Friday, December 27, 2013

A question, and lots of wittering

I watched While you were sleeping last night in the great Hepworth season of film-watching, which is my homework (heh-heh…to help me in writing my screenplay.)
while-you-were-sleeping-sandra-bullock-bill-pullman-1995
And the Sandra Bullock character said that she had always imagined what she would be like when she grew up and how she would live, etc.  And it reminded me of the Friends episode when Ross is marrying Emily, and Monica tells him that women have imagined getting married and what they would wear since they dressed up at the age of three.
ross-rachel-emily
So here’s the question (well, actually,two questions):
When you were very young, did you imagine what your life would be like when you grew up?
And if you’re female, did you imagine yourself in your wedding dress, walking down the aisle?
Because I didn’t imagine either, and especially not the second one.
So I wonder if these are silver screen cliches, or if they are based in reality, and that I am odd.
As an ex-social scientist, I realise that you, dear readers, are not a representative sample of anything, and as readers of my blog, you may be anti-romantic-cliche like me, and further than that, the people who try to respond in the recalcitrant comments section below are an even smaller sample of my readers, and the ones that persist and get through, or take the time to email me are an even smaller sample.
Still, if even one of you agrees with me, I will feel less peculiar. Though, if you have read my blog for long enough, you’ll know I don’t really mind if people think I’m peculiar.
Why do I say I am anti-romantic-cliche?
When did you ever hear of a hero behaving like this:
He wet his finger to wipe something off her chin. “You’ve got toothpaste on here, from last night.”
or a heroine described thus:
She was crying all over his arm, getting snot all over his chest. “Sorry about your sweatshirt,” she said, between sniffs.
28 Feb front cover
p.s. I know there are acute accents missing from the word cliche above but I can’t do accents in Blogger, so you’ll have to tough it out without them (and this includes you, Spiky Pete.)

6 comments:

ndenim said...

Nope. Never thought much about a wedding. Did, over those years growing up, think about being a lot of different things. A ballerina, a veterinarian, a teacher, an archeologist, and can't even remember what else!

Sue Hepworth said...

Hi Peggy - nice to hear from you!You are the third person to tell me (one in an email, one via Twitter) that they did not have dreams of weddings. So now I am wondering whether my blog readers statistical outliers (as the terminology goes) or representative of the general population. Whatever - I know I'm not the only one thinking "bullshit" when this stuff appears in a film or on the TV.

Anonymous said...

I agree. Although I did picture myself with a babe in arms (ended up with 4), but never a husband/wedding (2.)

Sublime optimism told me I'd get life on my own terms: no need to fantasise, it would just roll up to order on demand.

Funny that.

Anonymous said...

Greetings Sue!

thrilled to have discovered your blog via The Scent of Water

And love the questions you asked, particularly the second. While I did avidly read Seventeen Magazine in search of how to have my hair set for my school formal back in 1964, I never considered wedding dresses at all. So when I was marrying my process was to train into town on my free Saturday and search through pattern books for something simple I could sew and like to wear. Settled on the simple style and chose a gorgeous white velvet type fabric.
What did delight me though was the love and care of those older women around me, mother in law and neighbours who were so excited and involved and keen to help with the project. It is the most special of memories

And most happily, we are approaching our 43rd anniversary this year. More contented than I could have ever dreamed

Thanks for making me remember this time!!

Look forward to enjoying your blog

Best
Ann

Sue Hepworth said...

Hi Ann, it's great to hear from you, and to find yet another person who did NOT imagine all that stuff. Thanks for sharing your memories.

Sue Hepworth said...

p.s. we had our 43rd anniversary this year, Ann. Isn't it weird to think how long that is?