wendy house

friend: you look more like a rock chick every day, is that deliberate?

wendy: If Joey Ramone is a rock chick, it’s deliberate

you’ve gone all susie quatro!

Being compared to a talented rock goddess who doesn’t conform to narrowly defined, socially constructed descriptions of femininity is an excellent gift! Especially since  my nose is not THAT cute

Susie Quatro sang If you can’t give me love

After a Martin Stephenson concert in the Portsmouth Wedgewood rooms (1995),

Martin Stephenson and the Daintees sang Crocodile cryer (1986)

Martin walked over to me and said:  I couldn’t help watching you because you look so much like Patti Smith. I found the comparison very flattering, Patti is one of the few female celebrities that is beautfiul in her own right without reference to standard definitions of femininity.

Patti Smith sang Because the night

He looked like I imagined Heathcliffe, all those years ago when at 12 I lost myself in the book. Even a stream of famous actors had failed to live up to my imagination.  That day in our brief conversations I found him to be softly spoken, not self-preposessed,  considerate of the other people around him. The serenity round him was reminsicent of Gregory Peck. 

The collar on his large white shirt had frayed through wear. It reminded me of my sweet smelling  ruffled white bedding, softened through use, always inviting. Together the rugged good looks, slightly neglected look and serenity had a powerful gravitational force on my heart. Alas, I wasn’t looking like Lauren Bacall or Audrey Hepburn. For a moment I felt terribly tatty, wishing I had practiced the socially acceptable art of girliness so that I could do all those things that are meant to be attractive, bat long dark mascara laden eyelashes at him, step forward confidently in high heels, smile with reddened lips and glance sideways at at him though contact lenses rather than spectacles. Luckily, this suprise moment of intensley painful insecurity passed quickly with thoughts of my resemblance to the fabulously beautiful Patti Smith.

When we parted I took his hand in both of mine, smiled into his deeply dark eyes, and told him that I was certain that we would meet again.

Deborah: I know who you remind me of,   Chrissie Hynde

Wendy:   Thanks!   that’s good,   other people have mentioned the similarity

Chrissie Hynde leads a PETA protest in Central Park (Jan 2008)

My favourite 6 ft blonde bar staff in the ‘sack of potatoes’ used to call  me his favourite Cher.   Cher after Sonny and before her substantial body resculpture.   I suspect the nose, attitude  and hairstyle were the main points of similarity.

Meatloaf and Cher sing Dead ringer for love

Wendy:   Do you remember Rod Stewarts haircut in his early years? When he was in The Faces?  about the time of Maggie May?   No.   Silly question. You are clearly way too young.    It’s an  early ’70′s cut, short on top and longer at the back,  it was called a feather cut

Alan: like a mullet

Wendy: Yes! That’s what I want,   a 70′s kitch mullet

Alan:   you’ll need a lot of product

Wendy: Oh <mindful not to argue with the hairdresser before he starts cutting>

I got exactly what I asked for.   Hoorah,   it certainly turned heads on the street

Rod Stewart sang the first cut

The first in this series of celebrity comparisions drew a similarity with an extremely talented blonde  actress,   unlike this comparision:

VSTH*: come and look at this

HDA**:   ooOOOOOoooo   it looks like…. …..um….. …you know…. ……that English girl….

Wendy & VSTH in harmonious silence:     ???????

HDA: the one who recently came to America

Wendy:     Posh Spice?   Married to the soccer player David Beckham?

HDA: yes that’s it,   your cut reminds me of hers

VSTH:   she wasn’t primed to say that

Wendy:     ……..

* Vidal Sassoon Trained Hairdresser

** Hairdressers Assistant

The Daily Mail published this set of pictures of Posh Spice’s recent haircut:

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Lookey Likey is an  English colloquial phrase that means look like or resemble.   I believe it gained popular use through appearing in a French and Saunders sketch (I couldn’t find online) subsequently used as the title of a TV show.   This post is the first in  an unpredictable, excitingly sporadic, series of posts describing where and how  people have compared me to famous characters or celebritries

colleague:   I’m watching the Prime Suspect series.   It’s excellent.   Jane Tennison REALLY reminds me of you (describes how Jane’s people management skills style aligns with mine)

wendy: yes.   I…

colleague: …has anyone else ever pointed out the similarity?

wendy: yes.

My Jane Tennison-esque lack of conformity to the patriarchially prescribed presentation of the feminine didn’t quite  make it into this charicature produced by another colleague.     Using this picture as evidence you might suspect that I’m a twinset and pearls sort of a gal.    

You, I, and my colleague know this is not the case…   …unlike the charicature artiste….