The Litter Guy, Uglies and the Happy Ending Foundation hoax

I was on my way to meet Luisa for dinner last night when I ran into the fellow above. Read more about Marc the Litter Guy in my blogTO post. I happened to have my DSLR with my Sigma 30/1.4 lens because I knew I wanted to take pics at Penelope. My Toronto friends have all been very patient about my taking pics of everyone's meal before we start eating. :-)



Above: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. Recently finished this book for young people and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's one of the books I picked up during my Rochester visit. Ironic how it ties into the recent fashion and body consciousness discussion.



Yesterday I mentioned an article about a woman who was campaigning against kids' books that didn't have happy endings. Well, it turns out that Adrienne Small, Clare Hughes and the Happy Endings Foundation were all part of an elaborate hoax, a marketing ploy by ArtScience to promote the Lemony Snicket books (A Series Of Unfortunate Events).

I've posted my response to this in Inkygirl: Happy Ending Foundation / Lemony Snicket hoax: In Poor Taste?.



Livejournal comments

A culture of beauty

Inspired by the recent discussion in response to my Blathering yesterday about Dove's Campaign For Real Beauty, I've been reading In Your Face: The Culture Of Beauty and You by Shari Graydon. It won the Norma Fleck Award For Children in non-fiction. Fascinating and thought-provoking. The book is well-researched and has a TON of relevant info of interest to grown-ups as well as teens. The author, Shari Graydon, is a veteran media literary activist and has taught media literacy at university.

Thanks very much to all those women out there brave enough to answer my survey about fashion and body consciousness. A few quotes:

"Fashion is for fools. It's a huge industry that tries to say that only women who look prepubescent (or like boys) are worth looking at, and anyone with more meat on her bones is fat. Sad, sad, sad."


"I am somewhat fashion conscious, not that I will wear anything that I dislike or follow a trend just because it's a trend, but I enjoy fashion as an art and as self-expression. I loathe the industry's obsession with women who look like 13 year old boys, but in general I enjoy the art."

"For a long time I bought into the idea that I could be pretty or I could be smart (which was an easy choice.) Honestly, I have no idea where that came from, since my Mom is pretty and smart, and clearly neither she nor Dad believes in that myth. But somehow I picked it up. Fandom has taught me that I can be pretty *and* smart. *grin*"

"I wore makeup when I worked in Chicago (formal setting) and when I was in my 20s-30s because I thought I couldn't get any (male) attention without it. I stopped wearing makeup when it accented wrinkles rather than eyes. Yes, I have indeed been exposed to the promotion-goes-to-the-slim-and-pretty on the job. Made me angry then, makes me angry now."


"As a bigger woman I actually consider it my own little personal crusade to prove that a curvy girl can be pretty, sexy, well-dressed."

"This year in particular, I've become very self-conscious about myself. I'm nineteen and I weigh around 93 lbs. I'm the perfect size, the one everyone wants to be: 0. The unachievable zero. Except I've always been this weight and have to do nothing to get there. I've always been skinny, but this year everyone seems to think that they need to comment on it and remind me how abnormally thin I am and that I really should eat more."

"In the plastic surgery shows, the 'before' women look so soft in surgical prep rooms, with their tousled hair and hospital robes, smiling gently at the cameramen, aware that things are about to improve for them. The before is approachable-- warm, human, real. The after is beautiful, yes-- but also distant, and somehow, fierce-- not someone you'd ever want to share a secret with. And when the 'swans' move like real people, and talk like real people, the illusion of dollhood is suddenly broken, and the contrast between the two is often jarring(or just unfortunate)."


"I used to be paralyzed around people, worrying about what they would think of me, terminally shy. I finally realized (with age) that nobody was thinking about me at all, they were too busy thinking about themselves and their own lives and their own insecurities. It was an enormous relief; I could look and be however I wanted and nobody cared. Freedom!"

"I have been morbidly obese for many years, mainly as a result of hiding away from the world and not caring about myself. This year I decided it was time to finally tackle my weight problem - not to fit into any societal ideals, but to fit into my ideals and to be able to do what I like and wear what I like. Now I'm starting to develop an interest in hair styles, clothes and make-up. I'm not following fashion, I'm just trying to find my own style. And I'm loving every minute of it!"

"I think it is difficult to untangle all the confusion of opinions about what is perceived as beautiful and what is actually healthy. But, I know that since losing weight I enjoy a better quality of life. I am less moody, less hormonal during that certain time of the month, and I sleep better."


"I so enjoy seeing other people, photographing or drawing them, and I honestly can say I find genuine beauty in every person I see; everyone is unique and has something wonderful about them. I love the variety, the wrinkles, the character in faces and bodies and their movements. I do not find the overly made-up look attractive because it conceals so much. I find beauty in others, yet I confess that I find it harder to see it in myself because of those old tape-loops that were burned in as a younger person. At least now I can recognize them and try to set them aside..."

