DEAR ABBY: I love my sister. She's well-educated, intelligent and fun, but she has let herself go. We are both in our 60s and, unfortunately, those pesky whiskers are starting to appear on our faces. She recently had surgery and when I visited her, I noticed a lot of hairs sprouting from her chin. I offered to pluck them or take her to a spa and have them removed when she had a facial. She refused!
My friends and I have made a pact to pluck each other's whiskers if we are ever in a hospital and can't do it ourselves. Should I just let it go or, the next time I see her, remind her that many people would be put off if they saw her? Or is it just me? -- WHISKERLESS SISTER
DEAR WHISKERLESS: It's not "just you." Depilatories are popular because most American women wouldn't want to be caught dead with obvious facial hair.
Your letter brought back memories, one of which was my mother telling me that her first executive assistant, Katie, had made Mama promise that in the event of Katie's demise, Mama would bring a razor to the viewing and, while standing at the casket, "whisk" off her mustache so no one would see it.
Not knowing your sister, I can't say whether she was in so much pain from her surgery that she didn't want to add to it by being plucked. Talk to her again when she's feeling better and she may offer up her chin. If not, love her the way she is -- fur and all -- because she's happy that way.