[Herbalist] Re: Herbalist digest, OT - Miss Manners, etc

[Ann Lee]

I am sorry to say that i was once (unknowingly) on the other side.  I was
at an event and a lady came up and sat near me (i later found out she was
brought to the event by someone for whom i was repairing some garb). after
a short conversation, she asked me to critique her garb, and i believe i
said something along the lines of (this was a while ago): nice material and
pattern, looked nice, i believe <something> didn't usually get used in
period much to my recollection, but overall it was a nice outfit.  I
thought i was polite and fairly mild, but I found out later that - - it was
her first event, and she was terribly proud of the garb she had sewn, and
had left the event in tears because of the "harsh criticism" she had
received on her outfit.

Now I am by no means an expert, and not an A.P. nut, and if I had known it
was her first event/ first garb, I probably would have been more careful of
what i said.  So I now remember this event constantly, and remind myself
how easy it is to hurt someone without knowing it, and if someone asks my
opinion, I try to start showing them books and let them make up their minds
on what they want from there, and if they like their less than totally
authentic garb, so be it - - I have plenty of that myself that I still wear !

richenda


>Today's Topics:
>
>    1. FW: Miss Manners vs. the Authenticity Police (Christine Seelye-King)
 > From: "Katherine Blackthorne"

 > I loved it!
 >
 > I once went (in garg) to visit a friend who was working Ren Faire.  While
 > visiting with her, I received many compliments from her guild on my garb.
 > Finally, I was asked to work the next day.  (Sunday.)
 >
 > Since I wanted to spend more time with my friend, I said yes.
 >
 > They then stood there & picked apart the garb they had just finished gushing
 > over, telling me (among other things) that the tie on my bodice wouldn't do,
 > that I needed to by "period" leather shoes.  That the (coarse linnen)
 > partlet I was wearing was "above my station"  (it wasn't), the cut of my
 > bodice was wrong, and the list went on.
 >
 > Needless to say, I didn't bother going back to them!
 >
 > --Katherine