Confessions of a Feminist

As the time nears for Annie to be returned to prison (I mean school), I am looking for fun ways to spend our last summer days together. So far Annie has gone to horse camp in New Hampshire and taken a road trip to West Virginia. There have been beautiful days spent days at the barn and speedboat rides along the Hudson River. She took in a play the other night, a version of Romeo & Juliet performed "South Bronx Style," and she even got to see Woody Allen's new film, Scoop. So yesterday, when we were faced again with what to do, I suggested we spend some time at Saks Fifth Avenue.

"No Mommy!" Annie cried, that's so BORING!!!

"But sweetie," I said, "Do you realize we live in the only city where Saks Fifth Avenue is actually on Fifth Avenue?"

She looked at me perplexed. "I don't care about that!" she said.

(I tried).

Needless to say, we did go to Saks, because I am the Lioness and she is a cub, and the first stop was the Chanel makeup counter. (All my women friends are now saying Chanel? Jeez, Katie, you must be doing well...) The truth is, money is tight at the moment, but as I’ve always said, sometimes that's the best time to spend some.

As Annie sat across from me at the counter trying on different shades of shimmery pink lipstick and spraying herself with too much perfume, the makeup artist, “Lissette,”performed her magic on my face. And I must admit, as we later made our way through the store, I couldn't keep my eyes away from the mirrors on the elevator and the escalator.

"MOM!" Annie would say, "Why do you keep LOOKING at yourself like that?"

What was I going to tell her?

Because when I've got makeup on, especially Chanel, and when my hair is freshly washed and when there are lights all around the store that are designed to make me look slightly better... okay intensely better than I normally do, well, I'd like to enjoy it.

But I didn’t say that. I didn't say anything.

After an overpriced lunch at the store's restaurant it was time to head home, so Annie and I made our way down the escalator with our bags. But wait. Wait. What's that there? Is that a pair of Stuart Weitzman chocolate brown, suede, knee-high boots I see? Oh, just let me touch them... hang on a second. Excuse me, do you have these in a size 9? You do? How much are they? They ARE? No, that's way more than I can spend... God, they're so soft.... Yes, I know the designer... Yes, they are beautiful.... But they are just too expen....

So that's how we spent one of the last days of summer, and now we are just a few weeks away from the arrival of fall, my favorite time of year. The leaves will turn, the nights will come quicker, there will be a slight chill in the air, and I will walk down these city streets in a pair of chocolate brown knee-high boots, because although I am a feminist with a capital "F," I am also a girl with a capital “G.”

Oh yeah.