver with about a 2-inch heel. There was a pink band across the toe and tassels in the middle made out of beads.

I made it down the stairs no problem- they were carpeted, I hit the main level that had wood floors and adrenaline pulsed through my bloodstream, nonetheless, I persisted. The shoes were a little big for me so I couldn’t really walk that well in them, plus being six or seven I didn’t exactly wear heels every day. I clanked over to the living room behind my mom’s big blue chair, surely they heard me. My feet were planted in the ground, I didn’t breathe, didn’t dare move a muscle. I stood there for a good minute and nothing happened. I knew what I was wearing wasn’t the norm to come down to the living room in, so part of me was scared they’d find me, but another part of me wanted to show them this cute new outfit I picked out. Either my parents were part deaf, or I was a really good sneaker. I was one of those kids that would go down to the kitchen after I was tucked in to bed and grab snacks out of the pantry, but I never got caught. To this day I sneak down the stairs and they still don’t notice me. Next thing I know my dad glances over and sees me, his expression probably matching mine- a huge smile, not hiding a single tooth. My confidence boosted and I strutted to the middle of the living room. He got up to get his camera and my mom put some music on the tv for me to dance to. This picture is framed in my dad’s office. I’m posed in front of the fireplace, hands on hips, butt perked out to the side, cheeks looking like chipmunks, and my little belly poking over the elastic waistband of the skirt. I slept in the heels that night I loved them so much.  I like to think of this as one of my fashion experiments as a kid. I had some crazy outfits, I was always way ahead of my time.