A 21st birthday is a coveted thing. Friends who are already 21 finally welcome you into their special club - more commonly known as Mad4 - and friends who have yet to reach this arbitrary legal cut-off look with envy as you waltz into Wine & Spirits, fully confident in your purchasing ability.
But a girl's 21st birthday can mean more than vodka. and rum. and tequila.. It's about the excuse to wear a crown. Just check out - or stalk - photos from female 21st birthdays on Facebook. Invariably, there will be a girl sporting a tiara. And possibly a boa.
A couple months ago I too reached this ripe old age, and I looked forward to the crown almost as much as to the social benefits. This might appear strange, but think of it this way: after (and let's be honest, before) 21 you can partake in seemingly endless Bacchanalia, but only once is it socially acceptable to wear a crown. (Aside from Halloween, of course.)
And why is the crown now synonymous with 21st birthdays? Perhaps because 21 does seem so old. Nothing is more likely to provoke a craving for childhood whimsy than the realization that that era is now by-gone. After all, they say it is the last birthday you look forward to. unless you're anxious to rent cars. In which case, party at Hertz!
Long after that birthday bash comes and goes, however, you'll still be wanting that carefree feeling. And as tempting as the tiara might be, you know you can't. Luckily, there are ways to extend the whimsy into your everyday life: beer floats (page 7). All the fun of childhood with the privilege of adulthood - can it get any better?
Oh, it can. Now you can even be nostalgic for a time you never knew: the 1950s. Immerse yourself in the era that gave us Beaver, the other Cleavers and Eisenhower by venturing to The Franklin Fountain, an old school soda shop (page 11). Though I am a fan of crowns, I have to admit there is something about those soda jerk hats. And hey, who doesn't love a time when "jerk" wasn't an insult?
Here's to you,
