Teh Gays and Teh Fashion of Starvation
I will begin with the obligatory statement that I love homosexuals. I have no problem with them. As a Catholic I am called to love the sinner and hate the sin. But this post is not about homosexuality per se.
Numerous times in the last couple years various web publishers have pondered how the more womanly (shapely, curvacious) pin up girl of prior generations have come to be supplanted by "waifs" and women with the so-called "Athletic body type" as the archetype of what is physically desirable.
A well-known expert on the topic of eating disorders and the modeling industry, MamaV, happens to be a friendly of mine in meat space. She and I talked about this very topic last year. Her site chronicles the struggles many women in and outside the Industry have with eating disorders. You can read her blog on Women Body Image & Eating Disorders here.
As a father of 3 girls, two of which are teenagers and one of which has had a brush with an eating disorder, MamaV and I have discussed the topic at some length.
The last conversation we had (last year, perhaps?) we went down the rabbit hole and covered the more commonly identified antagonists... the media, Hollywood... the unrealistic images of women plastered in magazines and consumed voraciously by young impressionable girls. We covered these more obvious themes. I still believe there is some merit to placing the blame for our cultural frenzy over the unattainable - as in, air-brushed 12 and 13 year olds being passed off as twenty something corporate go-getters in the pages of Mademoiselle for instance.
Do I think Fashion Publishers and Hollywood are worthy of some blame as it relates to the corruption of body image and the bastardization of what is "beautiful"? Yes. Absolutely. To profit from advancing an unreal-istic goal... by selling fiction as achievable is scandalous and damaging.
Yet, the question we are treating on relates to the morphing of what is considered beautiful in American Pop Culture.
How did it happen that Monroe became "plus sized" and that people like Keira Knightly became the goal?
Also not at all offensive to me.
BTW - Full Disclosure: I like women of mostly all shapes and sizes (within reason), but do have a preference for so-called "Athletic" body typed women like Keira Knightly. I like em long and lean. But I have no problem appreciating the more voluptuous body types either. It really is sort of a case-by-case basis for yours truly. Point being, I do prefer to look at more slender women. But even so, there is a point at which someone looks sickly. If someone is too skinny for what they are natively apt to be, it is as off-putting as someone who shaves off their eyebrows and replaces them with tattooed ones in my book.
Back to the topic at hand.
When speaking with MamaV it occurred to me that perhaps the domination of the Fashion Industry by Gay Men has a great deal with today's "perfect body".
It makes a great deal of sense that men who prefer men would think that less-curvy women are more attractive.
Lots of Stuff to Contemplate.
Let me put it this way: if you're not into hips and boobs... if you prefer the "perfect male physique" (different topic), it makes sense that you would find women with narrower hips and smaller boobs relatively more attractive than the chick on Mad Men. You know, the one with the abundance of outstanding assets.
Someone will accuse me of Homophobia or something for writing this. But I am sure it is not a novel line of thinking. I just haven't encountered this hypothesis before.
Odd to think that perhaps women are being pressured to look more like boys by people who prefer "boys/men".
Then again, I am a middle-aged, overweight lump whose fashion hasn't changed substantially since the Nineties. What the hell do I know? Not much.
UPDATE: Thx to Stacy at TheOtherMcCain for the linky love!
Next Question, Please… How Many Pedos to Fill the Congressional Hall?
If the Pavre Weiner is found to have sent such images to underage women Teenage Girls - which, I will say right this moment, he will invariably be found to have done... THEN and only THEN will we really know why this Doucebag doesn't want the Authorities investigating anything.
My guess his "private investigators" is more likely an "online reputation management firm" - attempting to disinfect the intratubes.
It's coming. Money on it. For the record.
I say this, as a man who makes these sorts of... erm... substantial moral lapses in judgment... cannot be said to have any qualms - or abide anything so arbitrary as say the age of consent.
My thoughts now turn to his poor wife. WTF was this turd thinking?
I don't think this is going to end well for him.
I think this is where this unfortunate episode is heading.
CHEAP TRICK weighs in...
Words and music by rick nielsen
People all over the world
They get up they get down
They get in they get out
They get pushed, they go back
Start all over again
Till they get to the end
I'm from a small town
Had a poor family
Mama was sick, papa worked the factory
I led a rich life
Never had to work hard
House in the country
Horses in my backyard
Next position please
Do i have to get down on my knees
Next position please
I'm in a hurry, so hurry please
Read between the lines
Learn a new message
Read the latest book
It's a new twist
Be the first one to have a new ideal
You'll never get bored with mirrors on the ceiling
Next position please
Do i have to get down on my knees
Next position please
I'm in a hurry, so hurry please
People all over the world
They get up they get down
They get in they get out
They get pushed, they go back
Start all over again
Till they get to the end
I wanna move up within the company
I can do better with an opportunity
Why don't they use me instead of abuse me?
