words of advice

"You really should make more of an effort with your appearance. Fix your collar. You don't need to wear that cardigan all the time. And try to wear a bra, please? Otherwise you'll end up looking like a silai..." ~Mom

It's the second time in two weeks that I've heard that word. Silai. I only recently learned the definition. I've always referred to them as Mah-Jong Mamas. According to Dad, a silai is "often a woman who, after having a child, really lets herself go -- which is understandable because priorities change when you have a baby." He listed a few names of young women we knew who were victims of this phenomenon -- and added that their husbands often went through similar changes, though there wasn't a term for them. He just called them "typical Chinese guys." I told him that there was no way in hell that I'd ever let that happen to me. Apparently, Mom thinks otherwise... ^_^