"I tried to be original and somewhat bohemian in what I wore when I was in university, but had trouble settling on a style because I am, truly, too many women for one fashion style. Now I have kids, and I'm happy if I brush my hair in the morning. There are women at the schoolyard who are done out in Lululemon with makeup and done hair as they drop their kids off; they are not me."

To read the rest of the comments or to add your own, see this page.

Related link

Photoshopping Mag Covers: How Much is Too Much?: I came across this article while researching publishing news this morning.

Unrelated link

The Happy Endings Foundation invites you to a book burning!: I've posted about this in Inkygirl. Apparently some woman in the UK is spearheading a national campaign to put a stop to children's books that don't have a happy ending.

UPDATE: Turns out this was a clever marketing ploy for the Lemony Snicket books. :-) See my follow-up post.





Livejournal comments

Dove's Campaign For Real Beauty - and a survey for women

Will Write For Chocolate has been updated. I'm going to be moving WWFC to a new server soon. Speaking of NaNoWriMo, my cartoons will start appearing on the NaNoWriMo site next month.

Worked on a new Urban Tapestry song last night. I used to do all my songwriting on the guitar but after my tendinitis episode, I changed my strategy. Now I compose in Garageband (soon Logic Express, when I learn how to use it properly).

This time I tried something different: I recorded myself playing a few guitar chord progressions that I knew I wanted in the song, using a click track. Then I split up the track sections so I could copy and move them around, and THEN recorded myself singing the melody over top as I wrote it.

The final version won't have me singing lead (I don't have a lead voice) but Allison and Jodi instead. Once I've finished writing their parts, I'll e-mail an MP3 along with the lyrics; that way they'll have a chance to practice ahead of time before they come over to my place and record. Hoping to finish writing the song tonight!



I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with the Dove Campaign For Real Beauty. Not having cable tv, Jeff and I have been out of it when it comes current television commercials, so I only heard about this recently.



I saw the video above first. Most commercials these days (the ones I see when I do get tv access, like at the gym) strike me remarkably insipid, but found this one really hit home. So I checked out some of Dove's other Campaign For Real Beauty ads, like the very short but surprisingly moving "Amy":



And also the one below, which I had heard about but never seen:



Sort of frightening, really, which I guess is the point.

I went through the whole "I hate my body" phase ages ago, especially through adolescence. I still cringe at some photos of me now, especially ones which highlight flabby bits that didn't used to be flabby, but on the whole I no longer stress about not looking anything like the Gorgeous People in the media.

I exercise and try to eat healthy because it makes me feel better and gives me more energy to pour into my creative projects. I don't angst about not being in fashion or trying to cover up my facial blemishes with a cake of make-up. I'm also aware, however, that I have the luxury of working at home, and that unfortunately there are work environments where a woman who thinks this way might easily be passed over for promotion for someone else who DOES get those tummy tucks and augmented breasts and spends an hour each morning on her make-up and hair.

And I DO have self-indulgences. Occasionally wearing shoes with a bit of heel because I like the look, for example, even though they may not be super-comfortable for long periods. And sometimes colouring the grey out of my hair (ok, so there's not a lot of grey yet but I admit I don't like it).

So what about the rest of you women? How fashion-conscious and body-conscious are you? Be brave and speak out. And how important are these factors in your work environment?

LINK O' THE DAY

RealEstatePlus.ca: Hey, my cousin Daniel (who works for Bell Canada) recently launched a Toronto real estate site that has more info than the usual MLS listings with a user-friendly interface (uses neighbourhood names instead of confusing codes).



Livejournal comments

Virtual birthday party!

Happy birthday to my friend Allison today! You're welcome to join the virtual birthday party, which is in full celebratory progress. Just a few of the current events:

antonia_tiger's cabaret! She is also providing some background music re: another video and says "as actors doing music videos go, who cares if he's really playing the guitar?"



gnomedude brought a troop of gnomes! The gnomes are doing Allison's laundry and marking her math tests as well as renovating Jodi's basement.

khaosworks brought a Cyberman voice changer helmet for Jodi, negatives for this batch of photos for Allison, and for John: "A remote control for Debbie. Sadly, the mute buttons don't work"...I did read that, Terence! :-D John likes the remote control and asks if it will work for a wife, too.



thatcrazycajun brought 10 lbs. of calorie-free Toblerone and a 1 lb. bag of Godiva coffee for Jodi, a Lego Mindstorms kit for John and a Roomba vacuum robot for Allison.

steviebomb brought a lovely ascii cake.



