When I was ready to leave high school, I wanted to be an airline stewardess. I wanted to travel the world, see things I had never seen, go places I had only heard about. I knew I could do the job and wanted this so badly.
Now this was a major jump from the desire to be a hair dresser the year before when I was a junior. I cut all my girl friends' hair...the fact that I only had one style I could cut didn't matter...we all looked cute with the same basic style. Gina kept that style the longest. She looked great. I wonder if she still has that cut?
Anyway, I had wanted to be a hair stylist until I watched some movie--can't even remember the title--that had airline stewardesses traveling the world. It looked exciting. It looked fun. It looked perfect.
At the time, I was dating a young man who was in the Marines. When he was deployed, I thought about how I could fly to Hawaii in my job and we could spend his leave together. This career for me was sounding more and more perfect.
So long before graduation, I checked out what I needed to do in order to get this career off the ground, so to speak. That's when my great disappointment happened... I was too tall.
This height thing had been part of my life since I was two years old. At that time my parents doubled my height and found I would be perhaps six foot tall or more. They couldn't believe their little toddler would ever grow that height. But I kept growing until I actually reached that pinnacle. I was taught to hold my head high, never slouch, and (apparently) look over people's heads. It has, over the years, kept me from being asked out, had strangers ask "how's the weather up there?," and got me sent home from school because my skirt was too short (although no shorter than other girls only longer legs). That "sent home thing" was just fine because I just didn't return that day :) Anyway, all those things were less a disappointment than the realization that the career of my choice was not possible for me. What happened to the "you can be and do anything you want to be when you grow up?"
So, I gave up my dream of being an airline stewardess. It went the way of being a dancer (too clumsy)...singer (not that great of sound)...hair stylist. Apparently I got pregnant and married instead. And that's a whole 'nother story.
peace~~~
1 comment:
Flight attendant seemed to be a popular choice for girls from Montclair High in the 60's. I don't think girls growing up in a working class community in the 60's thought there too many career options available. Most had parents who hadn't gone to college, and many had moms who were homemakers and never worked outside the home.
Too tall to be a flight attendant? Are you glad now?
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