Blast from the distant past

[RiverdanceGirl]

This is the Vogue UK cover from september 1973. I remember finding the magazine under my parent's bed and stealing it. Have been wracking my brains for decades trying to find this image. At the tender age of six I clearly remember showing my mother the magazine and declaring that I was going to be just like the cover model when I grew up. In my mind I didn't think it any more strange that my tiny little body could grow up to be a man than it could grow up to be a beautiful woman. I knew girls and boys had physical differences but it was a choice to grow up to a man or a woman and everything would all sort itself out physically. When my mum told me that it didn't work that way I was angry, protesting that I should be able to be what I wanted. She agreed it wasn't fair but I was devastated when I realised I couldn't be a woman.

I recently watched a docudrama about Jean Shrimpton and David Bailey and it finally allowed my old brain to make the connection and find the image from so long ago. I am thrilled I've found it after so long. This is my first and possibly most important image of what I wanted to be as a female.

[Cynthia Anne]

Very interesting story! I agree with your mother that it's not fair! Reminds me of a verse in a song ''you can grow up to be anything you wanna' be''! How I wish that were true! Hugs!

[Diane Smith]

I would take that picture with me to the MAC store and see if they couldn't, indeed, make me up to look like that! I realize it's not the same as growing up to be the model, but with some effort, you could probably come pretty close to duplicating the look. I love veils ... and they can cover some flaws, as well!

- Diane

[Persephone]

So glad you wre finally able to track down the image. It is indeed very lovely. I'm still captivated by those gorgeous and mysterious veils.

Your recollections of early childhood certainly bring back memories!

Hugs,
Persephone.

[Laura912]

Does this mean a new avatar?

[lauren_m]

That's really awesome! I had similar experiences at a similar age, though I don't recall a singular image that so captured my fancy. So happy you rediscovered yours! (And what an image it is!)

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi RD Girl, It sounds like it's gone to be a dream come true.

[Karren H]

That's really cool.... so where did you find the image? and why were your parents hiding it under there bed?

[Foxglove]

I remember when I was very little, my mother on occasion would say, "When I was a little boy. . ." That always left me a bit confused. Is that where I got the idea that someday I could be a woman? Of course, the dream didn't come true.

[Kate Simmons]

You can actually BE anyone you want to be Hon. Don't let anyone tell you differently.:battingeyelashes::)

[RiverdanceGirl]

Makeup artists are practically magicians (in my case they'd have to be). Maybe they could make an approximation of the look for me. The idea is certainly exciting.

I think the magazine was under the bed because we lived in a pretty small house that didn't have cupboards or closets. I kept all my stuff under the bed. When the house was built it didn't have hot water or a heating system. My parents had to have an addition built to put in a proper kitchen. Eventually we moved to a newer house that had 3 closets. Yikes! And there was an electrical outlet in every bedroom, not just the master. The house was 900 square feet and we thought that was big. On the other hand though, there were some other magazines under the bed on my dad's side that were more the sort of thing you'd expect to be hidden down there. I wasn't interested in those.

I found the image online in the Vogue UK archive. As soon as I saw it, the memories came flooding back. The text on the front cover, the trouble I had trying to figure out how to pronounce the model's name. Girls were called Janet or Michelle or Audrey, so Ingmari was quite different. I'd convinced myself it wouldn't be a well know international magazine like Vogue or Elle, most likely it'd be something like Woman's Realm. But watching the David Bailey docudrama, something about his style and how he was such a big name, I subconsciously put the puzzle pieces together.

[Foxglove]

You can actually BE anyone you want to be Hon. Don't let anyone tell you differently.:battingeyelashes::)

Thanks, Kate, but I'm not quite sure I agree with you here. I'd love to be Reese Witherspoon, but you see, unfortunately I don't have her chin.

Annabelle

[joaniek]

Wow, there are a lot of images over the years in my memory - and what I'd like to look like. Thanks for your post.