Moscow Woman Checking Her Looks

She was standing next to a kiosk not far from the Moscow Kremlin shortly before midnight. Aside from the kiosk worker, who was reading a book, and three police officers on the other side of the street, there was no one around. She was just standing there against the kiosk at first…three shopping bags at her feet. Probably in her 60s, she might have been homeless. I watched her for about a minute. At one point, she bent down to take something out of her bag. She fumbling through one that had some clothing and took out a small mirror. She checked her look, wiping her finger across her face as if she had dirt or an eyelash on her skin. She then stood up again and continued leaning against the kiosk. That moment struck me as it contrasted so sharply with the situation…I am used to seeing well-dressed, young women checking their looks on the Moscow streets before they meet their friends. Considering the situation – she seemingly had no where to go and no one to meet, I would have thought her looks were the last thing on her mind…perhaps it was merely a habit developed in her younger days.