Much Ado about NOTHING

Kinda Blue

So I ordered a blue V-neck sweater (all the rage this season) from an online catalog -- but was appalled when I opened the package. The shade of blue they'd sent did not match what I'd seen on their online clothes-rack. It was a vibrant electric blue instead of the dull, nondescript blue I usually favor, at least in apparel. (My sartorial tendency is always to try to blend in, tastefully, rather than to stand out like some foppish peacock.) I was tempted to return the sweater from whence it came, but tried it on, with a black T-shirt underneath, and decided I should wear it as a kind of social-science experiment to see if anyone noticed that I was glowing in the dark. To my surprise, several women complimented me on it, saying "I like your sweater", "That's a nice color on you," "That color really suits you," etc.

I'm weird about compliments. I always half suspect that they are intended ironically or facetiously or simply to express shock... or to disguise pity. I said that I thought the color was too bright and that I should return the sweater. "Oh no," they all protested, and I started to believe them. But then I began to wonder if their enthusiasm reflected a gender preference. Maybe they liked this shade of blue because it was one they would wear themselves? Did that mean it was feminine? No males had commented on the garment, but then, males rarely do comment on each others clothing unless it is truly ridiculous.

In the end, I decided I might as well hold on to the sweater, if for no other reason than to keep the ladies happy. I wore it for the third time today. Queue soundtrack: "For You Blue".