I'm ten out of ten, not some whore in some movie
I wanna be the biggest gun in the world
I wanna see the tits on every girl
Next position please
You have to get down on your knees
Next position please
I'm in a hurry, so hurry please
(repeat to coda)
MORE CHEAP TRICK
Some SchadenFriday™ considerations
Dan, and friends of POWIP around the interwebz, have done a stand-up job this past week keeping up with all of the developments in "Weiner-gate" as they've, ahem, popped up. I really don't have anything of substance to add, save for linking this story out today that points to an interesting evolution in the narrative:
"Weinergate" has put a Seattle college cutie through the wringer -- jeopardizing her academic dreams, embarrassing her family and shattering her privacy.
"I'm just collateral damage," Gennette Cordova, 21, lamented in explaining how her world was turned upside-down when she wound up on the receiving end of a lewd, underwear-clad crotch shot sent from Rep. Anthony Weiner's Twitter account.
"I just want this to be over," she told The Post yesterday during an exclusive photo shoot and interview near her Bellingham, Wash., college campus.
Cordova thinks the package-hugging picture -- which Weiner "can't say with certitude" isn't his -- was meant for somebody else and landed in her Twitter account by mistake.
Until recently, the congressman also followed stripper and porn actress Ginger Lee, 28, who openly gushes about her "Mr. Sexy Congressman" on social-network sites.
"Her name is Ginger -- it makes sense he might have mixed us up," Cordova said, noting that two of the first three letters of their names are the same.
Maybe Ms. Cordova is on to something; perhaps she has unwittingly answered a lot of questions regarding timing, motive, etc. Who can really be sure. But this tidbit may extend the life of the story for a few more delicious days at least. Or should I more aptly say, Extenze™ ...
[UPDATE]: Dude! ACE is blowing this wide open with a barn-burner regarding the very same Ms. Ginger Lee that Ms. Cordova referred to. Seems that he has links to evidence that Ginger was accustomed to Twitter direct messages from Congressman Weiner, and also rather, how shall I say, friendly in her demeanor...
Oh, and speaking of tools, John Edwards? Dan already got to that as well, so 'nuff said...
Also today comes the news of the passing of Jack Kevorkian, the infamous Dr. of Death, at 83. Many adjectives have been used to describe the assisted suicide advocate, but it's interesting to note the details of his own passing:
His attorney, Mayer Morganroth, said it appears Kevorkian suffered a pulmonary thrombosis when a blood clot from his leg broke free and lodged in his heart. With Kevorkian was his niece Ava Janus and Morganroth.
“It was peaceful, he didn’t feel a thing,” Morganroth said.
Well, at least not yet...How ironic, that a man who helped others end their lives prematurely, in the opinion of many, chose to live out his own completely. For his sake, I pray that he made his piece with God before the end. Our pal Jeff Goldstein at Protein Wisdom captured that thought in a whimsical post that ponders possible choices for his last words:
“This Jesus guy. He’s supposed to be, like, totally forgiving, right?”
Indeed He is Dr. I hope that you contritely asked for some of His boundless mercy in the end, otherwise, you got spme 'splainin' to do...
And finally, perhaps the most Shaden-filled, is a story from the UK's Daily Mail with a new detail regarding the death of Osama bin Laden:
Was Osama bin Laden shot with a bullet soaked in pork fat, denying him a place in paradise?
Yes, if one rather shady website, that peddles gun oil containing liquefied pig fat, is to be believed.
The makers of Silver Bullet Gun Oil claim it contains 13 per cent USDA liquefied pig fat thus making the product 'a highly effective counter-Islamic terrorist force multiplier.'
The website also notes its customers include members of the U.S. military.
Now far be it from me to be so culturally insensitive to suggest that this product is knowingly used for the reasons alluded to by the manufacturer, but, I mean, it does tickle the little grey cells, non? And just for the record, I personally don't think ObL is hanging with 72 virgins celebrating his jihadi exploits versus the infidels. Hanging? Maybe...
Let's just say I'm thinking it might be a little hot where he is, if you know what I mean ;)
So there you have it. Thoughts? Impressions? Quips? Have at it.
