Photo: A Candid View of a Woman Who is Homeless, Yet Hopeful in Sequins, Hawaii, Christmas 2020

Here we see a candid photo of a model who is willing to flash a bright smile for the world on the other side of the phone screen.  She has said “yes” to the photographer’s request that she pose for a moment with her holiday gear to show the world a snapshot of what Christmas looks like for some people in Honolulu, just 2 miles away from world famous Waikiki beach. She is fashionably attired in the modern woman’s wardrobe staple–the little black dress.  Hers has sequins, which is too garish for some, but it is Christmas and she feels appropriately festive.  The gleam in her eye hints at the pleasure she feels at being singled out to pose in her carefully chosen attire.  Yes, every woman should have a little black dress that goes with everything. Especially the Christmas shopping cart. Our model  advised the photographer thusly: Never should your outfit clash with the cart you’re pushing.  Rumor has it that this woman was once a nurse at Queens Hospital, the top trauma hospital in this Pacific Region.  That was before crack cocaine. Now her little black sequinned dress will also serve as a nightgown, her cart will partially shield her in the downpour. But ask yourself: don’t you know miserable people, who are clean and dry but dreading the holidays with family. Doesn’t someone instantly come to mind who could not smile in their present situation, and certainly could never smile like this woman. Could you smile if you knew you’d be sleeping in the background area featured in this picture? She can.