The Shape Of Things

I am pretty sick and miserable today.  I stayed home and, thankfully, my rehearsal was also canceled since the director still needs to find a replacement for the guy who quit.  I've spent my day attempting to sleep (hard when you can't breathe, and breathing hurts your throat), drinking tea, surfing the web and watching Netflix online.  Woody Allen's Manhattan Murder Mystery is pretty good.  And crimeny - Angelica Huston could set celluloid on fire from 100 feet.  How do I get some of that?  (Though, I like to think I already have a little *ahem*.)

I sort of like how the internet has turned us all into little old cyber ladies who, instead of clipping newspaper articles and coupons that our friends and family might find useful, we sent links and bookmarks.  "Gertie, check this YouTube video - it might cure your sciatica..."

I finally got around to reading a NY Times article my friend sent me about 'Moments That Mattered'.  They asked several celebrities/artists/writers what on-screen moments in the past year have been meaningful to them.  Their moments range from a seemingly fluffy Mylie Cyrus video, to the poetic Man on Wire, to the undeniably heart-tugging Christian the Lion, and a heart-breaking newscast about pet euthanizing.

And it all got me wondering what I would nominate for one of my most compelling on-screen moments of the year...  then it sort of hypnotically jiggled and shimmied into mind: I've been trying to wrap my head around the Beyonce as Sasha Fierce video for Single Ladies.  As a teen in the 90's, Kate Moss put heroin chic on the map and every one of my girlfriends (and myself) were obsessed with glossy magazines telling us how to be successful women by dressing, exercising and eating "right".  On the other end of the spectrum, we cursed the industry and held mini summits preaching "empowerment" and touted Naomi Wolf 's The Beauty Myth and Gloria Steinem's alarming insight on gender in advertising.

As we inch closer to true racial equality here, we're embracing looks and cultures that are breaking our previous molds - for the better.  Watching this video made me feel so relieved that there are smoking hot women out there for myself and other, young girls to look up to - who are so much sexier and real than what I'd been offered as a teen.  And I think that is a huge step forward.

--Susan Atwood

Comments

[Justine]

Sorry you're not feeling well, Susan. Last night I felt like I could be getting sick but now I'm not sure. I feel okay at the moment.

I love Manhattan Murder Mystery!! Such a fun movie. And yeah, wasn't Angelica Huston sexy in that? I don't always find her so, but she was really vampy in this one and looked great.

[Justine]

P.S. If you need another Woody Allen rec to cheer you, I recommend "Mighty Aphrodite" (it was on cable the other day so that made me think of it)