Sensual Rebel Models | IMG Show Package - New York F/W 2012 AOC Sensual Rebel

X-posted in AOC Sexual Politics

Hi Bro. Dennis,

I look forward to speaking with you and Paul tomorrow about your excellent trip to New York. I’ve just been so overwhelmed emotionally and psychologically with everything that is going on that I haven’t been able to write a response to your last blog post. Nor have I read Bro. Solomon’s article on feminine principles in the church — only due to lack of time. Our traffic is up 50% in the last three months. I’m working on my jewelry project — filled with problems, but I totally took over the design.)

You know that I’m working on getting asylum for my friend who stood against the flogging of 40,000 women a year in Sudan. We collaborated in smuggling this video out of the country and I was able to post the movie I made for Vimeo, when YouTube kept taking it down, deluged with complaints from Khartoum.

This woman was arrested for improper dress. I understand that even Pope John Paul used self-flagellation, according to Monsignor Slawomir Oder, John Paul’s postulator. But I simply can’t believe that this cruel flogging punishment is just for the 40,000 women of Sudan deemed to be not modest enough each year. 

Flogging of Sudanese Woman in Khartoum

Because I speak out on these issues, I am now banned in the Arab world, Bro Dennis. And soon I will be banned in America.

The minority is superb at silencing crimes against women in today’s digital world, even when they boo hoo incessantly that they have no power and are the victims of the Stalinist tactics of women like me.

Truthfully, Bro. Dennis, I don’t believe that I am the gestapo, no matter what the social conservatives say.

Because I am independent, I was able to keep the flogging video alive, while sending it on to Bloomberg News. Mayor Bloomberg’s company is one of the easiest to work with in broadcasting the horrors of violence against women. As you probably know, he put a $250,000 matching grant on the table last week for Planned Parenthood, when Komen moved to join the fight to shut down Planned Parenthood in America.

Declaration of Independence

I realize now that I must generate my own salary and living without depending on advertisers and even foundations, although I do believe there are grants out there for me. Watching the tactics of the prolife people, I realize there will come a time where if I have advertisers, the people who want me dead will try to shut down my financial support.

The only way for me to succeed financially is to receive my money from a group or organization that can’t be pressured to withdraw their support of me. That will be readers.

In the name of a higher calling to God and not the laws of America, the prolifers say that I have no right to express my ideas and beliefs in America. These very words should be silenced. FOX News says that I am a totalitarian feminist, an immoral and self-absorbed woman, and that I only care about myself.

I am the enemy in America, and it breaks my heart. The young girl who was so proud of her country and cried when she heard the song “America the Beautiful” is now the immoral, unpatriotic traitor to this country. My heart is awash in the condemning words of Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney and John Boehner, telling me that I am an immoral person and un-American.

So I will get to all these matters, including a writing a 2Ps in a Pod post in the next day or two. I fear it will be quite a cry of anguish but I will try to make it powerful and meaningful.

Anne’s Nightmare of Black Cats and Nursing Maggots

Jen Davis is a Brooklyn based photographer. For the past 9 years she has been working on a series of Self-Portrait’s dealing with issues regarding beauty, identity, and body image. Her portraits explore not only society’e preoccupation with thinness as beauty, the deviance of being overweight but also the larger questions of the self.

Jen has also been exploring men, as a subject and is interested in investigating the idea of relationships, both physical and psychological, with the camera, says her web bio. She received her MFA from Yale University in 2008, and her BA from Columbia College Chicago in 2002. Jen is represented by Lee Marks Fine Art.

Every Woman Needs A Self-Photography Project

jen’s experience of photographing her body resonates deeply with me. I think every woman of every size from 0 to 50 should photograph herself to find her identity.  I’ve referenced my own personal self-photography experience in my 2Ps in a Pod blog: Beauty, Goodness & Self Worth As Female Expressions of God’s Love..  

My own case dealt with sexual guilt more than obesity. When I began taking self portraits I was 5’8” and a size 10 US. But I share the fact that a man I dated a few times ‘dropped me’ sending a note telling me that I reminded him of death. I was devastated and hit the gym, being attracted to exercise ever since.

Subsequently, this Yale-educated lawyer wrote me another note of apology a couple years later, telling me that he had been in a relationship with an anorexic woman at the time we met — and he loved her, although she had huge problems, was hospitalized and didn’t want to see him any more. This man who told me I reminded him of death because of my size, was comparing my BMI healthy body to hers.

Karl Lagerfeld Rates Not an Ounce of Fat Above Adele’s Talent

The pain that I felt is highlighted by men like Karl Lagerfeld, a frequent subject of my writing. Monsieur Lagerfeld, the man in charge of just about everything and certainly with an opinion about everything, has worked on repositioning Metro World News in Paris. Lagerfeld was talking about singers and said: “I prefer Adele and Florence Welch to Lana Del Rey, but as a modern singer she is not bad.” Karl prides himself on staying current with popular culture.

Being Karl “not an ounce of fat on a woman’s body” he had to cut to the chase of course, saying “The thing at the moment is Adele. She is a little too fat, but she has a beautiful face and a divine voice.” The Internet was ablaze with furor over Lagerfeld yesterday. I didn’t even post the noise, because I’m sick of Karl Lagerfeld’s categorical rating of women — whatever talent is under discussion — with fat first.

