my most pinned pin on Pinterest

Pinterest was launched in March of 2010. For the first couple of years you had to be "invited" to join. I requested an invitation on a couple of occasions after I discovered the site in 2011, but I never received one. Then, finally, in December 2011 they let you in via Facebook and this pinner was born!

In the first few months, I was obsessed, which I wrote about here. I overcame the obsession and began to use Pinterest for my own purposes (mostly dolls and clothes) and now it is my favorite inspiration board. Like Facebook, I visit Pinterest almost daily. I "pin" things to bookmark them and I really do return to my boards on a regular basis. Lately my watercolors pin board has been my favorite inspirational board. And, my photograph board. There is so much to learn about both of these subjects and it's delightful to have one place to put all that stuff! It beats rifling through a drawer of file folders!

So, this post is about my "most pinned pin." That's it, right there. The haircut. It's pinned to my style board and, as of today, has been pinned 2,200 times and liked 491 times. And, it's evoked quite a conversation of comments about short hair, particularly pixie cuts. It seems that young women are eager to try the pixie cut but are afraid it won't look good on them. I don't think anyone looks bad with a pixie cut. That's just my opinion, of course, but every woman I've known of any age who got her hair whacked off into a pixie discovered it is the most flattering cut of all.

The only thing I know about the young woman in the photo is that her name is Ema and she is from Romania. I found the picture on a photography blog that included about 20 photos of this lovely young woman, apparently shot in the spring of 2012. This particular photo appealed to me because she's wearing red lipstick and glasses and I think the contrast makes for a really great portrait! Oh! And, I love the haircut!

I'm not entirely sure how they keep count of who pins what, but it really doesn't matter. What became clear to me since I first started this pinning thing is, it's all about connecting to people who share your views. About art. About fashion dolls. About personal style. About a great haircut!

Who could ask for more? Certainly not me!

Sarah Palin's Hair

They say the best offense is a good defense, so let me begin with a defensive remark: I am not attacking feminism or women's place in the world. I think we have just as much right to be president or vice president as any man. I know men and women think differently, but we have way more in common than we have different. Of this much, I am certain!

With that touchy issue out of the way, I've gotta tell ya' ... Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the Republican Vice Presidential Candidate, needs to do something about her hair. It was the first thing that struck me about her appearance when she began appearing on the web and on TV last week after McCain released her name ... here was a lovely woman dressed as a professional right down to the eyeglasses, and her hair looked like an afterthought. Twisted up and clipped as though it were too much work to pin it up in a bun or french braid it or (Gasp!) wear it down and loose around her shoulders. Puh-leeeeze! C'mon, girl! Get with it!

I googled her photos and sorted through whatever came up, and photo after photo looks like the one you see here. Not polished. Not stylish. Not presidential at all. I didn't write anything though. I started thinking about writing on Sunday and Monday, but I said to meself, "No. Wait. Let her make her convention speech. See how she looks then."

So, I waited. And, what a disappointment. Oh, her speech was good. I'll give her that. But, her hair didn't look the least bit presidential. Sorry, kids. It really is an important issue for a woman executive. Appearance speaks volumes. I remember Annette, from the Mickey Mouse Club, singing the song about "beauty is as beauty does." A woman who doesn't take time with her hair may not take time with other things that are of importance to me, the average, ordinary American citizen.

The stylists are arguing that Palin might be a 'little too long in the tooth' for those tresses of hers, sparking yet another ongoing discussion among middle aged women: to cut or not to cut after hitting 40. Yes, long hair evokes youth, but long hair after 40 flirts with desperation.

Last night's speech, while inspiring and clearly targeted at her opponent, rang hollow. If it was me, and I was addressing the Republican National Convention just to lead the Pledge of Allegiance, I wouldn've gotten a haircut (or trim) and a professional styling. If she did get one or both of those things, I couldn't tell. Yeah, yeah! Her hair was down, but it didn't look presidential to me at all! And, if the truth be known, I want my President to look like The President of the United States of America. Pure and simple!

I'll be watching to see what she does next. And, I'll be listening very carefully to her and her new buddy, John McCain. They surprised me once. Let's see if they can do it again!