A cosmetics conundrum: A stranger in a strange land
At a time when the very notion of gender is under intense scrutiny in some enlightened quarters, the traditional male of the species can only go with the cultural flow, or try to.
Heaven knows I give it my best shot here in the very heart of gender-bending confusion. But there are challenges out there, worrisome minefields if you will. These pitfalls can defy easy answers.
The tender matter of makeup comes to mind. I speak from recent experience. I became lost in the cosmetic department of Macy’s at the ever-expanding Hillsdale Shopping Center in San Mateo.
It wasn’t pretty, pardon the pathetic pun. The problem was simple: I was in search of a young woman who was said to be utilizing one of the store’s beauty destinations.
She was undergoing a pre-wedding makeup session, and it was my job to pick her up and get her to the scheduled nuptials on time. The search among the different cosmetic company cubicles/stations did not go well. There were so many of them.
Making matters more difficult, my female target was nowhere to be seen. I wandered between the various makeup sites, generating stares from the customers and professionals alike. I soon felt like some sort of weird voyeur in an alien land.
In spite of the new emphasis on blameless ease and tolerated, even encouraged, freedom when it comes to one’s sexual preference (or no sexual preference at all), the presence of a persistent male hovering about the eye-liner, blush, lipstick and wrinkle-remover was clearly rather unwelcome, if not annoying.
I beat a slow retreat to Starbuck’s next door. There, I cowered behind a cheap magazine and texted my quarry. She wasn’t at Macy’s after all; she was across the mall’s first-floor corridor.
My search had been pointless. But I learned something: Next time, I wear a wig and an attractive dress and maybe just a hint of mascara. Spike heels might make sense too. A whiff of history The growing uncertainty surrounding the former chancellor of the San Mateo County Community College District, Ron Galatolo, is somewhat reminiscent of a previous issue that engulfed the district 45 years ago.
Back in the early 1970s, a financial scandal involving the district’s then business manager, Matt Fasanaro, led to his firing, assorted lawsuits, resignations and, finally, the hiring of a new district boss, Glenn Smith.
It was Smith’s daunting task to right the listing academic ship. He did so, but the district’s credibility suffered for many years in the wake of the Fasanaro affair.
Now, there are again whiffs of serious trouble. Galatolo abruptly resigned from his post earlier this month as the 2019-20 academic year commenced.
A new taxpayer-supported job (he’s now a consultant studying the possibility of building a state university in the county) was created for him at a stunning cost of $476,700 (plus benefits), essentially the same pay package he was receiving as chancellor.
District officials have not provided an unambiguous reason for the sudden moves. However, it was announced last week that the county’s district attorney has commenced an investigation into allegations of harassment and financial improprieties.
Is history repeating itself, at least in part? It’s far from clear at this point. We’ll have to wait and see. Attempts to contact Galatolo for comment were unsuccessful.