I want the perfect 50's pin curl hair style! And I think I found my answer - a pin-curl permanent!

My neighbor, Hazel, has the most modern fashion sense. It seemed as though she changed her hairdo the moment the clock struck midnight on New Years, ringing in 1950. She was ready for these modern times in every way you can imagine. And I do mean EVERY way. Neighbors have been talking about the tight sweaters and tops she wears, saying she needs to wear looser blouses or else she'll attract the wrong type of men. I say, my neighbors are the ones who need to loosen up. Who cares what Hazel wears? 
 

Well, actually, I do care what Hazel wears. But, not because I think she should dress differently or wear her hair differently. I care what she wears because I feel like I'm stuck in the frumpy forties, while she got a head start on the fabulous fifties. 

Hazel is in no rush to get married, so I see her riding up and down the street often in her boyfriend's Buick convertible. He picks her up and they go to the drive-in or out for hamburgers at a diner or to a concert downtown. Or, window shopping. They go WINDOW SHOPPING together. Can you believe it? I just can't imagine Walter going window shopping with me. He just finished building a barbecue pit for our back yard. He has no time to gaze into windows with me. I don't blame him, of course. Plus, who would take care of the children just so we could stroll around downtown and stare into the eyes of mannequins behind big picture windows? The only time we go window shopping together downtown is at Christmas, when we take the children to look at the Christmas displays. 

I wonder if Hazel ever sees me in the back yard hanging tablecloths, sheets, jeans, t-shirts, underwear, and aprons on the line to dry and thinks to herself, "If only I could spend so much time hanging laundry on the line like Doris!" 

I doubt that very much. 

Today we happened to be in our front yards at the same time, turning on the lawn sprinklers, when she waved at me. As she gestured for me to come over to her yard, I could see something flashing on her wrist in the sunlight. Sure enough, Hazel's boyfriend had given her another bracelet. The beautiful, sparkling rhinestones on her wrist reminded me of my dreadfully dry, dishpan hands. So, I hid my hands behind my back. 

More than her rhinestones, I admired her perfectly loose pin curls in her hair. I wondered how she got them to look so right. Not too tight, not too loose. Sophisticated, yet still young. I didn't dare ask her, for fear that I would cause her shame if she wanted to give the impression that her hair was naturally perfect. 

Boy, was I surprised when I got home to find the answer appear on my television. 

A home permanent! There was a commercial on TV for a pin-curl permanent by Bobbi that I could do all by myself at home. This is my answer to becoming a modern 50's woman; I just know it is! I'm so excited about it that I can't get the song in the commercial out of my mind. 

I won't tell Walt what I'm going to do. It will be a surprise. I've never tried a home permanent before. I'm just thrilled that I am finally going to give it a try! Next time I go to the market, I'm going to make a purchase that will finally make me a modern woman of the 1950's!

Love,

Doris XOXO

Thank you to MattTheSaiyan  for posting the Bobbi hair permanent commercial on YouTube!