Flashback #2
When I was a little kid, I distinctly remember when being introduced to grown ups hearing them comment, "Oh, she looks like a little boy!" I could be bitter about having this as my first memory regarding my looks, but I look at old photographs and you know what? I did look like a little boy.
I think it had something to do with the fact that my mom dressed me in a lot of pants, sweaters, button downs, and in primary colors (yellows, reds, blues) and not much of the pink and yellow favored by moms of little girls today. She also kept my hair pretty short. I don't know if it's because it was just cheaper to dress me that way or maybe it was the style of the early 80's (in Korea) to make your kid androgynous. Or maybe deep down, my parents wanted... well I won't go there right now.
But the memory has some sweetness. Because of this experience I also distinctly remember my first dress. I was about two years old, which is pretty late for a girl to be getting her first dress. It was yellow, with short sleeves, the skirt was tiered and went down to my knees. It had a white collar and a big yellow ribbon that tied in the back. It also came with a matching white hat with a yellow ribbon that matched the dress. I think my mom has a picture of me in front of her mirror with the biggest, dorkiest, grin on my face.
Later on we climbed a ladder to our rooftop where we had a random rosegarden. So she also has a picture of me sitting in my yellow dress, feeling like an equal to the red roses around me.