Ab-stract Ori-ginal, You Can't Get Your Own And That's Pitiful

I can't remember if I wrote a blog on pet peeves, but if so, whatever. Here goes another:

There are habits and actions people do which others consider to be an annoyance--hence "pet peeve." For clarification, I do not equate the phrase "pet peeve" to "dislike." For instance, a pet peeve is something along the lines of "Oh, I hate people who spit when they talk" or "I hate when my cat pees on the bed"(I don't have a cat by the way!) However, saying that "I don't like liars" is not a pet peeve. The operating term is "pet" as in minor. To say "My pet peeve is racists" or "My pet peeve is FOX News" are quite big statements, and don't fall under the pet peeve category. Pet peeve vs. dislike, do you see the difference? If not, oh well. Made sense to me!

I could give you list of my pet peeves. With me being a slight clean freak, most of them pertain to hygiene and housekeeping. However, the one that irks me to no end is unoriginality, and people who try to emulate my style and taste. You may say that sounds conceited. You may say I'm over-exaggerating. And I say, you may exit stage left if do not wish to listen to this rant. I shall give you 5 seconds.

5...4...3...2...

For those who know me, I have come a LONG way in developing style. As quiet as it's kept, I was one of those girls who dreamed of being a fashion designer. When I worked at a library, I regularly checked out books on fashion, and used my paychecks to subscribe to Vogue, W, and InStyle magazines. As much of a tomboy that I was, I still would sneak and put some of my mom's Bvlgari or Chloe perfume on a tissue, so I could put it on my neck once I got to school that day. After many years and countless fashion failures, I finally knew what I liked and what worked for me.

So to have someone come and try to take it is robbery. It's not just a matter of "so-and-so is trying to copy me." It's the fact that it took time to get here. The audacity of people to come in and take what took years for me to get to! I remember a couple of years of ago, a friend got mad over my comment on perfume. She smelled a perfume that I bought, and decided she would go out and buy it. I looked at her and simply told her "No. You're not." In reality, I couldn't prevent her purchasing the perfume if she wanted to, but the fact that she even considered buying it angered me. She did NOT make the 4 hour trip to Chicago, head to Magnificent Mile, and spend over an hour in Bloomingdales trying to find "the one." She just smelled it on my wrist.

And clothes? We won't even get on clothes.



Granted, my style is not all that unique. Kudos to the women who can wear the tutus, stripped leggings, or destroyed shirts-- and pull it off. I couldn't do what you do. But unique or not, it's MY style. Who wants to live in a world of clones? Eff the phrase "The greatest form of flattery is imitation." I must've overlooked the flattering part.


Dammit. Based on this blog, I now have to determine if unoriginality is my pet peeve or dislike.