Category Archives: Art

X Marks the Spot

xmarksspot

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about sexual objectification as you read in my piece about Taylor Lautner. Well, funny story…

Recently a co-worker sent me a link that shed some interesting light on sexism and treating men as objects. So, everyone loves a treasure hunt, right? Though x may mark the spot, Calvin Klein wants you to find a very different treasure…and his name is Mark.

Mark is an actor who hangs out shirtless on the floor of his apartment with his abs on display. Not into guys who wear beanies? Well then, there’s celebrity stud, Kellan Lutz, or Jamie, a pilates instructor, with a toned body to prove it. Watch as his hot wolf-packian shoulder tattoo flexes in the video as he talks about how he really likes to surf and wax his — er –  surfboard. Don’t worry, he’s not doing anything “dodgy,” but CK definitely is…

While watching these videos I thought these men were attractive (hello, that’s the point), but they all seemed really dumb. Not dumb in the sense that they didn’t speak coherent sentences, they just seemed air-headed — not because they were attractive, but because of the way they were being shown on camera and in photos. And, it wasn’t just me. As women gathered around my desk to watch the videos sent in by men from around the globe (there’s a map), promoting X Calvin Klein underwear, we all thought they seemed like such silly, half-naked little men.

“You just can’t take them seriously,” said one onlooker. And she was right, who could take them seriously as they chat onscreen looking like cabana boys? What’s funny is that, socially, men tend to talk about what they can provide, yet, without clothes it’s pretty unsubstantial in their appeal. This interesting bit of marketing is precisely why objectifying women is sexist and can lead to harassment and the degradation of women. More often than not, women’s bodies are used to advertise products and arouse (being the operative word) interest in anything from a beer, to a bathmat. And, despite this venture down underwear, men are sex objects in advertising far less than women. Just ask your buddy Don Draper.

Time For a Summer Friday

Clock Image By auroracoda

Today is beautiful, but it’s not just the 84-degree weather. Each Friday during the summer employees at the company where I work can leave at 1 p.m. So not only did I take by green and blue striped heels for a warm walk uptown, a co-worker and I went out to lunch and visited the “American Woman: Fashioning a New Identity” exhibit at the Met.

Now after stepping through decades of women’s history and hard work, I’m resting on my couch, fan blowing on me from the window, with my feet up as I type away the afternoon sipping Diet Coke. This is an ideal moment for me.

Having finished a half day’s work and experiencing some of the fabulous things the city has to offer (including a white bean and arugula salad on Madison Avenue and historic designs by Jeanne Lanvin at the museum), I know it’s time to chill, literally and figuratively.

And, it’s fitting because it supports my quest to take time for myself and to appreciate living in New York as I pledged in “New Season, New Changes.” Getting a little help with my summer work schedule doesn’t hurt either.

As I sneak a pillow under my feet and the fan blows between my blue-polished toes, I can’t help but feel like I’m fulfilling my mission to be a happier, more relaxed person. Yet, in reality, I have to admit, it’s been a challenge to stress less and relax more. It’s funny how trying not to stress can be a source of anxiety.

Over the last couple weeks I’ve tried to live by new mantras of waking earlier, not sweating the small stuff and seeking fun activities. Well, finding fun is the easy part, but then finding time to work, write, exercise, spend time with friends AND sleep is tricky. And, once I’m doing all those things, limited sleep makes the little things like a being pushed in the subway, or forgetting your cell phone at home, pretty annoying.

What’s worse is feeling like I’m failing at my own personal challenge, when at the end of each day, I realize I’ve only achieved some of the goals for that day. At night I wondered, how can so many women lead amazing, productive and happy lives and not feel exhausted? Is it possible? And then, when I think I’m about to figure it out, I fall asleep with a book in my face and the light on.

The next morning I’d try again to strike the balance between, work, play, personal relationships and fitness, again wondering why there’s only 24-hours in a day.

But, it’s funny, after today, I feel like I’m on the right track, taking one step closer to achieving this goal to change my lifestyle. Except, the difference between today and the past week is, I didn’t force it. My schedule allowed it and I didn’t mind that I only managed to check off most of the items on my list — to be happy, I don’t necessarily have to do it all.

I think that’s what I learned today. Feeling content with your life isn’t always about doing everything right, it’s about making time to feel right about what you’re doing.

For those of you who are also on mission to improve your life by getting up early, taking time to laugh, or any other new goals I mentioned in my previous post, don’t fret, change takes time.

Like women’s rights and fashions, which continue to evolve over decades, change can be beautiful, though subtle, one moment at a time…if you let it.

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Brooklyn Bridge Park Events Tonight

The Brooklyn Bridge

There are many great things about living in Brooklyn, including the expansive new waterfront park spanning the river’s edge overlooking downtown Manhattan. As new segments of the park open over the coming months and year, events will be held to celebrate this beautiful new addition to the vibrant community.

The Park By Christa Fletcher

Festivities will kick off tonight at the Sunset Swing event from 6-9 p.m. on Pier 1, the newly opened section of the park. For details, check out Sunset Swing. Later, you can join the after party at the Galapagos art space. Organized by the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy Junior Committee, a group dedicated to reaching out to professionals in their 20′s and 30′s.

This later event, the Twilight Swing, A Sunset Swing After-Party Event begins at 9 p.m. You can purchase tickets online or at the door for $25 and $30. Admission to the event gets you two drinks, hors d’oeuvres, dessert and entertainment.

