Friday, April 16, 2010

I See By My Outfit


So the DH and I are wandering through this impossibly upscale boutique in Santa Fe, and he picks up an item of clothing that can be described as a long-sleeved bustier in rose pink velvet, satin, and lace. “No,” I say, shaking my head (I mean, it cost several hundred dollars). “Don’t you want to look like a romance author?” asks the hubs, innocently.

Now I found that comment fascinating; in fact, it haunted my thoughts for several days thereafter. It was particularly interesting because that boutique specialized in clothes I think of as sort of “Round-up Time At the Bordello.” Is that what I’m supposed to look like? What does a romance writer look like these days anyway?

Over the twenty-plus years of my teaching career, I developed a sort of teacher’s uniform: pants, blouse, jacket of some kind (sometimes just an overblouse), necklace, earrings. A lot of my colleagues wore outfits that were basically similar. You could see by our outfits that we were the faculty (sing that to “Streets of Laredo”). But one of the features of those outfits was their anonymity. We all looked basically the same and we all sort of blended into the woodwork. Somehow, I think romance writers don’t want to do that.

Looking at the author photos on romance novels doesn’t really help. The top NYT bestsellers all seem to own the same black pant suit, although they accessorize it differently (a gold necklace here, a silk scarf there). Rather than writing scenes of passion, they look like they’re ready to plead a case before the Supreme Court. Is that what romance writers should look like? A lot of readers might disagree.


I think the popular idea of how romance writers look may be based on Barbara Cartland. Now Cartland was definitely old school. She went on writing romances well into her eighties and she tended to dress like a certain type of romance heroine right up until the end—pink chiffon, pearls, picture hats, parasols, a platinum blonde wig. She also wore false eyelashes and the kind of eye makeup favored by Cleopatra and certain working girls. But she definitely stood out.

But to be frank, not many of us can carry that look off, particularly at the age of eighty. I’d just as soon not wear something that might have me skulking into corners, hoping nobody sees me when I’m dressed like this.

So what’s the right image for romance writers now? When we go to signings, should we try for professionalism? Armani suits and Manolos? Or do we dress like bronco bustin’ harlots? Probably we need some kind of middle ground, whatever that middle ground may be. Maybe the black pants suit with a rose pink bustier. Or maybe not. But I’ll tell you straight out: I’d rather not fade into the woodwork.

So tell me, y’all—what’s your mental image of a romance writer?

4 comments:

Erin Nicholas said...

Meg, what a great topic! And an interesting question that I've thought some about in preparing for some more conference activity this year and next. I don't know the answer except to say that I think romance authors should "look" and be approachable, open, and interested in the people around them. After all, people are what fuel our imaginations, right? And if you can write hot sex and use graphic language, then you probably shouldn't come across as a shrinking violet in person!
Really interested in other comments!
Erin

Debra St. John said...

Great post! Just last weekend I did a book signing, and I spent a lot of time deciding what "look" I wanted to portray. I finally decided on jeans and a flowing, sheer shirt over a tank.

A fellow author told me I looked nice, and I said I was going for "the romance author look". She said it worked...which was nice.

That said, next weekend I'm going to a conference and will probably opt for a more professional look: dress pants and a nice shirt with a cardigan.

PG Forte said...

oh, this was fabulous!

Yeah, I've given the matter a lot of thought and so far, I've come up empty. I guess the thing is I figure if I'm dressing up as "me" then I should look like me...if that makes any sense. And, unfortunately, "me" isn't all that fashionable anymore.

But I tell you, I'd pay big bucks to see some of my favorite author friends dressed up in the retro-Madonna look, all black pants suits and rose pink bustiers.

Yeah, I'm mean that way. lol!

kelly said...

ROFL at "Round up time at the bordello"!!! This is so good Meg! And look at Barbara Cartland with her parasol! More ROFL at the thought of me sitting at a book signing in a hot pink dress and parasol!! I don't know what a romance writer is supposed to look like, but I can only look like me. I write in black yoga pants and a T-shirt. I wear suits and heels to work. I love getting dressed up to go out. I like jeans on weekends. And I kinda like the sound of that bustier - though pink's not my colour :-)