As a final note I'd just like to say that there are real persons associated with each of these stories, families, friends, those unintentionally involved. It is my sincere hope that any suffering they're experiencing end immediately, or as soon as possible. And I also am truly praying that both Jack Kevorkian and Osama bin Laden made their peace with the Lord before exiting our realm of existence and moving on to the next; to not have would portend an unbearable fate. I also pray that Mr. Weiner see the error of his ways, embrace the truth, and make amends for this entire episode.
(Image courtesy of The Political Carnival)
California’s Gifts To The World Thus Far In 2011
- The "Dear Woman" wimps.
- Rebecca Black.
- Ahnold's love child.
- Harold Camping.
Don't say we haven't earned our keep as Entertainment Capitol Of The World.
And you're welcome.
Who’s up for a good old fashioned caption contest?
Who's the Mos Def?
I wonder she'll be displaying these moves later when Common comes to 1600 Pennsylvania avenue? You know what they say; Common is as Common does...
Anyway, to the caption contest, I'll Start:
Jam on it, Jam on it, J-Jam J-Jam J-Jam on it!
Now it's your turn, kind reader.
Trump to star in his own comic book
Which is fitting if you think about it, given that he's rather cartoonish anyway. Astonishing? Yes, but as the cliche goes, "fact is stranger than fiction"...
Seriously though, while he says some intriguing things regarding a wide range of issues his "candidacy" was like the sword of Dam0cles hanging over the GOP. Because if he won the nomination his astounding unfavorables would almost guarantee an Obama victory in 2012. Perhaps worse yet would be a narrow defeat in the GOP primaries, and the concomitant following it would provide the brash and outspoken New Yorker; an outcome that would almost ensure that The Donald would run as an independant.
A result that would guarantee an Obama victory, in the same manner Mr. Clinton will always owe Ross Perot a debt of gratitude.
Ecce Doofus [UPDATED]
Tavis the Twit
There's a lot of stupidity that flows from Lawrence O'Donnell, both his person and his television show. But this particular episode has got to be right up near the height of lows. Behold, as Tavis the race baiter tosses his pearls before all of us, well, you know :
"I said over a year ago that this was going to be, this presidential race, Lawrence, was going to be the ugliest, the nastiest, the most divisive, and the most racist in the history of this Republic"...
And so it will be as you say, Mr. Smiley; especially if professional griefers like yourself are playing the race card pre-emptively. I wonder how long until he gets his invitiation for a hard hitting Q&A from the ladies of "The View"?
Look, I get that Democrats resent guys like Trump pandering to the birthers; they're wringing their hands over what they see as the "otherization" of O!. I would have to ask them though, why the secrecy? Forget about the birth certificate for the moment; why the secrecy regarding his academics, the deliberate lack of paper-trail from the Illinois senate, and the impenetrable "omerta" of all parties regarding the Chicago Annenberg challenge-specifically his close involvement with Billy "guilty as sin, and free as a bird" Ayers? Why Tavis, is it racist to insist that this President make such records open and available to the public, as every President of the modern era has had to; why the special set of rules? If there's nothing to hide, well, why not walk the "transparency" that Obama's always blathering on about? Release the records, Mr. President.
The race-card-playing is starting early because O! is struggling, things aren't going his way with regards to the economy as well as domestic and foreign policy. Simply put, folks are having serious reservations about giving Obama a second term, so expect the race-hustlers like Smiley to chalk it all up to racism; going to the well of race-guilt one more time in order to shore up some of the mushy-middlers who can be convinced that their "unconscious racism" is really why they're unhappy with the President. I mean, surely there's no policy-based grounds for opposition, amIright?
No Tavis, 2012 will not be the most racist election, EVAR!, unless you consider the race-card-players such as yourself, the blatant tribal appeal of the identity politics playing Democrats, or, you know, the inconvenient truth that black Americans voted for Obama by a nearly 19 to 1 margin.
But I'm sure you'd tell me that none of these factors are racist whatsoever, and that I'm a horrible, horrible, race-traitor and racist h8ter for even pointing such things out.
If you can stomach it, watch the whole video-it's short-in order to fully get your righteous indignation on.
[UPDATE]: Well, it seems Trump's hammering, and the polls recently indicating a public uncertainty of Obama's origin have convinced the White House to release Obama's long form birth certificate. As I've mentioned, I never doubted his naissance, personally, but only thought the public had a right to see all of the usual and customary life history paper trail of their President. It's a good start. Now let's see the rest of the documents, so we can know the rest of the story ...
Sorry, Tina, That Wasn’t the Problem
Tina Fey says her show, 30 Rock, lost out on potential ratings because of her impressions.
