Antonella Baccaro (photo by Carlo Furgeri Gilbert).
StIt’s only been ten minutes since the guy was introduced to me, but I already feel him watching me closely. I immediately think I have something wrong and I go through everything possible: 1) pecks on the head left after styling; 2) puff of lipstick beyond the contour of the lips or, worse, on the teeth, which can be combined with the hypothesis of vegetables between the incisors; 3) booger. Come on, it can stay; 4) open button on the décolleté, but perhaps, in this case, the look would be different. And lower.
I’m looking for a mirror somewhere, I find it and I go to check: everything is fine. So? The guy doesn’t give up: he scans every inch of my face with his gaze. I think: he will be a cosmetic surgeon and he is evaluating me.
A friend of mine, when we talk face to face, has the habit of looking at my wrinkles and smoothing out hers, as if she were in front of a mirror. Useful in her own way, given that over time we tend to no longer see ourselves for who we are. And I, personally, just can’t see each other without glasses.
The guy smiles at me and looks thoughtful: points the pupils upwards in an effort that I don’t understand, frowns. I’d like to ask my friend for help, see if she’s okay with her head, but she’s having a conversation about how to make cupcakes, and I know it’s best not to disturb her.
At this point, I attack: I watch him. I stare at him as intently as he stares at me. I measure his face inch by inch without disguising it. He notices and lowers his eyes. Well done, it’s time to stop. But no. He looks back at me and finally opens his mouth: «Sorry, but it’s amazing how much she looks like Debra Winger».
He said it. Now he is calmer. I’m the agitated one. The problem isn’t Debra Winger, the problem is that it is fortunate that we never know exactly how we are perceived by others.
Starting with a comparison you don’t like is a very high risk that it is better not to take. If the intent is to give a compliment, there are other less reckless ways. «Your necklace is beautiful» he says indeed. But it’s too late. I’ve always hated the ones with the mole on their cheeks. Like DeNiro.
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