Strut

I recently read an article where it was noted that the person being interviewed had books lying all over the house. When questioned why they were not on shelves, she responded by saying that she didn’t like the idea of pointing out to people, “Oh, look at how well read I am.”

This thought has stayed with me for a long time after I read this and it has gotten me to think about the things that I do to get myself either noticed or to elicit a specific response.

Of course this goes beyond the typical gay dress code of showing off your body, package, great hair, etcetera , etcetera, etcetera. This is just our version of plumage I guess (although throwing in a feather boa certainly emphasizes the plumage aspect). I like to pretend that I don’t care what other people think, but that too is a big lie. I am constantly engaged in some sort of activity designed (generally unconsciously) to heighten people’s opinion of yours truly.



Steering a conversation in a certain direction so that I can talk about some fascinating anecdote about myself is certainly not unknown in my repertoire. I will also wear my suit jacket even in the blistering heat because I feel that people will look at me with professional regard (not – ooo a professional – but ooo – he must have a good job). I guess the same thing holds up for putting university degrees on walls. I also love talking the dogs on walks on busy streets since they provoke the “he’s so cute” response.

Is this all just pompous? Perhaps – no – probably. But its also so very human.

Well, but even that is pompous. Why do I always think that if something is normal for me, it must be a human trait? Its like that wonderful line “No one ever thinks that they are a bad person.”