One day in New York can teach you a lot about being a woman. I’m not kidding. Here, I digress from usual family relationships chit-chat to offer lessons learned from my “sisters” in New York City. I’ve promised myself to go there more often. Maybe, just maybe, even to live there. A girl can dream, can’t she?
Lesson One: New York women do not have perfect bodies. Sex and the City was a fun romp, but so unfair to the mind-blowing diversity of womanhood in the Big Apple. I looked closely during my last visit: some were short—under five feet and cute—and others were tall and stick thin. Some had dimply thighs and curvy butts. And then there were the multitude of shapes in between. (How can one size fit all? Sheesh. We’re women, not twin beds.) But they all carried it off well. New York City women are almost a race unto themselves. They carried cell phones, knew where they were going, and paid attention to their surroundings.
Lesson Two: They don’t always wear makeup. This doesn’t mean NYC women have shunned foundation for the natural look. But from what I saw, young and old, less is more. I put on gobs and gobs, and looked like a tourist. I think they have learned that with their busy lifestyles, going from day to night, they need to do things in a minimalist way. So the looks I got were: “Sweetie, get professional help.” It’s true—if you don’t know what you’re doing in the make-up department, don’t do it at all. Mascara, good. Lip gloss, bad.
Lesson Three: Walk this way. That would be head up, and quickly. Cell phones should not slow your stride. Scoot around slower people. Pay attention to the Walk Don’t/Walk signals. Walk like you own the city—not the other way around. I gotta tell ya, even the little old ladies in New York carried it off well. There’s a sort of grace that defines New York women and separates them from visitors. The happy news is that capturing this walk only takes a few weeks, a month on the outside, of doing as the Romans do. It’s not as though they give up their identity or march around like Stepford Wives. But New York women walk well.
Now this is where I step back and say, it’s not as though women in other big cities are lacking something. I’ve been to other big cities. The women are truly unique in each one. Paris draws a very close second to having women with that je ne sais quoi. And this is not an essay about the virtues of New York; it has its share of flaws. But I wish women—myself included—could emulate that same air of confidence. We can learn a lot from each other.
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Bernadette Sukley |
| About the author: |
| Bernadette Sukley has written, edited, fact checked for nearly 20 years. Her topics range from health to sports and lifestyle, from human interest to hard news. Her work has appeared in Men’s Health, Sports Illustrated for Women, and ABROAD magazines. Currently polishing up 3 novels for publication, she welcomes discussions on women and literature.
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