Ahead of her time...

 

This was one of my mother's favorite stories about her mother (my grandmother): As a schoolgirl attending a predominantly Chinese school in Indonesia back in the 1950's, it was common to see her classmates' immigrant Chinese mothers wearing their traditional (dull) grey/blue outfits. My grandmother, on the other hand, was raised under colonial Dutch rule in Indonesia. She would pick my mother up at school wearing lipstick, full make up, and a beautiful dress that showed a hint of cleavage. My mother recalls being embarrassed and wishing her mother would dress like her peers' mothers. I think it's actually awesome that my grandmother stood out so beautifully. Cleavage? Whoo hoo! Way to go, grandma!