Preface:
Name of 'Woman' on the plane:
Not mentioned. Be creative?
Age of 'Woman' on the plane:
Disclosed upon socially constructed implication.
Ethnicity of 'Woman' on the plane:
Irrelevant in spite of socially constructed implications.
Occupation of said 'Woman' on the plane:
Stripper.
Stripper!?
Stripper.
"A Not-So Subtle Shoutout to the Stripper on the Plane"
Has a far better ring to it I think.
Granted, I EASILY could have just added that into the title, but who am I to objectify a woman based upon her professional coup.
MORE SO because
BUT ALSO because,
How we get the Milk and how we get the Honey should not be subject to social stigma and judgment.
____________________________________________________
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I mean, what she makes on a seemingly 'quiet' Saturday night, is probably triple what I make cleaning the floors of core power yoga.
Humbling. Very humbling. But necessary, given
So, with that being said,
If all that was aforementioned didn't, in some way, manage to mislay your attention
Riddle me this,
Have you ever caught yourself staring?
..Relentlessly.
In a way that insinuated, to all those around you, that your mind, at that moment, encapsulated an array of judgmental thoughts?
A near perfect depiction of what "Judging a book by its cover" looks like.
Here is a story of similar circumstances:
To preface, it is a story where intellectual eloquence manifests itself in a manner unforeseen.
It is a story where utter misjudgment would completely flip-turn [my friend's life] right side...
up?
NOVEMBER THE 28TH..
My friend is catching a flight to Florida. Sunshine State!
He's sitting Coach.
Which, for all you:
This is how we feel:
Anywho, to his left is the "Woman on the Plane" -
She sparks a conversation.
He's utterly disinterested.
She doesn't get the memo.
He doesn't understand how she doesn't get the memo.
She still doesn't get the memo.
So here we are, Stripper on the plane and all.
As you sit here all confuzzled as to WHY the interaction was so
well
ya
I shall paint a picture to better describe why
1. He seemed so unequivocally disinterested
2. Why he felt the two of them were so unbelievably incompatible as people.
Prior to my Friend's Understanding that she was a Stripper:
Here we go.
She was loud. She was covered in glitter. Her nails were done but in an unfortunate way that managed to distract from her overall beauty. I blame the neon orange. My friend blames her lack of social awareness. Bias, if ya ask me. Her hair was hot pink. Her Lash extensions were too long, too thick, and too synthetic. BY HIS JUDGEMENT, not mine.
She was wearing Rich blue eyeliner and her wrists were canvased in 'candy', or so the kiddos be calling it nowadays.
It was a look 'destined for ridicule' by way of society's unsolicited constructs.
She shared her plans to attend CARNAVAL.
Apparently, it's like the Gatsby of all Festivals!!!
I'm just kidding, I have never been, but I've heard it's great.
Anywho, realizing she wasn't all to hip on his indifference, he decided to entertain the conversation by providing a glimpse of his OWN wide-eyed aspirations.
“I am flying for an interview in hopes of attending pharmacy school in the fall!”
This.
Woman.
Went.
Wild.
“Doctor?! You’re going to be a doctor??!!!!
Omg that is, well, so..
HOT..”
My friend’s initial thought:
“Oh wow, this girl isn’t the brightest of peas on this aviation pod.”
Praising him for a brief moment, she then reverted back to talking about herself.
Unwarranted? Maybe.
Entertaining? Without a doubt.
Not for him though. Poor guy.
Then again,
Rather than boring you with the whole story, I will instead share a snippet of one comment she made that managed to revive whatever bit of interest he had in her life's narrative:
"Do you think I really pay for all of these accommodations? The flights? The food? I don't."
*she teehee's*
"Fortunately, I just came to this realization, EARLY ON, that it's WHO you know, in this life of sin, not WHAT YOU DO, that can potentially dictate your overall prosperity."
It would be THIS COMMENT, and this comment alone, that would go on to become my Friend's
"A Tout Le Mande"
“Potentially”
“Dictate”
"Prosperity"
He was a bit shocked at the sudden shift in lingo.
"educated-eque" per say.
She continued to voice how
The clothes,
The gifts,
The festivals,
Are ALL-EXPENSES-PAID.
In other words, what does she pay for???
NOT. SHIT.
but a hoe and a tri-
(Serious Inquiries Only)
Completely and utterly dumbfounded, he proceeds to ask the question:
“So, if I may ASK, what is it that you even DO for a living??!”
Briefly disregarding the question, she goes on to further claim
“Listen, honey, in this corporate-driven world we live in,
YOUR NETWORK IS YOUR NET WORTH"
Your network
.. is
your..
.. networth?
WOW.
If that wasn't the realest and most relevant statement he had ever heard.
It stuck like glue.
A sentence that would permanently shape the way he cultivates relationships moving forward.
A bit transactional?
Maybe.
Unless you move with intention. But we can tackle this notion later. Maybe in the form of a new blog post, who knows. As for now,
A statement of such high intellectual caliber, he found himself sitting in utter disbelief.
“Oh, and by the way, I’m a stripper!"
*she teeheehees*
*yet again*
And the Stripper on the Plane, she was.
The end.
That my friends, is why you never judge a book by its cover.
Intellect is within us all.
Though, I guess the projection of our intellect comes down to whether we choose to esteem the information provided or not.
A choice. A freedom of choice? I don't believe in freedom of choice.
^Me esteeming my intellect.
Random folk have just as much to provide us with as those to whom we allocate such high appraisal.
Like professors, or even doctors.
( Disclaimer: If these blog posts have afforded you with nothing, I hope that this next sentence is one you never forget: NEVER GIVE A DOCTOR THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT. never. There. I said it. . It's out. Cat's out the bag. Unless you're allergic to cats. Then keep said cat in the bag and while you do so, Never give a doctor the benefit of the doubt. )
Get to know a stranger. I promise it'll be worth it!
Life is cool, but the people in it are cooler.
Given you foster the perspective that affords you an appreciation that people ARE, in fact, COOLER than life itself.
If you made it this far, you TOO are cool!
If not, I hope you never have the luxury of meeting a, more than insightful, stripper..
on a plane.
Thank you for reading!
Wif some gratitude,
Tal.