Karla's Kolumn: Am I a prude or an individual

You would think I would become a bigger prude (modest) as I get older but it seems like the opposite is coming true.

When I was growing up I had a battle with my mother in making sure she didn't hem my skirts or dresses too short. My mother was from the era where the skirts were right above the knee. No way I was wearing something above the knee. It had to be below the knee - way below if possible.

Granted I didn't wear dresses or skirts very often, and that hasn't changed. But I still want them below the knee.

My thoughts on shorts haven't changed either. First, let's just say I only wear shorts in the privacy of my own residence. My legs are too white to be blinding people on the street, and well, there's that being a prude that no one needs to see my legs.

My shorts I prefer to be at least to the knee, and, yup, below the knee if possible. No short shorts for me. They look great on others and I have no problem with people wearing them, it's just not for me.

As for shirts, well again here I am being the prude. I don't button clear up to the top button, but I've just always been conscience of how low the neckline is and it isn't because of people staring or not, it is what I'm comfortable with. I even have a couple of button-up shirts that I feel the top button is too low so I have found a University of Wyoming pin that helps close the gap and I am more comfortable wearing that shirt.

For the most part I have no problem with people wearing lower necklines than I prefer, but within reason.

But there are a few areas where I don't feel I am as big of a prude as I used to be and that is piercings, tattoos and hair color.

Growing up the big thing was girls getting their ears pierced and what it meant if a guy had an ear pierced (now it pretty much means nothing).

Then people got more than one hole pierced in their earlobes, and then in the top of the ear (can I just say ouch). None of that bothered me. But then came the nose rings and being a prude began to raise its ugly head. Now, however, most nose rings, OK, studs, don't bother me. Big rings that look like the rings on cattle, those still bother me. I don't get it, I don't think it is attractive. Yup, I'm a prude.

I don't get tongue or lip piercings either. And, truthfully, don't get me started on eyebrow piercings. Although within reason they don't bother me but realistically every time I see one I think it has to hurt. It looks painful.

As for tattoos, I think it's like the piercings, for me it is everything within reason. Tattoos on the head and neck I do not understand and I personally do not think it looks good, but that is just me.

I'm not opposed to tattoos. Many of my friends have them and I like to check the designs and I like to know the stories behind tattoos.

And then there's hair color. Years ago, the only outrageous hair colors you saw were during homecoming or game day or "blue-haired" older ladies.

Nowadays you see people of all ages wearing different color hair. My favorite group on America's Got Talent this year, the Angels City Choir, has one singer who I think has had a different color every appearance, but they all look good on her.

White is a popular color nowadays. Not blonde but white, like Christina, also another favorite AGT act of mine this season.

One of my employees earlier this summer asked if we had a policy about hair color. I said no, just within reason. She came to work with a shade of purple that looks absolutely perfect on her and fits her personality. I went out with her the other day on assignment and it was interesting the reactions, which I think truthfully ran more on gender lines than age. An 88-year-old woman (she noted her age to us) said she loved her hair but at age 88 it wouldn't work for her. However an elderly gentlemen wanted to know what she had done to her hair and how many colors (it's one color different shades). And another woman, much younger than 88, said she loved her hair.

Now, all that being said, what may work for others does not work for me. While I may not be a prude about it with others, I'm still a prude when it comes to me, just like the dresses and shorts. In fact, the only color change in my hair is my glistening grey hairs. I earned them so I don't hide them. In full disclosure I did put highlights in my hair about 25 years ago ... twice.

I have pierced ears (one hole in each earlobe) but rarely wear earrings.

And tattoos, well I don't have any but that's mainly because I'm too frugal than a prude, and that's a topic for another day.

So maybe it is not really about being a prude, maybe it's about me being me and you being you, me letting you be you and you letting me be me.

I'll show my grey hair proudly and my young employee can wear her purple hair with pride and my best friend can show her tattooed arm (with a cool Alice in Wonderland Cheshire cat) with pride.

We are all individuals. We all have our own likes and dislikes, our own hopes and dreams. We need to embrace each other's individuality. I can accept you are more adventurous than I, if you can accept that I am a bit more modest than you.

You keep doing you and I will keep doing me.