Fashion Victim

Faded blue jeans tucked into grey knee-high boots, a purple fitted tshirt with cursive, arabic gold writing across the front, a few bracelets of various metals and stones on the right arm, across from a ring and watch on the left, red and gold belt, along with a western/cowboy motif head scarf tied neatly around my head topped off with a navy pinstripe jacket. So cute, right?
A thrown together "look" as I woke up at 9:20am this morning as I was severely late for work. I find that when im hungover in the morning, I take out my frustrations on cultivating my fashion sense. Those of you that know me well, will think nothing of the outfit description above and will proudly say Bravo Deeahhne! Look at you! But here in Paris, where the beauty in fashion during winter and fall seasons is bestowed solely on varying shsdes of grey and black, may have a different take.
Needless to say, I feel best when Im thrown together and feeling perfectly non-matched and accessorized. Its where I thrive. Its the best place for me to have breathing room. Look good, feel good, its true.

So lets skip ahead to me in the ladies room at my office that same day. I just finished washing my hands and was tidying up my head scarf when one of my co-workers comes in and says with a huge smile on her face, "Oh Deeahhne, you are such a fashion victim!"

I smiled nervously like I had just been punched in the ass.

"Um...Victim? Fashion Victim?"

"Yes! You are always so... so, um how to say? you know!" and motions with her hands at me from head to toe. I think she could sense the blood draining from my face as she quickly added, "Its a compliment!"

"oh, thanks . yeah I um, yeah, cool. merci. ok avoir!"

I quickly exited the restroom and didnt know what to say or think. Was I being insulted or complimented? Did she mean to say "plate" or "slave" or did she really mean victim? And its here that I have yet again found myself in the middle of language turmoil.

"Oh you must mean fashion plate!" I could hear the unbearable conversation in my head.
"No you see I am not a victim to fashion, but rather a slave or a plate. But certainly not a victim. tsk tsk, dear No!"

So I think about these references all the time now. Not because its still bothering me, but because I get easily fascinated. I know what she meant to say because this particular girl is actually one of the nicest people Ive ever met, so I doubt she'd ever insult me, at least directly to my face anyway. (and lets face it, how could she? Im me!)
But more than that, it really got me thinking about one of the english laguage annoyances.
How come I can be a slave to, but not a victim of, fashion? And why are they sooo different in meaning? How in the world can you explain that? And what the hell does Plate mean anyway? Where did that come from? Fashion Plate???

Anyway, linguistics in general has really gotten a hold of me. Not only do I now bask in my petit amounts of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) but I can (and will) literally think about why we use what words when, and how and where they should be pronounced differently. And finally, Does that make me a slave to linguistics or a victim?