The fallacy of "big is beautiful"

There has been an emphasis in the media lately of being anti-stick-thin-models and pro "normal" models. Just today I found a slideshow from TODAY that screamed "Big is Beautiful!" On the surface, I agree. I think we all need to get more realistic about body image and realize that not everyone is the same, not everyone is a size 00 and not everyone will wear a dress exactly like it is in the hanger. Somehow, as an average woman who's been big and who's been little and who struggles with body image regardless.... somehow I see this all as a farce . Like a three-ring circus act (with the exception of that one model who posed nude a few weeks/months ago - she and the spread were classy and real). I feel like someone in the media is playing around with the concept to try and appease us to make us feel as if we're being catered to... for now. Here's one generic problem I have: the reaction generally is to counter too-thin by using plus-sized models. I don't have an issue with that, other than it seems like going from one extreme to the other. How about we display a wide range of body type? Secondly, and this is a gripe that I find particularly related to the slideshow (go see it now if you haven't), I don't like the fact that they've taken plus sized models and made them do exactly the same thing as the too-thin ones. Study the pictures... Most of them has been put into an outfit that is clearly too tight/small for them, making them look bulgy when they really aren't. Muffin top is not natural. It is only a product of clothing that is poorly fitted. It makes me sad. I comment on this particularly because I just spent this past weekend at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art and walked into one room and was stopped dead by the beauty of a painting... the beauty of this painting by Frederick Carl Frieseke:

It may not look like much on your computer screen (something seems to be lost to me here...), but I highly recommend that you stop by to visit her the next time you're in town. She's beautiful. The painting is beautiful. Something takes you about the human form. She's not a tiny woman.

While searching for this one, I also found a collection of nudes by Kenyon Cox, my favorite being titled Indian Summer. I am in love with his portrayal of the female body because each of his works is quite obviously a real woman. They are put in pastoral settings and given a mythical air, but they are far from being air brushed.

Just my thoughts... take from it what you will. These are good examples of how to show real women.

I think I'm the only one...

I must be the only one in the history of man to hate, and I mean HATE, the story of Romeo and Juliet. I wish there Shakespeare had a broken home so I could say to him (if he were alive) "a plague on both your houses!" Seriously. I have no comprehension of how people like that story. It's depressing and aggravating and is all a result of massive mis-communication and idiocy. I have only ever met one version of R&J that I liked and that's the Romeo + Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. I believe that the only reason I like it is because it's artistically well done enough that I can get past it and ignore the story. I bring this up because I just caught an episode of Lux Radio Theater that was a rendition of Madame Butterfly. I was very excited since I have never seen the show and you hear about it all the time. People rave about it. I liked it clear up to the end.... When (BEWARE: SPOILER) she kills herself on her father's death sword. All because of a stupid, frickin' MISCOMMUNICATION! Argh! it irked me to no end. I felt like Charlie Brown when Lucy pulls the football away. Stop doing this to me, people!!!!! I haven't liked any movie versions of R&J (except the one stated before), I don't like West Side Story (go ahead and gasp in chagrin - I know you want to), and I don't like Madame Butterfly now that I've heard it. It's once again a poorly masked rehashing of the R&J story and it looses me once more. Grrr.... I feel cheated and betrayed.

Artfully done or art fully done.

While tropical storm Hanna has been a bust - I didn't die eventhough I failed to fully prepare by buying extra toilet paper and gas as the government e-mail suggested - the storm did keep most people at home and provided me with a preium parking spot directly in front of the door to the National Gallery. This is why I live here. I can drive 15 minutes, park on the street, run into a museum and see an exhibit and then pop home. Love it! So I finally, FINALLY got to see the Afghanistan's Hidden Treasures exhibit which closes tomorrow at the NGA (wipes sweat off brow). It was good. I'm glad I didn't miss it. Afterwards, I swung by the Calder room and then headed by to see the Da Vinci and the Flemish and Dutch art. While I still love archaeological exhibits, like the afghani one, I'm becoming increasingly fond of paintings of people... I'm finding there are certain artists and periods which had a highly skilled hand in painting things that can still be related to today. I adore paintings that look like real people - in which you can sense their personality, almost hear how they laughed - they really don't look like people who have been dead for 300 years. I appreciate things where I can feel like I can connect with those who came before me. For instance, this painting by Frans Hals at the National Gallery

He totally looks like a guy that I dated briefly in college.
Then, I just found this on Hals Wikipedia page...

I don't know about anyone else, but I SWEAR I walked past that guy at the Renaissance Festival the other day. He looks fun to hang out at a pub with. I'd like to go see that one someday, I think.

Then there's this one at the NGA by Quentin Massys called the Ill-matched lovers.

It threw me for a loop because there are about 15 different common, every-day scenarios that you see in the bars that could result in this picture... until you notice her hand in the lower left handing off presumably a money bag to that evil lookinf jester guy behind her. Now there's two ways I could go with this... A) she just cozied up to him & ripped him off (most likely), or B) that she's really married to him and it's like any modern day scenario of a young hottie who is with a heinous older man because he's her sugar-daddy, and while she's sucking up & keeping him happy, she's also paying off her bookie or drug dealer with the most recent "allowance" she's gotten. Hehe. This amuses me greatly.
Now, one irritating thing is that they have the halls for the 18th and 19th century American and European paintings closed for renovation right now and they put "the favorites" in a tiny hall downstairs. The website is completely remiss as to which paintings are included with the exception of the five most famous. grrr... GRRRR! There was one that struck me as the 18th century Paris Hilton. Thanks to another site, the museum syndicate, I was able to find it. It's the The Marquesa de Pontejos by Francisco de Goya.

Anyway, it was a good afternoon. : )