Suffering Gladly: A Ladylike Trait?

“Closer… Closer! Lean in”

A dozen of us were being arranged to take pictures in front of the cathedral; the camera man, as usual, was the creative director.

For the umpteenth time, I was a bridesmaid and for this particular pose, each bridesmaid had to pair with the groomsmen and mimic the couple by cradling each other and staring into each other’s eyes intimately.

To give a little background, I was a friend to the bride whilst the other groomsmen were friends to the groom.

Since there were no rehearsals whatsoever for the train, I never met the groomsmen until the very wedding day.

This means that I had to have this intimate pose with a total stranger.

I was not as bothered by the lack of acquaintanceship as I was by the intimacy of the pose.

The camera man had to walk over to nudge me because whilst other couples enacted the proposed pose with fair skill, my groomsman and I stuck out like a sore thumb.

This was no fault of his at all, I was the uncomfortable one.

I found myself envious of the bride at that moment- of every ‘couple’ in the picture, she and her groom, sandwiched in the middle of the five of us, were the only ones who didn’t have to force their feelings for a picture.

I have a bone to pick with whoever made these poses traditional for wedding pictures.

I squirmed through the photography session and I must admit that I owe my groomsman an apology.

Having modelling and acting skills comes with being a bridesmaid I suppose because this was not the first time I was uncomfortable as a bridesmaid during photo sessions.

One time, I had to leave the photo scene and go into the reception hall because I couldn’t sit on a groomsman’s lap for a certain pose.

There are times that we may suffer gladly but there are times when we should speak up, especially when it comes to your body and your personal space.

If you do not like being held at the waist by the opposite gender, let it be known.

If someone is getting too close, point it out gently.

These things can be tricky because you may be too shocked to react but you are being unfair to yourself when you make others comfortable at the expense of your dignity.