Page 27 - San Diego Woman interactive pdf

Women of Distinction

using a box of band aids with each lamp, I “What’s wrong with
realized how laborious a job this was. her skin?” she asked.
Both my daughters
Laughing at her cuts, Cathy went on. were now staring at the
“Each lamp takes me about 300-400 image.
hours to make but I love every minute of “Well, you know
it!” The designs are Tiffany originals but the how some people
color choices are all mine. Much of the glass have freckles, like
Cathy uses in her lamps is antique glass and me? Other people
handmade. have places where
Once the glass is hand cut and ground their skin is lighter
than the rest of the skin
down to fit the pattern, they are cleaned around it. We don’t know
and wrapped in copper foil. The pieces are why; sometimes people are
tacked onto the mold where they are then just born that way. Isn’t it
soldered together. Larger shades are rein- interesting how women can
forced with heavy wire for stabilization. Fi- come in so many different
nally the lampshade is cleaned and a special looks?”
patina applied. I only use bronze lamp bases All Kinds of Beauty The girls were studying
from the original Tiffany designs, complet- the photo. My oldest turned
ing the desired effect.” By Jessica Petrencsik around and looked up at an
As we walked out to her grand living image of an Asian woman
room I gazed upon several lamps each with Walking through a pop- through my head was, which with a brown birthmark on
her thigh.
different personalities. ular department store with of these elements was the “Look at this!” I said. “She
Like treasured sea shells, each was my daughters, ages nine offensive one? has a birthmark, just like you
so different in their design it was hard and seven, we ran across I landed on the near-na- guys!”
to choose a favorite. The tiniest dribbled several large images of kedness. Both my daughters have
lavender and indigo in the shape of grapes. women in their underwear. Now I happen to know birthmarks on their backs.
Fireflies laced the brim of another with a And while I’m not particular- that my daughter’s body has One has a reddish “straw-
background of teals and turquoise. As I ly thrilled about the public started marching away from berry,” and the other has a
leaned closer the colors engulfed me and display of really big images childhood in a very physical brown patch. Neither are
very noticeable, but they are
took on a world of their own. of women in their lingerie, way, and she is NOT having there.
an interesting conversation
it. She is fighting the visible
Noticing my amazement, a twinkle occurred. manifestations of young “Isn’t she beautiful?”
came to Cathy’s eye. “You know Tiffany was I had turned down an womanhood with all her I threw that out there,
quite an artist.” she boasted. “He was the aisle when suddenly my might. Rejecting womanly hoping upon hopes that my
forefront of the Arts and Crafts Movement daughter said, “EW. Look at features is absolutely part of girls would carry home in
and was also associated with the Art Nou- her. That’s GROSS.” I looked her strategy. their hearts the belief that
veau style of decorative art. He made pieces over at the life-sized picture But I wanted to har- nothing, not a birthmark,
for Mark Twain and several U.S presidents. of a woman in her bra and ness this moment and be or large thighs, or slanted
For many years it was thought that Tiffany underpants. The human in specifically clear about my eyes, or unevenly colored
skin diminishes their beauty
designed his own lamps but recently it was me felt slapped in the face thoughts on this image, and worth. Diminishes any
because if we as parents are
by hearing my daughter
uncovered that many of the lamp designs call a woman gross. But the not explicitly clear, kids of- woman’s beauty and worth.
were created by his assistant, Clara Driscoll mother in me knew that ten pick up other messages “Let’s go,” the oldest
who came from my home state of Ohio!” something deeper was from friends or culture and growled, whirling around.
Tiffany believed that we can heal going on. hold on to those. And those She was done with this con-
through beauty and it was said that he was “What do you think is are not always the greatest versation. She was grabbing
intoxicated by color. gross about her?” I asked. messages. tightly to her denial that
When I asked Cathy the sale price of her The nine-year-old wrin- “Are you bothered that womanhood is coming for
lamps a wide expansive look came to her eyes. kled up her nose and turned she is in her underwear?” I her. But that’s OK. She is,
after all, in fourth grade. It’s
“I just haven’t been able to put a price around to walk away. asked. not particularly fair that she
She didn’t look up. “Yes,”
There were a few things
on them.” going on here. For one, the she muttered. is dealing with changes at
Her lamps surrounded her like mem- woman was in her under- Then she pointed at an so young an age. And I am
bers of her family and I knew they weren’t garments. She also had image a few clothing racks going to keep momming
going anywhere for a while. softly visible cellulite on her away. It featured several her—taking these oppor-
Cathy Schulte lives with her family of thighs. She was beautiful yet women of a variety of sizes, tunities to speak truth to
Rottweilers and Tiffany lamps in the Felicita wearing no apparent make- shapes, skin tones, facial her confused and irritable
area of Escondido. up. Her skin was slightly features, and ages. In partic- self, hoping that something
darker than my daughter’s, ular, one Black woman with sticks as she navigates this
Cathy can be contacted at a browner shade of caramel. vitiligo, splotchy patches tricky thing of becoming a
woman today.
So, the question running
with little pigment.
cas935@gmail.com
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