Velcro Shoes and Redhaired Blues.

The blonde middle sister sandwiched between a pair of classic redheads, I was under the impression that I was not quite as special as my siblings. In my mind, redheadedness was a virtue, albeit one from which I was cut off. As such, it was clearly the trait I most favored when selecting for myself a representative Disney princess. Ariel could breathe underwater, had a powerful tail, talked to fish, and, most importantly, had red hair. An obvious choice, I think.

One year, my family somehow managed to get a hold of an Ariel costume - complete with a headress in the shape of red cartoon hair - in my size. Dressed in my Little Mermaid velcro tennis shoes, about 13 layers of warm clothing, a green tail, and a suspiciously conservative torso covering, I awaited the final piece of my costume. As my mother tied the last piece into place around my 5-year-old face, I beamed. I was a redhead at last.