Only Show Half Your Ass
Believe it or not, this is the literal translation of an Armenian expression that was a favorite of Ginger’s: “Meenag gess vorded sutz doord”. She would preach this lesson in my youth when she thought I might be sharing too much with my friends…maybe sharing too many emotions/feelings or even sharing sacred (haha) ‘beauty secrets’. She believed in leaving a little mystery, and being careful about baring your soul. I suppose there is something to be said for this. We have all used the expression “TMI”when someone shares more personal information than we care to know. How about these situations:
- Someone compliments you on your Burberry scarf. You bought it at a consignment shop. Do you just say thank you, or tell them “Only paid $99, got it at Revolve.”? How about: “What a beautiful tennis bracelet!” Do you simply say thank you or say, thanks, it’s fake? (Hey, it’s a real bracelet!)
- You are told you don’t look your age. Do you proceed to share every beauty regimen and botox injection or just say thank you?
- You are feeling down in the dumps because of multiple personal issues at home. Do you share all the nitty gritty details with your coworkers?
It depends, right? You might tell your close friends everything, but when it comes to strangers and acquaintances, a little mystery, can be a good thing. Keeps people intrigued. Although one of my subscribers recently pointed out to me where I may have overshared. She commented that she would never tell anyone that she was so gray to need hair coloring every three weeks. Yeah, I did say that and yeah, it’s true. The way I see it, it’s not such a big deal at my age, and in a crazy way I am proud that I take the time to do it.
It’s no secret that I love clothes and shop often. All my clothes do not come from Saks/Neimans/Bloomies…if you read my blog you know I also shop at consignment stores. That doesn’t mean that everytime I receive a compliment I need to disclose that it’s ‘recycled’. (Heck, enough people know since I blog about it!)
There is a time and place to share and a time and place to smile brightly, say thank you, and leave a little mystery…;-)
Hope to hear your comments on this one – what do you think???
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6 Comments
I’ve learned to stop telling everyone “target!” When they compliment something I have. I basically just told them it was $14 & they can go right out and get one. Kind-of implies I made no effort myself. It’s all in mixing expensive with cheap that creates the mystery of, “Where did she find that?!”
I usually share when something was inexpensive because I don’t want people to judge for over-spending. If the item was expensive, I just say thanks. It is very hard for me to just take a compliment but I try to remember the saying, “a simple thank you will do.”
Love this post. My mom always had similar advice- you don’t have to tell everything. At almost 50, I’ve stopped telling my age unless i’m asked point blank. And I don’t tell where I buy my shoes and clothes. When complimented, I say thank you and smile
I often respond with “it’s from TJ Maxx!” especially if it was a great find. But you are right about the audience. If it’s a friend or coworker, I’m more likely to share my source. I had a board member comment recently on my leopard print kitten heels as she came into a meeting room. I just said “thank you!”
Thanks for this thoughtful piece. You started with such a funny Armenian expression! That is a good one to know. It can be applied to many things!
I would like to learn how to pronounce it. ❤
Excellent advice from Ginger!