I AM NOT A STALKER, I SWEAR– PART 1

Let’s face it. We are not all that unique. In fact, how many times have you heard that you look like someone? Sometimes this can be supremely disappointing. I am often compared to angry, ethnic looking, east coast, hard looking peeps and told – “oh, I thought you were her.” And I want to scream, “can’t you see the difference between me and HER?” And inside I am sad and disappointed that my self-image is not at all how people see me.

I had a friend call me the other day and complain about this. She was telling me a story about someone who mistook her for someone else and how very upset she was that the other gal was the miskeit version of her (look it up folks. It is YIDDISH for fugly and it’s such a fun word to say – especially if you do it in an old lady Russian voice)

This same friend (who happens to look a lot like SJP and is quite cute) was living in France and told me a similar story when the French folks at the dinner table said “Oh, you look like zeeees American actress, what ees her name….deeees, ah…how you say…” and she waited “Jennifer Anneeeston” but instead heard, “you know, zees girl who plays in Oward’s End?” That’s French for “Howards End”…Ah, that would be Emma Thompson. Not exactly the hotty my friend had in mind. Once again, her self image not matching the reality of how people saw her.

But, I think it is true that there are only so many unique people that could have been created. Where I live everyone seems to be molded blond and skinny. And if you aren’t well, you are probably gonna be soon. It’s just how they roll. I stand out because my tribe, my peeps, we have the curly hairs and the larger, ah…noses.

So, I guess you might say I was a bit fascinated when I ran into a girl one day in the ATT store who looked exactly like a dear friend of mine who recently moved far away to another state. Maybe I just really miss my friend…but I jumped thinking, Oh my Gosh, it’s Pasha (that’s my nickname for this friend – to be explained in another post). I was so blown away I told my kids “wait, mommy has to snap a photo…”
And I did. And then I texted it to Pasha thinking she would laugh seeing her body double.

Pasha was slightly amused but insisted that she is much prettier than Body Double (hereinafter “B.D.”) I soon thereafter got rid of my phone and the photo was obsolete.

Imagine my surprise when several months later there was B.D. again, this time at the super market. What a small world. She doesn’t even know I am watching her, I thought. She is completely unaware that she is B.D. and a known person now in my world. How funny. And slightly weird, I admit. So once again, I giggled and surreptitiously took a photo of her checking out at the pavilions. I texted it to Pasha again. Here is B.D. in the checkout line.

Well, it was even crazier when I went to Nordies to buy bras (there is surely a whole post there friends) and there she is AGAIN. OMG, is this girl following me. Who is stalking who??? And why are we on the same schedule, the same circuit, the same locations? Once again I wanted to photograph her but I thought it would be much more amusing to talk to her and gain her consent for my weird behavioral abnormality.

“Hi, I know it might seem to you like I am a stalker. And I really am not a stalker, but I have these photos of you right here in my cell phone. Let me explain.”

“You see you look exactly, but EXACTLY like this friend of mine and it’s crazy because you are sort of her doppelganger and I have been taking your photo secretly for about a year now and my friend lives far away but…see look here on facebook, look at her photo. Don’t you look just like her???”

She could’ve run in fear of this weird ass confrontation in the bra department of Nordstrom’s. But instead she exhibited the best thing ever: a great sense of humor. And she offered to let me photograph her yet again. We even introduced ourselves so the next time I see her I can just go directly into photo mode, call her B.D. and not need to hide my camera. Here she is at Nordies:

 

And now – the piece de resistance – here is Pasha:

Do you agree that they look alike?

I swear, I am not stalker.

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