The Hair Dye Cure-All
In today’s reprint of For Better or For Worse we see Connie Poirier just before she is about to head to the famous Montreal hair salon, “Petite Orpheline Annie Conception de Cheveux.” She is looking at her reflected self which, oddly enough, is not wearing glasses. The American Colour colourist opted to start Connie off with blonde hair, so it will be interesting to see what colour Connie ends up with when she reappears. Looking over the strips involving dye, we can see ones involving Connie and April, but more famously Elizabeth’s brief run at having purple hair (which is the best of the bunch). There are few strips with positive examples of hair-dyeing.
In the strip, Connie has come to the following conclusions:
1. I’m too insecure.
2. I don’t need a man.
3. I need self confidence.
4. I need to be happy with me.
It’s going to be easy to take a shot at Connie on this one because, once again, she fails to mention anything about being a more responsible mom or leaving her child with more responsible people. Given that Connie just spent a week in Montreal to chase after Phil which ended up in a meeting which lasted for maybe a few hours of that time, it’s easy to see why Connie might draw these conclusions. Of course, if Connie were more secure and more confident, she might have woken up with Phil instead of by herself. However, the real answer is that if Connie was a little less stupid, she might have let Phil know she was coming, so they could make plans to get together. I am not sure why Connie chose to play the role of stalker, when playing the role of friend and potential lover would have worked a lot better for her.
In spite of these nice conclusions we know that Connie stays on the hunt for a man until she marries in 1987, when Connie proposes to Greg and he accepts. Clearly by that time, she has gotten over the security and self-confidence issues. Until then what we have for Connie is the patented Lynn Johnston style of “No matter how the story ends, the characters restart back at the beginning the next time” which plagued the modern era storylines of the April-Becky feud, and the Trouble with Kelpfroths.
Once she marries, Connie’s issues change so she no longer has these kinds of discussions with herself. This may be less an indication of Connie’s improvement and more an indication that Lynn Johnston was turning the strip to become more Elly-centric. Interestingly enough, in spite of her continued marital status, Elly Patterson still does have these conversations. Here she worries about self-confidence. Here she worries about being insecure. Here she worries about being happy.
Later on Connie’s insecurities resurface. She starts talking about plastic surgery, and we have a few jokes on the matter. In her 2003 letter to Phyllis Diller, Lynn Johnston talked about her “facial refinements” she had in the summer of 2002. So, around the same time Connie had her plastic surgery, so did Lynn Johnston. In many respects Connie is a better representation for Lynn Johnston than Elly is. Elly is sometimes only the person Lynn will admit to being, while Connie is the person she really is. The more I look at this story about Connie in Montreal, the more I think we are seeing the real Lynn Johnston.
In the strip, Connie has come to the following conclusions:
1. I’m too insecure.
2. I don’t need a man.
3. I need self confidence.
4. I need to be happy with me.
It’s going to be easy to take a shot at Connie on this one because, once again, she fails to mention anything about being a more responsible mom or leaving her child with more responsible people. Given that Connie just spent a week in Montreal to chase after Phil which ended up in a meeting which lasted for maybe a few hours of that time, it’s easy to see why Connie might draw these conclusions. Of course, if Connie were more secure and more confident, she might have woken up with Phil instead of by herself. However, the real answer is that if Connie was a little less stupid, she might have let Phil know she was coming, so they could make plans to get together. I am not sure why Connie chose to play the role of stalker, when playing the role of friend and potential lover would have worked a lot better for her.
In spite of these nice conclusions we know that Connie stays on the hunt for a man until she marries in 1987, when Connie proposes to Greg and he accepts. Clearly by that time, she has gotten over the security and self-confidence issues. Until then what we have for Connie is the patented Lynn Johnston style of “No matter how the story ends, the characters restart back at the beginning the next time” which plagued the modern era storylines of the April-Becky feud, and the Trouble with Kelpfroths.
Once she marries, Connie’s issues change so she no longer has these kinds of discussions with herself. This may be less an indication of Connie’s improvement and more an indication that Lynn Johnston was turning the strip to become more Elly-centric. Interestingly enough, in spite of her continued marital status, Elly Patterson still does have these conversations. Here she worries about self-confidence. Here she worries about being insecure. Here she worries about being happy.
Later on Connie’s insecurities resurface. She starts talking about plastic surgery, and we have a few jokes on the matter. In her 2003 letter to Phyllis Diller, Lynn Johnston talked about her “facial refinements” she had in the summer of 2002. So, around the same time Connie had her plastic surgery, so did Lynn Johnston. In many respects Connie is a better representation for Lynn Johnston than Elly is. Elly is sometimes only the person Lynn will admit to being, while Connie is the person she really is. The more I look at this story about Connie in Montreal, the more I think we are seeing the real Lynn Johnston.
posted by howard at 2:38 PM
9 Comments:
However, the real answer is that if Connie was a little less stupid, she might have let Phil know she was coming, so they could make plans to get together. I am not sure why Connie chose to play the role of stalker, when playing the role of friend and potential lover would have worked a lot better for her.
I don't know either; she can't properly be said to have thrown herself at him simply because he's aware that she's hanging around for some reason he doesn't know about. If they'd made plans together, then she could have said that she'd done something.
