this post is in no way a defense of sarah palin

A few years ago, just a few weeks pre-pregnancy as it would turn out, I found myself in the baggage claim area at Dulles International Airport in D.C. It was late-ish maybe 9pm. My friend Alex and I had been traveling ALL. DAY. across four time zones and through three airports. We were going to attend a weekend long conference. The conference was amazing, I met Gloria Steinem and Steve from Sex in the City... That is not the point of this post.



At the airport I saw this woman. She was all decked out in posh professional wear and four inch high heels. Full make up. Perfect hair. Big jewelry. She was also about 11 months pregnant. Picking up her husband from the airport. I thought she looked ridiculous. SO. Overdone for so late at night. Alex and I commented that given the same circumstances we would totally be in pajamas and flip flops in the car. I gave the woman enough benefit of the doubt to acknowledge that perhaps pjs and 2 dollar sandals were not really socially appropriate in D.C.



Things are just different in Alaska. More casual. More parkas. More dressing for survival, less dressing for success (or fashion or fun).

Sarah Palin got lambasted for her campaign attire. For her spending habits when confronted with real stores and nice stuff. Now, I was RIGHT up there with the lambasting and spending donated money on her (or her husbands or her kids or her damn dog's who knows!) wardrobe. It was inappropriate. She needed new stuff and she should have purchased it on her own dime. Campaigns are costly affairs and the candidate has to be willing to put up some dough. Period. That is my opinion. She should have known that that would be part of the deal. Now, she is a candidate who charged her Gubernatorial campaign for the gas she spent transporting herself to and from her house two years ago...so, you know, she's FRUGAL. End Rant.

Yesterday evening, I went to Target. It was about 5pm. It was already getting dark outside. you never know how low a thing you will find when you go out in the winter in Alaska. No matter where you are. There can be some freaky socially unconscious fashion faux pas. Here case in point is what I saw when I was walking in the door.


A woman, mid to late forties, somewhat heavyset, sort of half running half shuffling her way into the new mecca. I noticed right off that she was wearing over sized ratty grey with a black stipe up the side basketball shorts. Yes, shorts. No, it was not unseasonably warm. It was all of 15 degrees out. Max. She paired the shorts with a black leather jacket and tee-shirt. Perhaps she had just come from the gym. Her hair was clearly unwashed as she hustled around with a cart in front of me. Clearly she was in a hurry. Maybe just running in for a prescription or something. And then I noticed her shoes. Or, I should say lack there of. This woman was wearing fuzzy bedroom slippers. SLIPPERS!. Fuzzy, no heel, house slippers. OMG.

AND THEN... I kept seeing her all around the store. For like an hour! It was so unsightly. So Wasilla.