On a high shelf in my bedroom there is a tiny box, and in that box there is a small gold ear cuff shaped like a snake. I got the snake ear cuff at Claire’s in a moment of enthusiasm for symbolism and Taylor Swift and Pirates of the Caribbean, and also motivated by Claire’s buy-three-get-three-free-sale, limited time only, which has never not been running when I visited a Claire’s.
I have never yet worn my snake ear cuff—it’s still in its lavender Claire’s packaging, taped in with a little bit of Scotch tape (who puts the Scotch tape on?) The fact is that if you’re not going to a Renaissance fair (which is what I bought it for), a gold snake ear cuff is a somewhat dubious piece of jewelry. It’s not inherently tacky—but it’s tacky in a lot of contexts, unless you are a pirate.
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