Monday, July 12, 2010

My Emergence

When I was a little girl. I practiced writing Fifi thousands of times, I’m sure, instead of listening to my insecure first grade teacher. During this same crucial period, I, inspired by La Muppet Fantastique Miss Piggy, began to employ Francais in my daily discourse. Always a source of sheer joy and entertainment for me, it made my young world shimmer with magical, regal flair; I felt like royalty!

Granger, a proud family surname in itself, unfortunately made le nom Fifi sound like I should be standing on a street corner! I discovered that with un peu of my beloved French influence, La Grange was perfection for rounding out a designation that was as brilliant as my potential. It was my proudest accomplishment in my sixth year of life!

Although the genesis of Fifi started when I was a richly creative child, I only became Fifi après divorce. You see, darlings, in my former days as a trophy wife I had convinced myself that my financial advantage was what made me la Fabulous. Living in a guilded cage was tres costly, my loves! My husband, a very successful businessman, dictated that I exist as his version of myself. I burst forth from this unhappy, constricting world, in spite of my overriding doubt in my ability to support myself. Upon relocating to the Great Gotham, I realized I needed to live on a much larger scale than Fanny Granger could allow. In the midst of my dwindling economic status and mounting anxiety, I never allowed bitterness to be an option. I called upon my inner strength; banished my trophy wife hairstyle, and voila! Fifi La Grange emerged! With my new identity complete I could almost feel the heat emanating from the bright shining lights illuminating my way. My premier Fifi-ism, the Fabutant’s Golden Rule was born: “Everlastingly feel so Fabulous about myself, as if I’m perpetually walking down the Red Carpet”. What joy! I was indeed on the road to Fabulous!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Fabulous, Predetermined

Salut, mes amies! I'm beside myself with joy that you've joined me, blogging about my Road to Fabulous! I grew up, ne Fanny Granger, in an Ohio suburban community that even according to Wikipedia, has had the dubious distinction of being "The World's Largest Community of Brick Homes". Ma mere, a rural-born beauty of ambitious, glamorous taste, (and my premier mentor of haute vogue), found herself standing at the base of La Tour Eiffel in Paris, France, when she was twenty six. While attending a world convention there, she unintentionally broke the hearts of several young Frenchmen due to her inimitable class and poise.
Papa, a former WWII ace pilot, exuded a hero's charisma that often caused people to mistake him for a movie star. During his Paris holiday, Papa was marveling at Notre Dame's magnificence when he caught sight of Mama, fashionably exiting the Cathedral's massive gothic doors. Their eyes met, et voila! The angels began to sing!
So you see, I had a blueprint for my road to Fabulous from le very start!
But my darling Fabutantes, it has been paved with perilous pitfalls; ranging from petite income, loneliness, unemployment, and fear, fear, fear! Mon Dieu! It sounds so dire, doesn't it darlings? Striving to overcome my challenges allowed me to choose what type of person I've wanted to be. That's when I discovered that I could truly be fabulous, regardless of my circumstances. Vive la Fifi et vive la vie!