Am I over HELLO KITTY yet?

Given that I have been in the cave as far as blog world news goes I'm not so sure if the upcoming Hello Kitty collection is new to anyone anymore (no, huh?). I found myself clicking on a link to a so-called "private viewing" of the Hello Kitty make up stuff that would officially launch next January (at which point they will sell out in two days because they started selling them before Christmas...?).

Now at first I thought oooo...SHINY! and other than that studded (beaded?) pink and white face everything looks classy and adult-like (no?). Then I clicked on the link and found myself staring at overpriced toys.

You know how women like to mock men by calling one manchild or just plain immature? Well, their obsession with cars and "cool" things (like comic book heroes and cowboy themes) is kind of like our obsession with "cute" things. Why else would Hello Kitty have a make-up collection? Or Barbie one with MAC? Or why does the Disney store have an adult section? Why would you want to match with your daughter? O.o;;

I'll admit that beside my monitor I have a 2007 Classic Pooh plush (limited edition) from the Disney store that I snagged as soon as I saw it, and that I carry a black classic pooh purse to work, and that yes, my classic pooh is wearing a santa hat at the moment x3 ...And yes, I <3 Betsey Johnson designs, because they all have this princess-y, childlike feel to them, but you know what else?

I don't buy them. I adore them. I wanted this shiny red Hello Kitty purse for the longest time (and you could get a matching red wallet too!) and then I said no to myself and told everyone I don't want it (just in case). Why? Because I feel old. And while it might be cute to have a secret stash of adorable things in your purse (your wallet, your lipstick, your make up bag, your keychain, your iphone cover....)--is that the kind of image you want to portray to the world? 

What I mean is, even if you really are a cute and fluffy person on the inside, when your at home, with your family or your best friends, your loved ones, etc., is that the only you that exists?

I think not. I think most of us have layers to our personalities (are we not complex creatures?) that take on different faces, different looks, and as a result make us feel differently and react differently. Think about it: if you are supposed to be in "work mode" and you dress like you're going to the mall, how does that affect how you feel? Would you not feel more confident at work if you were wearing a pant suit or whatever your uniform normally is? If you are on campus (where everyone's dressed casual, here would be in jeans and flip flops), do you want to wear high heels and $1000 dresses?

...I think that adorning ourselves with cute accessories, cute make up, cute products that make us feel innocent and sweet in our minds, perhaps make us smile when we take out our wallets to make a payment (how rare!), may seem like a good idea in the short-term, but in the long-term it may harm our image as a woman to be taken seriously by the outside world.

Given that, how seriously do you take your "image"?