Gorgeous...or a feast in vanity

The past couple of weeks there has been some fun stuff going on on Facebook. One week was wayback week and many of us posted pictures of us from well, way back. I posted a picture of me from a bus trip to California with the Sundance crew from Scottsdale Community College. My permy hair and my white lacy t shirt scream 19. I can still catch glimpses of those feelings and emotions. Elation, despair, the feeling of Knowing It All and the equally powerful feeling of Being Totally Ignorant. I often find my 43 year old self battling out with my 19 year old self or better yet, collaborating on something...scary.

This past week has been labeled "doppelganger" week. Crazy because only last week, a friend told me that while she was watching the elegant Meryl Streep on the Golden Globes, she thought of me. Now certainly, I took that as a King Kong sized compliment because I adore and secretly long to be Meryl Streep but I'm not so sure I could pull it off and I certainly don't think I look like her. Like I said, Huge compliment. I like when people are reminded of me when they look at or listen to strong, capable women. Once in high school someone told me I sounded like Susan St. James and I almost fell out of the car. I feigned ignorance or shyness but I knew, that woman had the sexiest voice on television.

My problem is right now, I couldn't find anyone to post as my star double. I thought about putting up Bono as The Fly but I'm hoping it was my sunglasses and not my nose that had people calling me BonBarbie. I thought Meryl Streep might be too self flattering and so I went to a website where you can upload your photo and they give you your celebrity look alike matches. Some were quite flattering. I doubt seriously I look anything like Lisa Snowden or anyone else that George Clooney has had out to the "Chateau". Shirley Manson from Garbage or Sharon Osbourne? Sure, on a good hair day. Marianne Faithfull? She's an amazing poet/songstress and I loved her as God in Absolutely Fabulous but really?


Kieran and I have a theory about beauty in general. We've noticed, through the years, that some people who at first appeared very attractive grew less attractive as we grew to know them. This works equally for men and women. A really gorgeous guy opens his mouth and starts off with some of the most ignorant, arrogant banter you've ever heard? bwabwabwaaaugh...Kind of like that but deeper. I have to say I fully appreciate when someone's looks are aesthetically pleasing. "The wrapping of the package..." as they say. It truly is, though, what lies underneath that determines how attractive someone remains.

OK, I'm going with Meryl Streep. She's on a cell phone, obviously delighted to be talking to the person on the other end. She's beautiful. I'll take it. Perhaps more because she's my "soul doppelganger".