The Vanity Bait

Sandra was being dressed by a famous fashion designer for his new collection.

She was nervous. That little dog of him just couldn’t stop barking, what wrinkled her charming face with displeasure.

She was a model. Very beautiful, like others. And unknown, like most.

But her fate was about to change.

While the stylist was cutting the fabric with a pair of big sharp scissors…

Suddenly, Sandra cried out loud with pain!

She rose her hand, and it was bleeding. Her middle finger missing. It was chopped by the scissors!

They looked for the finger, but it was in the mouth of that god-dawn dog.

They went after him, but it was quicker: it jumped out throught the open window and runned away on the street!

Sandra went to a hospital. The dog was only found the next day. Its mouth full of mood, its eyes bright with bravery. Surely it had buried the finger in a secret place of its own, like a mere bone. The finger was definitely lost.

 The designer told Sandra that it was the end of her career. He didn’t want her anymore in the catwalk. Sandra freaked out.

But despair is the father of the best of ideas.

Sandra whispered something to the stylist, while showing what was left of her finger, with a dressing.

The man took some thought, and said yes with a shake of his head.

On the day of the fashion show, Sandra was not among the models. She would only appear in the great finale.

And when she walked in on the catwalk, she pulled a face and showed her tongue. She put one hand on her waist, and gave the finger with the other. I mean, the missing finger…

Many pictures were taken, what was that all about? She chopped her finger for the show?

Next day, all newspapers (and gossips) were talking about it. There was this great doubt: was it art, exhibitionism, or pure madness? Of the model who chopped a finger, before her entrance in the catwalk…

Did she do it to give some message about the fashion collection?

The designer urged to say that it was not it at all. What happened was her idea. He had nothing to do with it.

But that model, until then a complete stranger, was now being invited to a TV interview. Everybody wanted to know: what was going on? Was it some kind of self-punishment?

And Sandra sadly explained that she suffered an accident. And, because of that, people didn’t want her to be a model anymore.  But she was strong… That woudn’t be an obstacle for her. She was sure that nowadays… The most import thing was to have some attitude!

And then, very brave, she gave her missing finger again to the camera. And she pulled that face models pull, like they owned nothing to anybody.

It was a huge success. Everybory was moved about her history.

And now she was invited to many places. To parties with celebrities. To be the model of many labels, of jewelry, make-up, fashion.

Finally, Sandra decided to marry. Everything very romantic. And expensive. And also sponsored by a parfum label.

Instead of a gold ring, her fiancé chopped one of his fingers as a proof of love.

Many pictures. And controversy. Some people stood against it, some were in favor. While some others overdid their love for Sandra.

Tatoos, piercings… Why not chopping a finger?

And now it was fashion.

On TV, psychologists alerted teenagers to never do it at home. Tatoo studios were now specialists in the matter, with sterilized instruments.  And for the parents, the warning: dialogue with their offspring was the most important thing of all.

But for some it became an obsession. Many chopped more than one finger of the hands. Others chopped even the fingers of the feet.

Some rehab clinics were opened for these cases. On lunch time, plastic spoons. Sharp instruments were not allowed. Even though some patients tried to break the spoons, sharp the edges and chop one more finger…

But, after months, it all was all forgotten… Sandra’s name was no more than a memory, a very odd, mad and strange fashion, that would never come back.

But Sandra, realizing what happened, was just about to return to her old life of fame.

And in a new fashion show, a tribute to Van Gogh, with the dresses all printed with big yellow sunflowers motifs… Sandra entered the catwalk.

She turned one side of her face to the cameras, to a great surprise.

As Van Gogh once had done, Sandra had chopped one of her ears.

And the audience applauded the model, celebrating. It was her glory day.