Why do we consumers have to contend with so many varieties of lightbulbs?
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Dear Answer Angel Ellen: This might sound like a “Reader Rant,” but it is a legitimate question, I think. Why do we consumers have to contend with so many varieties of lightbulbs? And how to find the right replacements for the obscurer ones, like my desk lamps and my infernal ceiling fans? Is there a way to figure out what bulbs I need when I remove the “dead” one and it has no numbers or revealing details that would enable me to figure out what I need? I’ve gone online and the choices are so huge and so many of these unusual bulbs look alike, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been stuck with the wrong thing. This shouldn’t be that hard!
— Millie J.
Dear Millie: I am totally on your side but, sadly, I think we are on the losing side of this consumer dilemma. I just did an inventory of the lighting in my place and I found 17 different lightbulb models required to keep everything illuminated and I don’t live in a very big place!
More than once I have taken a lamp to a store specializing in lighting to get a diagnosis from an expert when no marking whatsoever is on the bulb. But not all of us have the luxury of specialized stores and/or the ability to drag a fixture to such a store. To haul a big floor lamp on public transportation? Are you kidding me?
More than once I’ve just shoved the fixture in a closet or endured poor lighting because I can’t find the right bulb online or in any convenient store. I’ve set aside a container to hold lightbulbs. When I do locate the correct bulb for my needs, I buy several extras and label them so I will know what they are used for. Since many light fixtures are foreign-made, the chances of any solution (even clear labeling on bulbs) are zero. And don’t get me started on the insane number of specialty batteries required for everyday household objects. Readers, if you have some ideas, enlighten us all!
Dear Answer Angel Ellen: For reasons I can’t explain, I am mesmerized by GRWM videos (“get ready with me”) on social media. They are my latest obsession. I’ve seen more than one man putting on a strand of pearls, or many strands of what they’re calling a “pearl stack.” Are pearls now OK for men to wear, even with, say a suit, a T-shirt, a Hawaiian shirt, whatever?
— Paul F.
Dear Paul: For those who aren’t familiar with “get ready with me” videos, #GRWM is a popular social media hashtag that involves posting a video of getting ready to go out to … anyplace: work, a wedding, the Met Ball, a baseball game. Once I start watching I’m ashamed to admit I waste a lot of time viewing them when I could be doing something more worthwhile.
To answer your question, yes, pearls are OK for men to wear. Style is evermore gender-fluid. Why shouldn’t it be? Check out pictures of the recent Thom Brown Paris runway show and you’ll see what I mean.
Angelic Readers
Karen W. has a heartfelt response to my recent advice that Crocs are just plain ugly and are a fashion don’t: “I see people flinch or wince or roll their eyes when they see me wearing these hideous Crocs. I hate them too, but I would rather walk without excruciating pain and a severe limp than bemoan my fashion choices — or total lack thereof. I’m just thankful to have them after the horrible injuries I had. I have been through literally thousands of shoes, an Imelda Marcos shoe collection. I was just so happy to find something I could actually function in. And if people judge me for ugly shoes, then they are not worth my time. Things are not always as they seem, are they?”
From Ellen: Thanks, Karen, for this important reminder that the choices we make about what we wear are more than just about making a fashion statement. They are about function too. Thank you for sharing your story. It is a lesson for all of us.
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