It is fair to say that I have issues with Karl Lagerfeld and his PR person in Paris knows it. I read that Lagerfeld has apologized since opening his big mouth about Adele, but I don’t know why. Perhaps he’s doing a Mitt Romney flip flop.  Lagerfeld’s every bit the misogynist man I was dealing with, telling me I reminded him of death, because he was in love with an anorexic.

Deadly Power of Words

Within the context of Jen Davis’s self-portraits, I will bring up the comment — not to criticize Lagerfeld — but to demonstrate his hierarchy of female attributes. Asked about Adele’s singing, he starts off with her size. This is the fashion industry at its deadliest and it destroys women’s sense of self, just as the Yale-educated a** lawyer wrote those devastating words to me.

GOOD, a superb website, has a short but very meaty interview with Jen Davis, and I urge interested readers to link over. Here is Jen’s website. I repeat that my own journey to self love and thriving really — learning to dismiss men like Karl Lagerfeld — came by picking up the camera. If Jen’s artistic exploration can trigger that journey for any of my AOC friends, her contribution to women is huge.  Anne

Elsa Sylvan expresses a sensual, pared down beauty for RUSSH Magazine #44. Shot by Elle Muliarchyk, the blonde beauty wears the spring designs of Miu Miu, Chanel, Rodarte and Prada styled by Gillian Wilkins. The intimate images are enhanced by barely there makeup from Cynthia Rose and soft strands by Luke Baker.

Justine is an intellectual, rebellious beauty for Terry Gates’ latest work featured in the January edition of Glamour France. A very cool (almost grey) platinum blonde coif by hair stylist Louis Bester and matching smokey eyes by makeup artist Violette bring an icy beauty to Justine’s feminine looks. / Manicure by Typhaine Kersual

We trust this is one beauty editorial that bloggers won’t call out as pure perfection and flawless skin. In a glimpse into the real world of a funfilled life and “why did I do that?” Angelica Heras snaps Amparo Bonmati in a beauty and jewelry editorial for Elle Spain February 2012. ‘Unas Afterparty’ is a breath of wit and fresh air with makeup and hair by Monica Roldan. Call it a taste of women’s liberation.

Beatrice Morabito | Making Waves | Modern Aphrodites-1 AOC Private Studio

More and more people, especially women are paying greater attention to their physical appearance – and for  a woman like me, a simple mascara to enhance my eyes and lip gloss are still reflection that we are a product of media and that we embrace changes to our natural physical appearance. According to the American Society for Aethetic Plastic Surgery, almost 9.5 million Americans had received cosmetic procedures in 2010. This is an increase of nine percent in the past year, with surgical procedures accounting for 17 percent of the total.

What was once considered part of the domain of wealthy older women has now become a mainstream option for many individuals, regardless of income bracket or lifestyle. A recent survey has revealed that more than half of Americans approve of plastic surgery. These numbers suggest that many people, regardless of income, marital status or gender, view plastic surgery as a reasonable option.

The World of First Impressions

Cosmetic surgery can have a positive impact on a person if their body image is consistently associated to a negative focus on a body part or facial feature.  An article “Plastic surgery: Beauty or beast?” reminds us that physically attractive people receive preferential treatment and are viewed by others as being more outgoing, dominant and intelligent than their less attractive counterparts.

Yet another survey conducted by Newsweek revealed that 57% of the interviewed hiring managers said that less attractive candidate are likely to have harder time in finding a job. This quick judging of the candidates has only increased in our highly competitive job market. See the effect?

A 2010 study published in Psychological Science suggests that the general public pays more attention to people they find attractive.

Most of us have read that first impressions are made in the first 30 seconds. The reality of human brain science make actually be worse. The Association for Psychological Science writes:

A series of experiments by Princeton psychologists Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov reveal that all it takes is a tenth of a second to form an impression of a stranger from their face, and that longer exposures don’t significantly alter those impressions (although they might boost your confidence in your judgments).

Women, Men and Cosmetic Procedures 

Women accounted for 92 percent of all procedures performed in the US in 2010. This amounts to almost 8.6 million cosmetic procedures. The five most common surgical procedures for women were liposuction, breast augmentation, abdominoplasty, breast reduction and blepharoplasty or eyelid surgery.

Conversely, men had over 750,000 cosmetic procedures, a majority of which were rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery, liposuction, cosmetic ear surgery and breast reduction for enlarged male breasts.

Weighing out the Benefits and Consequences of Plastic Surgery

All images by Dusan Jaukovic for Morfium Couture, with whom Anne and Bro. Dennis have a special relationship.

Dear Anne,

Paradoxically, we live in a disordered society of bigots, hypocrites, critics and narcissistic judges. On the other hand, becoming self-reflective and authentically concerned for others without judgment or condemnation raises our individual person from the self-destructive behaviors that enslaves us. The experience of enlightenment or wisdom can develop within us or is found in the courageous individuals who cross our path. Gandhi, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day, etc., are profound examples of individuals who struggled during their journey, while their self-reflective attitudes brought substantial movement of goodness—affecting others.