I hear there’s a aerial act you won’t want to miss. Plus, if you’ve never been to the park, you should check out both events to experience the fun and excitement of Brooklyn Heights and the DUMBO area.

View from the Heights Promenade By Christa Fletcher

Over the course of the summer there are many activities like Movies with a View and group exercise on Pier 1.

I’ll be heading down to Galapagos tonight to check it out the Twilight Swing Event, for sure. For more information about the fundraiser, visit the park’s website or head down tonight. See you there!

GALAPAGOS ART SPACE
16 Main Street, DUMBO
Thursday, June 3, 9 p.m.

If you cannot attend the events, but would like to donate to the Brooklyn Bridge Park, please visit their website www.brooklynbridgepark.org.

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Going Postal For Women Leaders

Katharine Hepburn

Mother Theresa, USPS

Katharine Hepburn once said, “I never realized until lately that women were supposed to be the inferior sex.” This independent and courageous thinking illustrates Hepburn’s role as one of the premiere feminists who valued equality. It also shows why she was chosen to be honored by the United States Postal Service.

Well, there’s nothing inferior about this year’s women on stamps. The 2010 U.S. Stamp Program unveiled stamps honoring three important women: Mother Theresa, Kate Smith and Katharine Hepburn. For those who do not know these amazing women, each left their mark on our culture, history and feminism.

Mother Theresa (1910- 1997) was a nun dedicated to aiding the poor in India where she took vows of “chastity, obedience, and poverty,” along with “a fourth vow of wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor,” says the USPS website. “‘In order to understand and help those who have nothing,’ Mother Teresa told the young women, ‘we must live like them.’”

Kate Smith, USPS

As an honorary American Citizen, her unprecedented generosity in her teachings and service to the destitute in India and with AIDS patients in the U.S. earned her the respect of people from all backgrounds. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, “in the name of the poor, the hungry, the sick and the lonely.” In addition to her many awards from the U.S. government she was an advocate who earned funds to sustain her work and the people she helped. Her stamp will be available to purchase on August 26, 2010 on what would have been her 100th birthday.

Kate Smith (1907-1986) was a singer and songwriter. Her signature rendition of the song “God Bless America,” has been called America’s unofficial national anthem and was a good luck charm for the NHL team, the Philadelphia Flyers. Known as the “Songbird of the South,” Smith recorded close to 600 songs, selling millions of records. Her stamp went on sale May 1, 2010.

Katharine Hepburn, USPS

As for Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003), whose stamp was revealed this month on May 12, 2010, “Katharine Hepburn will be remembered for generations, for both her unparalleled acting ability and being a role model for women who chose to live life on their own terms,” Postmaster General John Potter said in a statement.

Hepburn won four Academy Awards during her acting career that included 40 motion pictures. She played strong roles in films, proving that women could be sophisticated leaders on the big screen and in life.

Hepburn is the sixteenth professional actor to be honored in the U.S. Postal Service‘s Legends of Hollywood stamp series. Her niece Katharine Houghton, said, Katharine “provided hope and inspiration and courage for a whole new generation of women.”

I completely agree. Bravo to these amazing women and the U.S. Postal Service for recognizing their courageous work.

To see more of this year’s stamp series, check out the press release.

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More Than Miss American Pie

Vintage Fashion By Stephanie Murg

Say bye bye to the absence of American women in history with the new exhibit, “American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The collection, which features iconic women’s clothing from 1890 to 1940, addresses the evolution of women’s roles in American society through fashion.

Today, on May 5, the show — which will run

until August 15 — includes garments by designers who changed the landscape of femininity and women’s status outside the home where they were once relegated. The exhibit mixes the struggle for gender equality with women’s successes during that period, cooking up a fresh new recipe of Americana. According to the Met, figures like “Gibson Girls,”  the “Bohemian,” “Suffragist” and “Screen Siren” fashioned new perceptions of women, reflecting the “social, political and sexual emancipation” they achieved over 50 years.

The collection, which visitors can view with an

American Woman via MetMuseum.org

audio tour, is narrated by a modern American icon from the Big Apple: Sarah Jessica Parker. Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton, told WWD, “Because of Sex and the City, she is so much associated with New York and with America, and with using fashion as a way to shape identity.”

This weekend I plan to see the exhibit in person, but today I took a sneak peak at the Met’s Collection Database online. I found the timeless elegance of Charles James‘ draped gowns from the 1930′s and 40′s to contrast sharply with the spritely summer dresses by Jeanne Lanvin, which seemed to step out of the opulence of The Great Gatsby. Yet, earlier pieces, like the antiquated black riding habit crafted by Frederick Loeser & Company, date back to 1897 and speak to the adventure women had when they were not tending the kitchen, but out in the world, looking crisp and athletic compared to the intricate and traditional ballgowns by the House of Worth.

Coincidentally, the structured riding habit also caught the eye of Anne Christensen of the New York Times, as she searched for American designers in the showcase. “The long black riding habits in this room were designed by Frederick Loeser & Co., which was founded in Brooklyn in 1887 and was in business up until 1952.” To view photos of the collection and to read her insight from a preview of “American Woman,” read “Now Showing.”

I look forward to experiencing this time of women’s stylish evolution, a complex slice of life, at a time when great American women are not simply defined by what they wear, but by what they can learn, create and do.

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