I am not sure why Connie chose to play the role of stalker, when playing the role of friend and potential lover would have worked a lot better for her.
She did set herself up to fail. There's no chance of being rejected when you don't even really try to get accepted in the first place, so maybe that's easier. It's a lot easier to mope around and then go get your hair dyed than actually try to DO something. Anyway, as we know, people who do things are evil in Foobville.
In many respects Connie is a better representation for Lynn Johnston than Elly is. Elly is sometimes only the person Lynn will admit to being, while Connie is the person she really is.
Don't forget that when Elly told Connie that she was pregnant with April, Connie's initial reaction was tinged with jealousy because she and Greg had been trying to conceive but I guess Greg's impotence was an issue. Lynn has said that April was the third child she was unable to have, so once again Connie had Lynn's storyline while Elly lived the fantasy.
Again the Lynn=Connie connection appears when Connie bemoans her lack of grandchildren while Elly has four (if you include "that woman's child") according to the Strip of Destiny.
Of course, Elly had the ultimate fantasy, being married to John Patterson, and Lynn did say that she felt that she had been married to John for 30 years, rather than to some inconveniently real person with his own thoughts and wishes.
DreadedCandiru2,
If they'd made plans together, then she could have said that she'd done something.
It’s almost as if Connie’s idea is that she will mysteriously show up at Phil’s apartment with his pipe to return like it was a surprise and then to see how Phil reacts. Then when the “’Allo?” girl is at the apartment, she resorts to doing the same thing at his club. This still leaves the question, “And what’s wrong with calling ahead instead of these surprise visits?"
Clio,
Anyway, as we know, people who do things are evil in Foobville.
If it was fate, Phil would be completely free and would fall into Connie’s bed if she just magically appears. God forbid Phil have an out-of-town engagement while Connie is pulling this stunt. That would be fate saying, “You’re wrong.” Thinkers and planners are evil for defying fate. So for Connie, the problem isn’t that Phil is busy or out-of-town. He’s there, but fate is saying he is the wrong guy.
forworse,
Lynn has said that April was the third child she was unable to have, so once again Connie had Lynn's storyline while Elly lived the fantasy.
I had forgotten about Connie’s insecurity over having April, and the comparison fits very well.
Again the Lynn=Connie connection appears when Connie bemoans her lack of grandchildren while Elly has four (if you include "that woman's child") according to the Strip of Destiny.
This theory is fitting even better and better.
Of course, Elly had the ultimate fantasy, being married to John Patterson, and Lynn did say that she felt that she had been married to John for 30 years, rather than to some inconveniently real person with his own thoughts and wishes.
The interview where Lynn said that was one of her most whacko. Given our running theory, it makes sense. Elly is Lynn’s fantasy life. She has the devoted husband, who never does anything unapproved by Lynn. Her son is a writer. Her daughter is a teacher. She has grandchildren. Everyone thinks she is the best grand/mother ever. Connie as the real Lynn, can only look on with envy.
You're right. The more I think about it, the more "Phil's Pipe Saga: Reloaded With a Vengeance!" has solidified Connie's status as the one character in the entire strip who serves more than any other as Lynn's inner life personified.
It would explain the dreamlike flow to the events seen in the strip. Connie is on Phil's street. A mysterious Evil French Canadian Girl answers! Instantly, Connie dematerializes, then reintegrates somewhere else, in the middle of a nonsensical conversation with Elly. Who was the girl, she wonders? Why am I asking ELLY?!? Then, just as quickly, it's suddenly days later and Connie is on the phone again. "What did I do during those days?" she wonders. "My cousin no longer exists. Just...family...family in town. Did I visi-" Lawrence's leg is broken. Yet, somehow it doesn't seem important. She goes through the motions of chewing herself out, but secretly she suspects that an attempt to go home would trigger another TIME SHIFT- Apparently, she spent the entire previous day in her hotel room, worrying about one subject. It must have been FATE. Mysteriously, FATE puts her in the front row. How odd, she muses. Don't trumpets go *TATTICA-TATTICA-TATTICA*? They always have before.
A vision of John and Elly arguing over crumpled up bits of paper briefly veils her sight. Confused, she remains dead silent for the next two hours, only able to pick up vague, scattered conversation fragments from Phil. His shirt color keeps changing. Her coat color keeps changing. Color...changing. Yes. The one thing she's certain of.
After six more days of tossing and turning in bed, she decides to dye her hair. And off she goes, on a quest. Not for a hair salon, but into the dye vats that lie within her very soul!
Anonymous,
That has got to be the best analysis of this storyline I have read so far.
It would explain the dreamlike flow to the events seen in the strip.
Good point. Connie does seem to be floating from point to point with no concrete or logical action in between. Aside from yelling at a Montreal driver, she is not grounded in Montreal or with family visits.
After six more days of tossing and turning in bed, she decides to dye her hair. And off she goes, on a quest. Not for a hair salon, but into the dye vats that lie within her very soul!
Within the colour changes of her very soul.
There's no possibility of being discarded when you don't even actually try to get accepted in the first place, so maybe that's simpler.
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