Etiquette

@TheNardvak

Etiquette -- spelling the word is already tough.

About 2% of the time, I think about the effect of one action in two different situations.

Why does a 40-year-old Lady A look good in a knee-length pencil dress, while another 40-year-old Lady B looks like she's wearing her daughter's clothes? (If you haven't heard about this already: my never ending clothes-age research.)

Why could Country C invade Country D in the name of looking for WMDs, couldn't find any (unless WMD means oil) but still managed to get away with it? Can Country D get away with it if it's the other way around?

Why do some food pictures posted on the internet inspire us (really, elevate our mood and make our hearts beat faster!), while some make us chuckle? I read about this a lot. Apparently, it's eye-rolling to post food photos on Instagram and Facebook. Honestly, sometimes I get that. And if you cross to taking pictures of other people's food... *gulps, cringes*.

But why? Is blogging it ok? Because I looovve blogs with pretty food pictures, especially seeing how much they've grown since they started. If you click from the first to the current page, you'd notice they take better and better pictures every day, often self-taught. I wish I were these photographers!

Probably, probably... it's snapping pictures in front of everyone at the table that causes this awkwardness, let alone posting them online immediately, when your attention should go to the people you are dining with instead. It's in the timing and purpose(?)

Anyway. This is my checklist: as long as you can function in a society -- things you do are legal and safe, for example -- you don't have to apologize for your interests or quirkiness.

As for the rest, I guess you can always draw the line at how you want to be perceived by others (if that's important to you) or your life values. If you don't mind attention, wear skinny red glittery pants. If you don't mind people seeing your boobs, spill half of them out of your dress. If you don't feel good about something, maybe you don't have to do it, and just let others decide for themselves.