"To me, being grown-up meant smoking cigarettes, drinking cocktails, and dressing up in high heels and glamourous outfits"

Lorna Luft presents a vivid portrait of adult identity shaped by childhood observations and cultural influences. Grown-up life, as described through her words, is defined by external acts and symbols: smoking, drinking cocktails, and dressing glamorously. These markers, seemingly superficial, carry layers of aspiration and societal context. As a child, Luft likely absorbed images of sophistication and maturity from adults around her, perhaps from icons in media or from her own family, particularly given her background in show business.

The act of smoking cigarettes and drinking cocktails is associated with leisure, control, and a sense of belonging to an exclusive domain. Such behaviors, often restricted or discouraged for the young, became rituals of adulthood in mid-20th century Western culture. They signified not just personal pleasure, but also entry into a social world where rules and responsibilities were different, sometimes freer, sometimes heavier. The symbols echo a time when the image of a woman with a glass in hand and a cigarette poised between her fingers represented not rebellion, but attainment of a certain kind of sexual and social power.

Dressing up in high heels and glamorous outfits extends this idea to the visual realm. Fashion is both armor and invitation; as a child, Luft may have seen these sartorial choices as tickets to an enchanting, confident existence. Here, glamour signifies more than just beauty, it suggests a transformation, a step into a world where one is noticed, respected, and actively participating in adult games of allure and intrigue. Her recollection is not about genuine maturity, resilience, or wisdom; rather, it is about the performance of adulthood. Luft’s words reflect a universal truth: many childhood notions of growing up focus on emulating outward signs of adulthood, often mistaking these props for the substance of maturity, before age and experience reveal their true complexity.