Just Call Me Joanie

I'm going to give you a full update on my list next week, but one of the things I wanted to do this year was catch up on a lot of old shows. I watch a lot of TV shows, but until last year, I didn't have cable, so many of them I would watch on DVD whenever I got the chance. Last year, though, we got cable and it occurred to me that many of the shows I watch on DVD I can now watch on TV. So I began to slink my way through catching up on some of my favorites.

This summer, since work has been slow, I've been able to catch up on Big Love, Rescue Me, and most recently, Mad Men. And as I mentioned before, I've fallen in love all over again. Big Love is blowing my mind, too (I'm finishing up season 4, and unlike many, I'm loving the new opening credits), but Mad Men has me realizing that I should have been born in a different time.

I've always felt that I had the perfect body...for the 1950's/1960's. The pin thin girls of today with their tiny hips and boobs? That's soooo not me. I have an hourglass figure when I'm slim and a large ribcage, which always made me think when I was a kid that if I was super skinny, I'd resemble Jayne Mansfield. My mother and sister are both pretty average when it comes to bra size, but for whatever reason, the good Lord blessed me a big ol' rack. And I'm an amazon. I'm 5'10, over 6'0 in heels. And I'm more than half leg. If that doesn't describe the body of those great 1950's pinups, I don't know what does.

In addition, I've been obsessed with vintage and 1950's and 60's fashion since I was a kid. (Hello? Did you see my wedding? All that 50's/60's nostalgia floating around?) But my obsession with this time goes way, way beyond vintage decor and my curves. My mother is in her early 70's and my father is in his early 80's. I didn't grow up with music from the late 60's and 70's like my friends. Nope, my mom blasted Robert Goulet in the car (one of the many reasons I find Will Ferrell's impersonation funny and "get" it more than some of my friends...I actually grew up listening to his music!). I grew up rocking out to...Edith Piaf. And Nat King Cole. My parents didn't really listen to the Beatles or even Elvis Presley. But they sure made sure I was all caught up on my Irving Berlin and Cole Porter.

I mean, if I haven't convinced you yet that I grew up differently than most, maybe this will do the trick. When my sister and I were young teenagers, our mother would always try to force us to wear girdles underneath our dresses and skirts. I don't know about my sister, but for a long time, I felt like I *needed* to wear a girdle (since nowadays we associate those with sucking in stomachs and looking thinner). Later I realized that back then, it didn't matter if you were thin or fat, you wore a girdle. It's what ladies did. It's not that my mother thought I was fat, it's that I wasn't dressing like a lady. (She also was a big proponent of slips.)

I also grew up watching old movies with both my mom. Some of my favorite movies growing up were The Best of Everything, An Affair to Remember, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, It's a Wonderful Life, Breakfast at Tiffany's (I still remember the first time I saw this sitting on my grandmother's mustard colored rug), Roman Holiday, and Sabrina. Can you tell I'm a huge Audrey Hepburn fan? I loved the fashion, the etiquette that everyone displayed. One of my biggest pet peeves nowadays is bad etiquette. I still believe men should hold doors open for women, take their hats off inside a building, and give up their seat for a woman on the train or bus. See? I'm totally old fashioned.

The point is, all of this has made me fall in love all over again with Mad Men. And so, when we attended our friend's annual pool party/ice cream social, I put on my best Joan Holloway attitude and my best Betty Draper outfit and pool partied it up. Everyone commented on my retro outfit and I explained to them that I was Betty Draper. But we all agreed, when it comes to bodies, I'm much more Joan Holloway. I say, just call me Joanie!


Do you ever feel like you should have been born in another time? Or, more importantly, do you watch Mad Men???? (Don't give me any spoilers, I'm only in the beginning of season three!)

(Ladies of Mad Men Photo via here; Other photo by me!)