A note on Russian tastes...

 Warning: Not for those uninterested in men or fashion.

While I am still digging through my bag trying to find the USB with pictures (where could it have gone????), I thought that I would write a little something on Russian tastes.

Originally, living in Russia was an experiment in personal torture, simply because the people here that are my age (late teens to 20s) dress so fashionably that every time I look around, I see something that I wish I could buy but I know that I really don't need. Trench coats, leather jackets, skirts, dresses, shoes... In fact, I had gotten to the point that if I see someone who is my weight or heavier, I either marvel at it (wow, how did they get so heavy?) or wonder if they're also Americans (because how else could they be that heavy?).

However, I have finally seen some rare Russian women who are my size, as well as something even rarer: a Russian trend that I actually don't like.

Now, Russian women love to dress to impress; they kind of advertise their goods as best they can, if you know what I mean. Why, I saw a girl standing on the subway who was wearing a tank-top mini-dress, and the weather today was just under 70 degrees Fahrenheit. (That is some commitment to the cause.)  However, it seems with button-up shirts-- things that button up in general, really-- that Russian women actually prefer things that fit them too tightly, to the point that the buttons are straining to be closed, than things that fit them normally.

Thin women, heavy women-- it really doesn't matter. All of them wear button ups that are two sizes too small.

This comes as a shock for me, considering I originally thought that all things in Russia were cuter except for the men and the dogs. (Refer back to posts relating to men and dogs, and you'll immediately know why-- all Russian dogs seem to be the itty, bitty, rat-like assortment, and all the Russian men are like Demitry in Anastasia.)

TRUTH

In fact, I had my first experience with a Russian man hitting on me just yesterday-- he was passing out flyers, and suddenly when he saw me, he started saying, "Ooh, beautiful, beautiful, hello, beautiful, how are you doing, beautiful? Ooh la laaaa!!" and semi-following princess and I. It was one of the strangest experiences of my life, just because I had no idea how to respond to that other than to laugh nervously and stammer a thank-you under my breath. And Russian men, apparently, have a fondness for openly oggling women-- a Russian man actually positioned himself on the subway yesterday to admire both my and Princess's chests, taking turns looking each of us up and down and then looking between us for the rest of the subway ride as we pretended he didn't exist.

I never really understand what men are expecting us women to do when they do things like that-- faint into their arms? Flutter our eyelashes and coo that no one has ever complimented us that highly before?

It would be nice if there was a giant sign that would light up every time there was an awkward social scenario, and it would tell you exactly what to do; I doubt my sign would ever stop being illuminated.