CityFiles (Philly): An SOS moment at the Jersey Shore
Posted by Leigh, "Gal About Philly" - 12/08/10 at 11:08 amLeigh describes an experience at the Jersey Shore far worse than Snooki’s bump-it: the dreaded SOS.
I had the pleasure of spending this past weekend with two of my great friends at the beach. As with any situation that requires you to be away from your closet for more than 12 hours (insert crying and feelings of helplessness here), I began the debacle of packing outfits.
Like every other girl in the world, I was faced with the following agonizing questions:
What do I wear?
How many outfits should I pack? (I’d LIKE at least three or four per day.)
Shoes! I need shoes! (Extra suitcase required.)
What if rains? What if there’s a tornado?! (You get the point.)
I woke up at 6a.m. so I would have enough time to finalize clothing options and a few hours later, I was ready to roll. Later, having arrived at our destination, I unpacked my clothes with pride and excitement. I carefully selected a blue romper [Editor's Note: Rompers! Love them!] and adorable white suede sandals to wear to a party that night and could not wait to show everything off.
The party was amazing and after a few hours (and a few cocktails) it was time to go. But before returning to our hotel in the now early morning hours, we made a pit stop at Wawa to load up on snacks and water for the next day (essential). That’s where it happened. I almost screamed and pointed it out right there in the middle of the convenience store…
“SOS! SOS!”
Same Outfit Syndrome!!
Same Outfit Syndrome is one of the very worst things that can happen to two girls in the same location, at the same time —-the terrible misfortune of being seen in the same outfit.
She and I locked eyes. We exchanged horrified glances. Our respective groups of friends made under-the-breath comments about the other party involved. We spoke no words – simply just nodded and walked on. That is really the only dignified thing you can do under the circumstances.
Yes, I admit I have a flair for the dramatic, but I really was a bit ticked about the situation. I realize that a lot of fashionable girls have tendencies to shop at the same stores, and even have the same taste in clothes (she didn’t have the white sandals though – and good luck ever finding them –I have them on lockdown!) but the worst part of it is that everyone looking at you begins to assess who looks better in the outfit [Editor's Note: Celebrity Magazines devote entire sections to "Who Wore it Better?"]. I felt slightly better knowing I didn’t utilize the belt that came with the romper because looking at it on her, I saw it didn’t fit right.
But all catty comments aside, I won’t lie. She did look good. Happily, no girl fight ensued and all parties safely exited the Wawa on Rehoboth Avenue at 4a.m.
What did we learn here? When encountering an SOS, don’t automatically assume the other girl is the enemy. Best to preserve your dignity and be a lady [Editor's Note: After all, have we learned nothing by watching the Jersey Shore?]. Use my alarming tale at Wawa as an example. Just nod and walk away. Worse things happen in life. Now would you like to talk about how my new Prada sunglasses got washed away in the ocean…?
[Photo Credit: Photo by Steve and Sara on Flickr under a CC License]
