MadMup.com

“Silhouette” is one of my all-time favorite words. Not only is it a fun little song (my favorite version was done by The Nylons), it’s just a cool word. It’s fun to say, and the word itself conjures up thoughts of the mysterious and the possible.

My first dealings with a silhouette was in kindergarten. Mrs. Reid had us sit sideways in front of a piece of paper on the wall. She’d shine a light at us and trace our silhouette profile on the paper. Then we had to cut it out and do some stuff with it and then take it home or something.

You notice how silhouettes are often used in horror movies? It’s because you can tell someone or something is there, but you’re not sure where. An outline on a window tells you only that someone is between the light and the window, but not how far. And because it’s just a shape, a lot of the time you can’t tell who the silhouette is of, unless you really know the person well.

I drive an Oldsmobile Silhouette minivan. A silhouette of my Silhouette would be easy to recognize, though. It’s got a nose like a space shuttle.