Dear Tina,
That wasn't it. We get that politicians get mocked by impressionists. That's part of the package. The problem, missy, was the fact that you gave everyone the impression that you hated Palin and would give up the fame of being her best impressionist if she'd only get out of the public spotlight. The problem has more to do with the public perception of yours and Baldwin's politics than any grudge from your SNL impressions.
Making Out With Helen Thomas
Really? It appears the Muddle East is less desirable than Helen Thomas. At least to one voter. Ouch.
We should pull for Ms. Thomas. Me thinks. She probably looks better than Libya in a mankini.
Wish to participate in this poll? Click here.
UPDATEx1 - You people are sick....
UPDATEx2 - Sanity Restored? Appears as if Hot Poker in the Eye Socket is about to take the lead.
Wagers welcome.
UPDATEx3 - It's a 3-way tie. With Ms. Thomas, as you can see, losing out to Getting Hit by a Bus.
Wisconsin labor compromise?
We're awash in cash! and Pizza!
It seems that the Milwaukee teachers union has decided to drop a lawsuit they were pursuing in order to get their taxpayer funded Viagra back. Now the reason for this reversal was not specified in the announcement, but, I'm guessing it's because last weekend's visit to Madison by the avowed communist socialist to address the protesters has given the union members all the "wood" they'll need for a while...
Judging by the cetaceous Mr. Moore comments, though, one might fear that he's in as much need of intervention as a certain "Tiger-blooded Vatican Warlock!" that will otherwise go unnamed. For instance:
“America is not broke. Contrary to what those in power would like you to believe so that you’ll give up your pension, cut your wages and settle for the life your great grandparents had. America is not broke. Not by a long shot. The country is awash in wealth and cash. It’s just that it is not in your hands.”
“It has been transferred in the greatest heist in American history from the workers and consumers to the banks and portfolios of the uber-rich...the wealthy have overreached, first taking the working class’ money and then taking their souls by shutting them up at the bargaining table."
You got that? Forget about the 14 TRILLION dollar national debt, and the more than 100 trillion in unfunded entitlement liabilities. WE'RE AWASH! IN WEALTH AND CASH!11!1! Well MM, Charlie Sheen called to suggest that you dial it back a bit, because if you keep on saying this stuff people will start to think you're straight-up crazy.
No, Mikey the Hut, what we're awash in are socialists like yourself, who'll gladly resort to class-warfare demagoguery regardless of how big a lie you have to tell. Because make no mistake, it doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to deduce that what Moore's remedy to the entitlement situation is; the same as Lenin's was in early 20th century Russia, to seize the wealth of the richest Americans and "spread it around". Of course, by implying such a "remedy" he reveals himself to be more the communist statist than a Euro-socialist, but some of us recognized that long ago.
And the rocks of reality that he and his ideological ship of fools necessarily crash upon is, unlike Czarist Russia, all of the wealth of the top 10% of our society wouldn't retire even 1/5th of our combined debt and unfunded liabilities. More importantly, if said filthy rich oligarch's wealth were seized as Moore wishes, then who would pay the freight for his beloved entitlement state in the years to come?
Using the most recent figures available from the IRS, via The Tax Foundation, we find:
During 2008, the bottom 95 percent (AGI under $159,619) paid 41.3 percent of the total collected, a larger share than the 38.0 percent paid by the top 1 percent (AGI over $380,354).
The top-earning 5 percent of taxpayers (AGI over $159,619), however, still paid far more than the bottom 95 percent. The top 5 percent earned 34.7 percent of the nation's adjusted gross income, but paid approximately 58.7 percent of federal individual income taxes. [emphasis-ed.]
So Micheal Moore, put that in your hop-n-change hookah and smoke it...Duh!, Winning!11!1!
Yesterday, I heard many folks on the port side of the spectrum defending Moore's bloviating, saying he was only there to "energize the base". Funny though how none in the MBM chose to spotlight the outright fabrications as well as the implications of his demagoguery. Because, you know, he's just steeling their resolve so that they'll stand their ground.
No, he's lying. Spewing propagandistic agitprop, just because he can ! Because he knows the duplicitous MBM will neither call him on it, nor even publicize the event; just like the hateful rhetoric and deplorable behavior of the protesters never got even a fraction of the scrutiny that any of the large Tea Party demonstrations did.
Because, you know, conservatives are all hypocrites, and progressives are merely acting out of righteous indignation. I mean, Moore, the socialist who's profited nicely off of the eeeeeevvolll capitalist system he rails against, the man who's part of the upper 1% of earners in America, is never hypocritical, right? Why, I'm sure he sends any of his income that exceeds the national average directly to the IRS, to be redistributed by his messiah in chief. Yeah, that's the ticket...
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