Connie Poirier is not a natural blonde?
I have to admit that one of the most horrifying things I have heard of in a comic strip happens in today’s new-run of For Better or For Worse. That thing is one woman letting Elly Patterson, the queen of frump, give them a makeover!
Yesterday, I suggested the possibility that Connie in this story sequence represents the modern day, post-divorce Lynn Johnston, and the strip hits almost all the post-divorce marks Lynn has hit in her interviews – not thinking you are attractive, doing something to make yourself feel beautiful shared between you and another female friend, gazing at yourself in a mirror and wondering. Now it makes so much more sense that this storyline started with Connie Poirier reversing herself on whether she was ever married. With the mention of ex-husband Peter Landry, Connie's worry about being unattractive is directly related to her rejection by Peter, just like a certain comic strip writer we all know feels about being rejected by her ex-husband. Even the part where Connie said she spends her time thinking about the past reflects Lynn Johnston. We know Lynn thinks about this constantly because we see interview after interview and strip after strip with her divorce issues influencing their content.
If only Lynn had put in the business about doing all this stuff just before she goes to bed, or mentioned wearing a negligee she bought at a thrift store, it would be an exact duplicate of her interview material. Nevertheless, Lynn’s interview story about getting fully made up just before going to bed and calling a friend up to talk about how beautiful they each are is very close to the dialogue in this strip. This strip touches close to the heart of modern Lynn Johnston. Like most times when Lynn writes from her own situation, it works reasonably well. The main drawback, as I mentioned at the top, is the idea that anyone would let new-run Elly Patterson touch their hair, makeup or nails. Brr! I get chills just thinking about it.
On a personal note: My mother-in-law continues to improve and the hospital plans to wean her off her ventilator any time now.
Yesterday, I suggested the possibility that Connie in this story sequence represents the modern day, post-divorce Lynn Johnston, and the strip hits almost all the post-divorce marks Lynn has hit in her interviews – not thinking you are attractive, doing something to make yourself feel beautiful shared between you and another female friend, gazing at yourself in a mirror and wondering. Now it makes so much more sense that this storyline started with Connie Poirier reversing herself on whether she was ever married. With the mention of ex-husband Peter Landry, Connie's worry about being unattractive is directly related to her rejection by Peter, just like a certain comic strip writer we all know feels about being rejected by her ex-husband. Even the part where Connie said she spends her time thinking about the past reflects Lynn Johnston. We know Lynn thinks about this constantly because we see interview after interview and strip after strip with her divorce issues influencing their content.
If only Lynn had put in the business about doing all this stuff just before she goes to bed, or mentioned wearing a negligee she bought at a thrift store, it would be an exact duplicate of her interview material. Nevertheless, Lynn’s interview story about getting fully made up just before going to bed and calling a friend up to talk about how beautiful they each are is very close to the dialogue in this strip. This strip touches close to the heart of modern Lynn Johnston. Like most times when Lynn writes from her own situation, it works reasonably well. The main drawback, as I mentioned at the top, is the idea that anyone would let new-run Elly Patterson touch their hair, makeup or nails. Brr! I get chills just thinking about it.
On a personal note: My mother-in-law continues to improve and the hospital plans to wean her off her ventilator any time now.
posted by howard at 12:22 AM
8 Comments:
They still aren't looking at each other when they talk.
Then again, as you say, it's clear that neither character is "Elly" or "Connie". They're both Lynn Johnston, obsessively assuring herself even as she insults herself.
Talk about a vicious circle.
howard,Like most times when Lynn writes from her own situation, it works reasonably well. The main drawback, as I mentioned at the top, is the idea that anyone would let new-run Elly Patterson touch their hair, makeup or nails. Brr! I get chills just thinking about it.The idea of letting Elly lay beautician does add about a ton of squick to what would otherwise be a humdrum look inside the skull of a woman who tried to figure out why her marriage collapsed and foolishly arrogated to herself one hundred percent of the blame.
As for your MIL, that's great news; I hope she makes a complete recovery.
Aw, Connie, you do have awful hair; Lynn always has and always will draw you that way.
I am guessing this is a lead-in to the reprint of Elly helping Connie die her hair (red), followed by the one where Elly tsks to John about how Connie became a redhead for Pete. Oh, no, I almost wrote "for Pete's sake." ::lies down:: ;)
Anonymous,
Then again, as you say, it's clear that neither character is "Elly" or "Connie". They're both Lynn Johnston, obsessively assuring herself even as she insults herself.There were a number of Elly / Connie conversations like this in the final years of the modern strip. I used to like Connie because she was almost the only character who would call Elly on her poor behaviour.
DreadedCandiru2,
The idea of letting Elly lay beautician does add about a ton of squick to what would otherwise be a humdrum look inside the skull of a woman who tried to figure out why her marriage collapsed and foolishly arrogated to herself one hundred percent of the blame.At least back in 1980, the readers had no idea of the beauty horrors of Elly to come. Who would imagine that Lynn would make Elly’s nose grow and grow to muppet proportions? Who would imagine the clothing horrors Elly would grow to wear? In 1980, a makeover by Elly would not be so frightening.
aprilp_katje,
Aw, Connie, you do have awful hair; Lynn always has and always will draw you that way.True. At least Connie is not yet to the military-style haircut Connie sported in the last several years of the strip.
I am guessing this is a lead-in to the reprint of Elly helping Connie die her hair (red), followed by the one where Elly tsks to John about how Connie became a redhead for Pete.Is it the one where Elly subtly lets John know that she would never change her hair for him?
Is it the one where Elly subtly lets John know that she would never change her hair for him?No--it's the one where John not so subtly lets Elly know he wishes he had the power to get her to make changes for him. After the hair-dye strip, we get one where John's having coffee while reading the paper, and Elly tells him: "Do you know that Connie still colors her hair because of Peter? That rat wouldn't have stayed if she'd had plastic surgery! For him, she became an artsy, athletic red-head, a kitchen genius and a model wife!" In response, John says, "I always wondered what he had that I didn't have."
Oh, and if Lynn runs the hair-dyeing strip unaltered, she really will have retconned away (for now) Pablo DaSilva. Elly reminds Connie that Pete's been gone for a year and urges her to accept that. Connie replies, "I know. Still--when it's the only relationship I've had, it's hard to forget." I think that makes it clear that Pete was originally meant to be construed as Lawrence's father.
aprilp_katje,
No--it's the one where John not so subtly lets Elly know he wishes he had the power to get her to make changes for him. Since Elly disapproves of what Connie did for Pete, the secondary message is that she will not be changing herself to suit John. Of course, in real life, Lynn had the plastic surgery, but I don’t know if that was for the sake of Rod Johnston or Lynn Johnston.
Oh, and if Lynn runs the hair-dyeing strip unaltered, she really will have retconned away (for now) Pablo DaSilva. There is also a strip shown in the Who’s Who for Connie where Elly says, “You were a different person when you were married, Connie..You were a defeatist…Where did your inferiority complex go?” To which Connie replies, “He left me with a house, a car, the bills, two Siamese cats and a five year old kid.” This could be interpreted that the house, car, bills, cats and kid were results of her marriage to Pete.
Post a Comment
<< Home