Cleavage and Decolletage Debate July 25, 2011

Something that is taken for granted is cleavage and deolletage, until you look in the mirror or at pictures and realize that this may not be the look for you anymore. Did you grow a bony sternum overnight? Did your skin under your chin get put into the dryer? Did your SPF Zillion stop working on your chest skin?

It is true you can buy a strong underwire bra to lift the girls to their former location. A push up bra will give you a bit of cleavage and a foam or contour or padded bra will give you some bosom. Trust me, however, lots of cleavage and or deep V-necklines are not friendly options as we age. Here are the reasons:

1. Gravity

Gravity has pulled the girls down regardless of what size, so when yanked up they still are sitting a bit south.

1. Spots on Décolletage

Discolored skin caused by sun damage, birth control pills, hormones, or who knows what causes a distraction.

1. Wrinkled Skin

Right at your cleavage the skin resembles the skin on a chicken leg or looks like the sand on the beach at low tide.

1. Bony

No one wants to see your bony sternum.

1. Flab

No one wants to see flab escaping from your bra or dress.

So what to do? Avoid the Deep V-Neck. Supportive bras are a must but ease up on the push up style. If you discover you have chicken skin, are bony, or have flab, great flattering alternatives are the boat-neck or cowl neckline or a modest V-neck. If you are not looking for the Hoochie Mama or Bony Waif look, ask an honest girlfriend or partner for their opinion. It is only fashion but fashionably aging gracefully is an art and a skill!

What fashion changes have you made?

 

 

 

 

It’s Like Harps were Playing July 20, 2011

“It’s like harps were playing” was a quote I gave describing how I woke up after having a restful night sleep wearing a prototype of my sleepwear nightgown. I gushed about the joy, the serenity, the delight in having a comfortable restful night sleep in this month’s First Magazine. My story is on page 96 at the check stands of your local Grocery store right now! 

The irony of this reference to harps playing was I just went to a wedding and there was a harpist playing as the wedding party came down the aisle. It was very lovely and serene and delightful. Maybe my gushing wasn’t as exaggerated as it appears.

Earlier in the  week I paid a visit to a friend in the hospital. We walked around her floor and at one end there was a harpist. I thought it was very comforting. My friend thought it reminded her of a funeral and wanted to be released as soon as possible. Interpretation and reference are important on harp gushing!

I know many people who play or have played the guitar, piano, accordion, clarinet, trumpet and saxophone but not one harpist in my social circle, ever. How I would spout the virtues of a harp is beyond me. How I would have 2 encounters with harp music with-in a week when it has been years since I saw or heard someone playing a harp is either celestial or odd.

My first recollection of the harp is from watching a Groucho Marx movie. Harpo was playing a harp. He wasn’t an angel, although in viewing Marx Brothers movies as an adult he was pretty funny. He made a harp sound, soothing, and pretty and rather angelic.

So this story about me and my company comes out with my quote about “harps playing” while I encounter 2 harp playing events in one week. I am interpreting this as not just a good thing, but a great thing! Coincidences can be very interesting or nothing at all, you be the judge!

 

 

Betty Ford’s Legacy with Breast Cancer July 11, 2011

Betty Ford died this past week. She was an under rated First Lady in my opinion.  Those of us in the breast cancer community have a very soft spot for Betty Ford. In 1974 when at age 56, she openly talked about her breast cancer it was very controversial. From the White House, discussion about the First Lady’s health made the evening news. What was new was not her cancer or her treatments but that it was openly discussed! Breast cancer was usually spoken in whispers and often not directly to the patient but to her husband.

The director of the Susan Komen for the Cure here in Oregon is a 35 year breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed after the birth of her child but her husband was told her diagnosis first. This was after Betty Ford, yet her doctor thought she was too excitable of a person to understand her disease state!

Betty Ford was open about her disease and her course of treatment, a mastectomy. In 1974, breast conservation was not a viable option. A radical mastectomy was standard surgical protocol. With her news and frankness and newspaper pictures, Betty Ford helped to start American women breast cancer awareness.

Betty Ford was a pioneer in alcohol and drug additions also. She was an advocate for mental health. One of my favorite quotes from Betty Ford showing her candid and frankness was when asked about her husband’s political career she answered “I didn’t think he could win”.

Betty Ford started the awareness of breast cancer by being vocal. The Susan Komen foundation, http://www.komen.org/  started a few years later fueling the momentum for breast cancer awareness.

In the 37 years since Betty Ford told the world she had breast cancer, much has changed for the better in the diagnosis and treatments of the disease. The legacy also that Betty Ford leaves is she lived to be 93 and did not die of breast cancer!

 

Off Brand Using July 5, 2011

Many products are made for one use but end up being used for another. Many of these uses are good and some are very interesting. Some well known drugs started out for one use and ended up exceptional in another use, like Coumadin and Viagra.

Books are written on how to use household products for various uses from cleaning to blowing up things. Cookbooks often include substitution ingredient guides. Using household common items to foil enemies has made MacGyver not only a movie star and a comedy spoof but a verb!

For over a decade I worked for a pharmaceutical company specializing in laxatives. Yes, it was a glamorous job. At one time if an enema in the Western United States including Alaska and Hawaii was used by a consumer, hospital, or health care facility, I was responsible for its distribution.  Yes, unbelievable glamour I know!

So one day I was chatting with a pharmacist and I mentioned we had put in a brick deck. He told me to use mineral oil on the bricks and it will shine them up like new. We used ‘used’ bricks for the patio so making them bright and shiny was appealing. 20 years later I am still using mineral oil on the patio at the start of the summer season. I apply it on my hands and knees and I have to say the job is dreaded more every year. After it is done there is immediate gratification and I thank that tip from the pharmacist.

 Haralee.Com Sleepwear can be used not only for night sweats but is ideal for travel. Have you seen our LifeStyle Tops? Perfect wicking tops for vacations. All our garments pack into almost nothing, weigh almost nothing and wrinkles if any shake out. The pajamas can be used for lounging, working out, and afford modesty.  Why wouldn’t any woman want to pack Haralee Sleepwear for vacation? Come on, the pajamas won’t make you into MacGyver but almost. http://www.haralee.com  Spread the coolness!

Do you use something off brand? Have you repurposed something? Have you a MacGyver experience?