SCENE ON THE STREET : Same as It Ever Was

When do we change?

When we’re tiny, they dress us like our sister or our brother. And we look up, up, up, and see in their beaming faces how super-cute a double scoop of cuteness is, and beam back. It’s fun to be adorable.

When we’re in seventh grade, we’d rather flunk Social Studies than stand out in the crowd. We call our best friend before school. A high polite tone for the mother, and then an urgent croak for our pal: “Whatcha wearin’ today?” At that age--and for ages after that--we put two and two together and find safety in numbers.

Comes adulthood. Comes the big party. Comes someone across the room in the same dress! Yawk.

When did we change?