Here’s Mud in Your Eye
Every time Lynn Johnston goes to her beauty masque joke, I remember the first time my daughter encountered my wife wearing one. I told her, “Your mother is turning into a monster.” My daughter was probably 3 years old at the time and after looking at my wife, she gave me a startled look like she wasn’t sure if I was telling the truth or not. My wife was not happy with me for scaring her.
When I saw Lawrence and Michael laughing hysterically at Connie wearing a beauty masque, my initial reaction is…Why are they laughing? Even without my monster talk, Mike and Lawrence’s reaction is completely different from my kids at the same age when they saw a beauty masque for the first time.
I would have to think that part of the problem is that Elly has inadvertently given Mike and Lawrence the impression that the beauty masque involves some kind of food product, by going to the kitchen to mix it up. When my wife does this, she does everything in our bathroom. Maybe Mike and Lawrence think that Elly has just made some kind of food and she is now smearing it on Connie’s face. Either that or they know what is going on and simply find it amusing that anyone would try to make Connie Poirier more attractice.
Is it typical for women to mix up their beauty masques in the kitchen? My only experience with such things is with my wife and the one time I was invited to a Mary Kay party. I don’t remember my wife using a bowl and a spoon to mix the masque or applying it with a brush either. Is that typical?
One of the interesting details of this strip sequence is that today’s new-run of For Better or For Worse has Elly’s clothes matching those of the reprint yesterday. However, I will note that in the strips before the reprint, Elly’s clothes do not match those of the reprint. Either the reprint represents a different day, or Elly changed her clothes or…Lynn did the new-runs before the reprint without looking at the reprint to what Elly and Connie were wearing. Then when she saw the reprint had Elly in different clothes she did today’s new-run to match, but did not go back to correct the other new-runs to make everything match. Typical Lynn Johnston.
On a personal note: There’s nothing new with my mother-in-law unfortunately. She’s still unconscious in ICU hooked up to a ventilator.
When I saw Lawrence and Michael laughing hysterically at Connie wearing a beauty masque, my initial reaction is…Why are they laughing? Even without my monster talk, Mike and Lawrence’s reaction is completely different from my kids at the same age when they saw a beauty masque for the first time.
I would have to think that part of the problem is that Elly has inadvertently given Mike and Lawrence the impression that the beauty masque involves some kind of food product, by going to the kitchen to mix it up. When my wife does this, she does everything in our bathroom. Maybe Mike and Lawrence think that Elly has just made some kind of food and she is now smearing it on Connie’s face. Either that or they know what is going on and simply find it amusing that anyone would try to make Connie Poirier more attractice.
Is it typical for women to mix up their beauty masques in the kitchen? My only experience with such things is with my wife and the one time I was invited to a Mary Kay party. I don’t remember my wife using a bowl and a spoon to mix the masque or applying it with a brush either. Is that typical?
One of the interesting details of this strip sequence is that today’s new-run of For Better or For Worse has Elly’s clothes matching those of the reprint yesterday. However, I will note that in the strips before the reprint, Elly’s clothes do not match those of the reprint. Either the reprint represents a different day, or Elly changed her clothes or…Lynn did the new-runs before the reprint without looking at the reprint to what Elly and Connie were wearing. Then when she saw the reprint had Elly in different clothes she did today’s new-run to match, but did not go back to correct the other new-runs to make everything match. Typical Lynn Johnston.
On a personal note: There’s nothing new with my mother-in-law unfortunately. She’s still unconscious in ICU hooked up to a ventilator.
posted by howard at 1:54 AM
10 Comments:
howard,I would have to think that part of the problem is that Elly has inadvertently given Mike and Lawrence the impression that the beauty masque involves some kind of food product, by going to the kitchen to mix it up. When my wife does this, she does everything in our bathroom. Maybe Mike and Lawrence think that Elly has just made some kind of food and she is now smearing it on Connie’s face.That's exactly the problem; Mike and Lawrence are laughing like maniacs because they think that Elly has decided to smear salad dressing all over Connie's face. The reason that she'd do that or why Connie would let her is immaterial; the ridiculous result is all that matters.
As for real life, I still hope for the best.
