by Dolores Moore

Created on: July 19, 2008

Oh Lord, I can see myself getting tied up in knots over this one! This is because I stand by the right of any woman to wear what she likes, when she wants to, what she feels good in, and what she thinks makes her look a million dollars. Even if that item of apparel is a very short skirt that just about covers the necessities. But I was around when the mini-skirt first became an essential part of one's wardrobe - back in the 1960s and 70s. I have photographs right now (I keep them hidden), of a rather rotund small person in her teens and early twenties, displaying an inordinate amount of well-fleshed thigh, and some plump, juicy knees. Well, I was being fashionable, wasn't I? I thought I looked great, but really, despite a youthful glow, the mini skirt did ME no favours. I was so happy to embrace the long skirts and floaty kaftans of Hippiedom. So I guess you have realized by now that I was young enough to wear a mini - but just the wrong shape.

This brings me to the dilemma. Because there are women in their 50s with beautiful legs, slender bodies, great hair and 50-year-old faces. The first three attributes would qualify for mini skirt wearing, but the last would turn it sour, at least for me, from an aesthetic point of view. Then, there are those in their 40's who look about 30, and just maybe, that mini skirt will look brilliant on them.

But always, lurking at the back of my mind, is that awful old saying "She's like mutton dressed as lamb." It is a sort of sociological, psychological response, that tells me that skimpy skirts, with the potential to show off more of the female anatomy than is necessary, belong to the realm of the young. Yet another aspect to my dilemma. After all, I have said that I support the right of women to dress in any way that pleases THEM, that makes THEM feel good.

Think of cheerleaders, with those short, bouncy skirts. There is something so youthful and joyous about thier vibrant movements and flashing thighs. Then, imagine a slender, shy girl, wearing a short skirt, and soft suede knee-high boots. Consider what a touching image she creates, Bambi almost. If we look at such a person from behind, then she turns around and shows a well-made-up face, still beautiful but wearing signs of age, there is an element of shock present, an alteration to our perceptions. This is a disturbance of the natural balance of things, possibly due to our accepted norms of what is artistically 'right.'

The mini skirt for me is full of memories and iconic

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