Eva Van Daele-Hunt writes: "Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag!
Happy Birthday to all three of you! For your entertainment, I would like to force everybody present to join in a traditional German birthday song - it is a round:
Viel Glück und viel Segen
auf all Deinen Wegen
Gesundheit und Frohsinn
sei auch mit dabei.
Everybody now: One - two - three: . . ."



damedini brought (for all) a BIG bottle of fabulous champagne, a cake made by the Robuchons in Paris (Valhrona chocolate, natch!), a selection of French cheeses chosen by an expert (with baguette and crackers) and fresh fruit. "Jodi gets a private chocolatessen as an addition on her house. And a chocolate version of a spa mud bath. John I don't actually know: he gets a classic Wurlitzer jukebox loaded with all his favorite tunes. Lights and chrome, of course. Allison I send off to a fabulous spa for a weekend of total relaxation, from which she will be driven in a classic Rolls Royce (Silver Cloud maybe?) to a marvellous restaurant where all her friends, family and the best dinner of her life await."

catalana brings hugs, songs and cake. "I even promise that, in honor of the birthdays, I will play exclusively songs where no one dies...which may make it a *short* concert, but it's the thought that counts, right? *grin*"



blueeyedtigress is pouring drinks for everyone, including a chocolate martini for Jodi and a large goblet of strawberry wine for Allison.

To move the party along, birthday boy unkbar brought a a cooler full of bottles of Woodchuck cider, and of Guinness.



unclechristo brought happy birthdays and "Andromedan knee hugs all round. (elbows, of course for John)" Also some pretty spacey videos. :-D

zencuppa brought two one-hour massages, two transporters, plum wine, and "your favorite chocolate in noncaloric form."



mvt brought a treehouse to read in for Allison, a spell for Jodi "so she can game and filk on the same day," and a Hoka for John.



kinder1of5 brought a cake and masses of chocolate, plus a big bottle of black Batida from her and Michael, and also sang a birthday song:

"Heute mag es stürmen, regnen oder schnein,
denn du strahlst ja selber wie der Sonnenschein,
heut ist dein Geburtstag, darum feiern wir,
alle deine Freunde freuen sich mit dir,
alle deine Freunde freuen sich mit dir

WIE SCHÖN; DASS DU GEBOREN BIST;
WIR HÄTEN DICH SONST SEHR VERMISST
WIE SCHÖN; DASS WIR BEISAMMEN SIND
WIR GRATULIEREN DEM GEBURTSTAGSKIND!!! "

lord_korak snuck into the party at 5 am to drop off some Innis & Gunn for later but promised to be back later with "appropriate virtual gifts."



crystalfall brought birthday greetings and said re: Filkcontinental (filk convention in Germany) this past weekend:

"You [two] and Debbie were sorely missed!!!!! Although we had a really good time with Dandelion Wine and Heather Dale - at least they are Canadian, too ... ;)
Dandelion Wine actually sang Jodi's "Lady" - and once more moved us to tears with this stunning song. And Nemsi and Anke did "I love the Morning" together - it was Nemsi' first spot, and he was so wonderful as a morning-hater!!! And as an encore Dandelion Wine did the Hockey Monkey song, and you should have heard the whole audience shouting this song while doing the hand jive.... Maybe if you listen very hard, you can still hear the echo across the ocean..."



little_cinnamon brought "a new 5-part arrangement for us to sing, and lots of chocolate for all!"

traveller42 brought many happy returns and Guinness.



The party ends TOMORROW, so there's still time for you to join in. :-)



And congrats to Margaret Davis and Kristoph Klover on being invited as next year's guests at next year's Filkcontinental in Germany!

I was delighted to be able to hear/meet Kristoph and Margaret at Consonance earlier this year. Both are super-nice and incredibly talented musicians. I also worked with Kristoph by e-mail while I was recording a flute part for Seanan McGuire's Stars Fall Home CD. I remember thinking that he was a quiet, serious type. When I met him in person, however, I found out I was WAY wrong.

:-D



You can find about more about Margaret and Kristoph, plus hear samples, at their Web site.

Birthdays, music and squirrels

Photo by John Hall.

Happy birthday to Jodi! And also to John Hall! John has pics from Urban Tapestry's visit to Rochester up on his Web site, for those interested.

The shots above and below are from our house concert at John's place in Rochester.


Photo by John Hall.

Those who know Jodi, John or Allison (Allison's birthday is this Wednesday) are welcome to participate in a virtual birthday party that I'm current hosting in my Livejournal. I love the Internet. Where else can you have birthday party guests arriving from Germany, Singapore, England, the U.S. and Canada?



I have a new blogTO post about my CIBC Run For The Cure experience.


Photo by John Hall.

This photo below was taken in the Strong National Museum of Play, at an exhibit with a sign that said something like "What would YOU eat?"


Photo by John Hall.

Speaking of squirrels, a *@#&$ squirrel has managed to dig up my rosemary plant. I could be benevolent and say that the squirrel was reminding me to take in my rosemary before frost, but I suspect its motives were far less kind.

Grrr....



Livejournal comments