For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for March 05, 2022

preach it, sisters

Are Duane and Candace walking around all day wondering about Elizabeth and Dawn?

They might have a case with Candace. She has made comments about clothes to both Dawn and Elizabeth and hair to Dawn. Of course, at that time Elizabeth was making a big deal about wearing her mother’s clothes, like that was a good thing. Candace could be looking at Dawn in her farmer’s overalls and Elizabeth in her mother’s oversized sweater and wonder why it is they can’t dress in clothes that make them look just the slight bit more feminine.

As for Duane, we just met him last week, so it’s too early to tell where his fashion sense for women lies.

I think those two (candace and duane) are looking for where they belong or where they fit in, that’s why they’re so weird!

I think they’re just being teenagers. Nothing more than that

I wonder if Dawn and Elizabeth will walk straight into that wall in front of them, or if they will turn left and take the door instead.

Time for home-schooling, girls!!

If you want to be worry free, follow the Rhett Butler school of thought, and “Don’t give a damn” about what other people think.

It’s a ME, ME, ME World!

They look like farm girls. One is wearing overalls and Elizabeth looks confused, and Candace may be pregnant soon. Father will probably be Duane.

Not everyone who stands out is outstanding, but I think they would like to be.

Always trouble me.. and still does. Does one compliment them? Cool nose ring.. love the tattoo.. Those hipster pants really set off your underwear. That green hair is nice. Old and confused.

I’ve learned that other people’s hair cut/color, nail color, tattoos, etc., are just none of my business. (The only exception being if a student comes into a horn lesson with a pierced lip or tongue, which can affect their playing). My controlling father made such huge deal about everything and had to approve what we wore, the length of hair, especially for my brothers, even how often we were allowed to wash our hair. (We lived in the country and had a well, so we weren’t paying a water bill.) Life is too short to stress out over trivia.

I’M wondering about Dawn. What happened to her head in the last panel?

Liz’s line in panel 3 sums up a big problem in human relations, particularly when we’re young and image-conscious. People who are really alright and have it together allow shallow, attention hungry people to undermine their self-confidence. Then come the bad choices in trying correct ourselves when we’re not the ones who need correcting.

This story arc reminded me of the classic Pat Conroy novel The Lords of Discipline, where the new freshmen arrived at the miliary academy and they were addressed by the superintendent:

“This is a step forward for all of you. To all you parents, I give you this. In the weeks and months to follow, some of you may get calls and letters from your sons that they do not want to be here. I implore you to ignore these. What are you doing is making an investment with us. Give us your son and we will give you back someone you can be proud of. Allow us one year and we will give you back a cadet. Give us four years and we will give you back a Carolina Military Institute man. America has plenty of problems. America is fat, sloppy, immoral. America needs new leaders, men of iron who will set her again on the right track, and restore her to her former glory.”

Don’t these two think for one minute, that the attention getters are lying through their teeth when they say they don’t like to be stared at?

Who/what is that Alien with Liz in the last panel?

Reminds me when a friend of mine and I dressed up in cosplay. We were dressed as the space alien trolls from a webcomic called Homestuck. She complained that people were snapping pics of us, and I joked “Yeah, why would anybody assume that we want attention?”

Come on, if you can’t shock people with the latest outfit, wander the halls, and socialize with others, then what is the point of going to school at all?

they are expressing themselves. Dane is oblivious to his fashion statement, while Candace wants to draw attention because of the money spent to achieve her look. if the school thinks that they are dressing inappropriately then i am sure they will be talked to.

They are both freaks begging for attention.

This added nothing to yesterday’s conclusion about Candice spending so much money to look cheap. I am still disappointed that Lynn didn’t conclude this story more appropriately.

“Let’s just mosey along down to the corral and rustle up some vittals”

“They sit around and wonder what royal folk would do – yes, that’s what simple folk do.” – Camelot

Candace and Duane probably don’t think about much beyond themselves.

I’m reminded of a Dave Berg Lighter Side cartoon for Mad magazine. It featured two couples walking near each other. One couple is more mainstream, the other more hippie. In each couple the guy is whispering to the girl the same thing: “Dig the freaks!”

Sometimes weirdness is in the eye of the beholder.

Not to worry. Candace and Duane are attracting attention to themselves before the police. If they are seen driving nice cars, it will give the impression with their appearance they must have stolen it, or bought it with dirty money.

My youngest hates to be stared at, but also for years would also wear flamboyant outfits with elaborate makeup. It seemed contradictory to me, but then I figured it out — although the flamboyant outfits do attract attention, they also act as a sort of costume, a defense against having to reveal who she really is inside. I think that’s what’s going on with Candace and Duane. It’s not that they want attention, it’s that they lack self-confidence and want to distract away from that. Some kids grow out of that; some don’t.