If You Could Be a Star ... Who Would You Be?

"Dressing up as your favorite star" was the theme of last night's dance at our studio. It was a fun theme to ponder ...

Once upon a few decades ago, someone told me I looked liked Sally Field. WOW! To be honest, this person was under the deluded idea that I was someone other than who I was ... but to be compared to such a wholesomely pretty, happy and vital star? I was over the moon.

But how do you dress up as Sally Field? Just wear my dazzling smile and hope someone else sees the resemblance? Perhaps.

I have idolized Cher for the better part of my life. In fact, I still admire many of her qualities. I think the fact that she was glamorous, even if she wasn't beautiful was part of what I admired about her. It made an ugly girl like me feel like what is on the outside isn't important if you have an inner confidence (and a glamorous wardrobe and make-up artist may help as well). Maybe that's part of why the costuming in dancing is such a part of a childhood fantasy fulfilled for me. Because this ugly little duckling can glam it up for a day and my Inner Cher can shine.

Let's see ... I have a package of fake nails; fake eyelashes that I've never been able to master; I definitely have the upper body proportions; and I'm sure out of my dance wardrobe, I could have come up with something to mimic Cher (though my days of baring my belly button are over, I'm afraid). But I didn't have the hair. You need the hair!

Then, I had this fleeting idea about Dolly Parton. Between hearing the song 'Islands in the Stream' and receiving a dance costume by mail order the same day (that will most likely never be used unless it's ''dolled up" in a Dolly-Parton-sort-of-way), I thought that a blond wig and a few additions in my Cher-like bust area could help me pull off the Dolly-look.

But, buying a wig and the accessories that I'd need to accessorize my figure was not in my time or money budget.

I surveyed my Second and Third sons to see what their opinion was.

Second Son is brutally honest with me (just recently, he told me how annoying my 'I-think-I-remember-but-I've-totally-forgot-look' is to him - he says it looks like a fan is blowing in my face as my lips quiver and I squint my eyes). I was prepared for anything. His answer? Marilyn Munroe. Hmmm ... this is exactly what my dance instructor told me. It must be in the Bro-Code Book, in the Answer To The Unanswerable Questions That Females Ask Men Chapter: "What answer will get you in the least amount of trouble when a person of the female persuasion asks 'What movie star do I remind you of?' " Answer (of course): "Marilyn Munroe".

I didn't have a blond wig and without standing over a fan, to whisk my billowing white skirt up around my shoulders ... I'm pretty sure no one else would have figured out who I was trying to be (unless they read the 'Bro-Code Book').

Then ... I asked My Youngest. He kind of squirmed when put under the pressure of such a heavy duty question just before he went to sleep Wednesday night (and he hasn't had the chance to read the Bro-Code Book). He said a few people came to mind ... and under duress, he finally spit out the star that he immediately thought of: Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Ahh! It's my bulging biceps (Second Son was complimenting me on my shapely arms just the other day, so I could be onto something).

Sooo ... I went to the studio last night, baring my biceps. And do you know what? No one recognized that I was doing my best Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonation. I guess I should have worked on my accent.