Clothing for women is much more exciting than clothing for men. I have always wondered why men continue to dress in the same business suits with ties completing the outfit when women have chosen to be freer in what they wear. There is no contest when women dress to go to a party. Dresses range from floor length gowns to mini-dresses allowing for cleavage to show dramatically.

Just the other day I was in a hot tub mingling with the twenty somethings in their two piece bathing suits. One kept adjusting her bra top as if her breast enhancement might somehow need putting back into place. I joked about men being attracted to women’s pulchritude but remarked that my husband loved me for my mind. Then I remembered that when I met my husband I had prepared for this evening well. I had taken out my shoulder pads that we WWII women used to wear and padded my bra with them. So he was deceived about my womanly appearance on our first meeting at the old Trianon Ballroom. Later he admitted that he was attracted to my shining, dark brown eyes. Yeah, right!

Well now I must rely on being invited to birthday parties to get to dance since I don’t venture out to dance halls anymore. Just the other night I went to the 50th birthday party of the daughter of one of my younger friends. What a rush to be with all those young fifties. As my eyes grazed the room one outfit stood out. There was a tall young woman in a gold lame’ dress in nearly four inch heels. I thought to myself, how can I compete with that outfit? Then I realized she was the “birthday girl.”

I joined the youngers in dancing up a storm. Since I never appreciated dancing with men who wanted me to twirl and do all manner of dance steps that I was not comfortable with I really appreciate dancing to Rock and Roll music even as ear shattering as it is. I can dance alone or join a twosome on the dance floor. I can make up my own moves shaking my hips and combining some old dance steps along with waving my arms in abandon.

A fellow almost my age was dressed in a fuchsia sport coat and a fuchsia fedora as he exhibited his dancing ability in a debonair manner, twirling the young 50ish woman in her gold lame’ dress. Now I must take back what I said about clothing for women being more exciting than clothing for men. Maybe the tide is changing. And certainly a cashmere dress covered with sequins, which was once worn by the guest of honor’s aunt when she was a model in Las Vegas, is now making its way back in style.

Georgie Bright Kunkel is a freelance writer who can be reached at gnkunkel@comcast.net or 206-935-8663.