I don't do beauty masques, but teen mags/ women's mags/ internet proliferate with recipes for how to make a natural masque from fresh fruit and kitchen items (fruit acids, you see). So that could be quite reasonable. Dunno about the brush application.
Again, IRL saying prayers for your MIL.
When I've used a masque (very seldom) it has been from a jar kept in the bathroom.
IRL--healing thoughts to your MIL....
DreadedCandiru2,
Mike and Lawrence are laughing like maniacs because they think that Elly has decided to smear salad dressing all over Connie's face. The reason that she'd do that or why Connie would let her is immaterial; the ridiculous result is all that matters. In that case, we actually have a new-run plot showing kid behaviour that makes sense for a change.
InsertMonikerHere,
I don't do beauty masques, but teen mags/ women's mags/ internet proliferate with recipes for how to make a natural masque from fresh fruit and kitchen items (fruit acids, you see). So that could be quite reasonable.Quite reasonable, except Elly seems to be getting her masque from a box. Maybe the box recipe says to add fruit to it. Now that I think about it, why didn’t the Coffee Talk include this masque as a “fun for kids” recipe?
aprilp_katje,
When I've used a masque (very seldom) it has been from a jar kept in the bathroom.The same with my wife, a jar or a squeeze tube. Those wouldn’t get the same kitchen-related laughs from the kids, and when you get right down to it, would Elly Patterson prefer an edible or inedible beauty masque?
Hmm, yeah, I thought the same thing about Mike's and Lawrence's reactions...I would think they would be more curious about what that green goop was and why Mike's mom was putting it on Lawrence's mom's face. I would think they would end up getting in the way by trying to touch Connie's face to see what that green goop was, not laughing hysterically.
Huh, my word verification for today is 'oderspit'. Interesting.
Destroyer of Worlds,
I would think they would end up getting in the way by trying to touch Connie's face to see what that green goop was, not laughing hysterically.This way it leads to Connie’s punch line telling the 4 or 5-year-olds to go make a sandwich, so you have the motivation for the humourous tie-in to the first panel line. After all, when my kids are bothering me I often tell them to go and make a sandwich.
I suppose that’s funnier that Connie saying, “No, Lawrence. This is supposed to make mommy prettier, not uglier.” Or “I know you’re hungry, Lawrence, but you need to stop eating mommy’s beauty masque.” Or “No, Lawrence. This isn’t what I mean when I tell someone to ‘eat me’.” Or “Michael, don’t you dare smear that on Farley.” Or “Michael, I know it doesn’t make sense that you would laugh hysterically seeing me wear a beauty masque, when your mother already had the masque in her house. I know it would imply that she has used one before and perhaps even uses them regularly and you have never seen her do it.”
When I use a beauty masque, it comes from a squeeze tube. It also doesn't drip. It's not that ridiculously thick, either -- it just makes me look like I have some blue stuff on my face.
Where did Elly get the salon-style drape? Why does Connie scream at the kids to "go make yourselves a sandwich!!" as alternative entertainment to laughing at her? What about "go play outside," "go watch TV," "go play with your toys," or any other actual leisure activities someone would actually think of? Most of all, what is Elly so incredibly smug about, and why won't she trip and smash her stupid face, considering she doesn't open her eyes for three panels?
clio-1,
You ask a lot of questions. Let me see if can answer them.
Where did Elly get the salon-style drape?It was in the window and she just had to have it. Or she decided that it looked better on Connie than on the kitchen table.
Why does Connie scream at the kids to "go make yourselves a sandwich!!" as alternative entertainment to laughing at her? What about "go play outside," "go watch TV," "go play with your toys," or any other actual leisure activities someone would actually think of? Connie is a friend of Elly Patterson. One of the requirements of being Elly’s friend is that your child plays with Elly’s child. Although most normal children would play outside or play with toys, the Patterson children practice developing the skills which are related to the most important thing there is to a Patterson, i.e. eating.
Most of all, what is Elly so incredibly smug about, and why won't she trip and smash her stupid face, considering she doesn't open her eyes for three panels?We have seen countless strips where Elly’s eyes wander all around her face, so we know that these are fairly useless organs to her. On the other hand, we also know that later Elly’s nose will grow to enormous proportions. My guess is that Elly uses scent to guide her direction.
Post a Comment
<< Home