At what point do you have to accept that you are...strange?

I’ve seen a lot of comments around the internet on the “Teacher makes fun of student with Jolly Rancher’s in her hair on Facebook” story that go something like: Although the teacher had no right to put the girl’s photo on Facebook and make fun of it, why would a mother put candy in her child’s hair and not expect ridicule, at the least from other students?

Similarly, a recent episode of “How do I look?” featured this woman:




















Her family put her on the show, because her outfits, which always contained one OR MORE tu-tus were embarrassing to them out in public, and were hindering her aspirations as a make-up/fashion designer.

My husband and I debated her need for a makeover. I said, yes, she needed one, a tu-tu is a costume, and while I love eccentricity, she was crossing the line into strange. He felt like her family should be ashamed of themselves for trying to push their style on to her, and not accepting her how she was.

These scenarios beg the questions: At what point do you have to accept that you are going to be considered odd?

Being eccentric is fine, and not caring about what others think is fine, but at what point do you have to anticipate negative reaction?

I am sure that there are some people who would say that because I where my hair natural I should EXPECT odd stares on the street at my ‘fro.

In a perfect would, it wouldn’t matter, it shouldn’t matter, what a person’s outside appearance is and how they dress or wear their hair, but in the real world, it does matter. Accepting that, and dressing out of the norm is fine, but if you’re wearing three tu-tus are you allowed to be offended if someone points, laughs or stares?

5 comments

  1. Hmmm...If I wore 3 tu-tus, I'd certainly expect "not-so-nice" attention. Am I allowed to be offended? I'm not sure...

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  2. I agree with Marie, I use to dress VERY eccentric (imagine goth meets streetfighter) when I was in high school and of course it was what I (thought) I liked at the time but of course, I knew I was out of the norm and knew that I would get stares and rude comments. I don't think I really cared at the time.

    I think there is a fine line between eccentric and outright ridiculous! These 3 tu-tu's are ridiculous! Natural hair is the hair you were born with, it grew from your head and culturally, there is nothing "out of the norm" about it (in my opinion). Going the extra mile to make yourself as weird as you can possibly be... now that's another story.

    P.S. I love these thought provoking questions!!!

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  3. @Kiianah - yea, there is a line where you go from eccentric, to in costume. I don't think natural hair is out of the norm at all, of course.It's the most normal hair when you think about it, since it is hair that grows right from your head lol :-)

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  4. it always cracks me up on those shows when the person is SHOCKED that people think that they look crazy...."why, i never knew that I wouldn't get job promotions or dates looking like this, i never knew!" right......riiiiiiiiight

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  5. I just read that article, I would beat the shit out of the momma. WDF? Jolly EFFING Ranchers? I'd make fun of her too.. Well not the baby but the momma.

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