I view the world around me and myself like a stained glass window—broken to be made beautiful. Each pane of class broken and at times shattered by the careful efforts of the master craftsman—God, life choices and our universe. The end result, relative to a pane of glass, is a work-of-art that becomes more beautiful as a whole and brilliant when exposed the sun’s rays. Regardless of the modality we use to explain the frailty of our human existence, which some refer to as the “fall of Adam and Eve”; there exists the universal experience of our “ego” becoming the center of the universe.

When enslaved by our ego, our oftentimes unprovoked and radical reactions are portrayed through bigotry, hypocrisy, criticism and narcissism. These unsightly scabs cross all cultures and religions, for it is part of the human condition.

On the contrary, becoming self-reflective and self-aware, we unearth the rooted grip of the shadow-side of our humanity, shedding light and truth, bringing movement to humility, responsibility, accountability and acceptance of the uniqueness of others.

Here lies the rub. Recognition and movement away from our selfish, self-serving interest not only brings healing to our personal history, but also unravels the generational threads of dysfunction that lie at the foundation of the scab. Anne, you explained this process through your self-portrait photography expressed in last month’s blog.

Understanding Evil

Common to the demonstrative Ultra-Orthodox Jew, extremist Muslim, fundamentalist Christian and any other fanatical religious or secular institutions, is their outstanding aptitude in being manipulative, controlling and coercive. If this conduct prevents the emotional, spiritual or physical growth and development of another person, we have the definition of evil incarnate, according the Dr. Scott Peck in his book, ‘Children of the Lie’.

Anne, my heart aches over the destructive attitudes of governments, religions and secular institutes that judge and condemn women and men because of race, religion, sexual orientation, desire for democracy or freedom of speech and religion. As we search for truth we discover the frailty of humanity and its need for the True God of love and not the destructive god entrapped within who those who have allowed their hearts to be possessed by evil.

Awareness of What Is Healthy, Holy and Honorable

Karl Lagerfeld’s spring 2012 campaign for Chanel has us amused. Saskia de Brauw and Joan Smalls enjoy a bit of outdoor air, hitting the balance bar and other sporting equipment, wearing lightweight dresses and outerwear in these classically styled images shot by Lagerfeld at the Hôtel du Cap Eden Roc.

We’re amused because exercise and physicality are not part of Lagerfeld’s Chanel DNA, although Lagerfeld does run up and down stairs for exercise. Muscles are not acceptable on Karl’s women. But 2012 is the year of the London Olympics and we have every reason to believe — based on prior temper tantrums I’ve caused in Paris over this precise topic — that our Arthur Elgort comparisons have perhaps resonated just a little bit in the City of Lights. Anne

Pirelli Defines Sensuality & Fashion Bodies | Arthur Elgort | Karl Lagerfeld

Jesse Rosten describes his wildly successful Fotoshop by Adobé video saying: ‘This commercial isn’t real, neither are society’s standards of beauty.’

What’s freaking everybody out is how brilliantly Rosten has nailed both beauty industry talk and behind the scenes art director lingo about improving models’ bodies with Photoshop. The largely male-dominated industry is devoted to improving the babes so we’re fit to be seen in public.

Terms like ‘the next revolution in beauty’, a product that promises to give you ‘full lips, sparkling eyes and lashes that never end’ give the video amazing credibility. The result is a whole new you — ‘perfected’. ‘Finally look the way you’ve always dreamed.’

We add, be sure you never meet people for real in life and especially on a Match.com date.

In pursuing your perfection, Fotoshop by Adobé provides pro-pixel intensifying fauxtanical hydro-jargon microbead extract. Promising to leave you unrecognizable, the model exclaims with glee: ‘My skin feels like plastic.’ Indeed, we can all become human Barbies

You don’t have to rely on a healthy body or self respect anymore. ‘Now that’s the power of Fotoshop”.

Oh sorry, we forgot. Best of all: you can even change your race. Now that what we call achieving the impossible dream!

Plus Model Magazine’s January 2012 issue is causing a major stir with size 12 model Katya Zharkova lensed by Victoria Janashvili. Accompanying Katya’s images are bold statements about the growing disparity between downsized fashion models and increasingly overweight and obese American women — and many European women, too. Note that the article doesn’t mention the upsizing of real American women, who are vastly more overweight and obese than 20 years ago.

Our position on size 0 models is clear. As long as a size 0 model isn’t anorexic, we have no issue with a representation of size 0 models in fashion. We have a huge issue with the downsizing of the 90s supermodels who averaged a size 4, usually with visible muscles and a powerful physique.

The reality that a size 4 is often and a size 6 is always considered a plus size in fashion is crazy and frankly depressing, a big negative for women’s psyches. We hope to see a wide variety of BMI-healthy women in fashion because there is no doubt that we are impacted by the bodies we see featured in magazines, advertising and a host of media including television.

We continue to use BMI because it is the measure used by the global medical establishment and works in the aggregate. Exceptions to BMI, especially among more muscular women who work out and may register as overweight, don’t invalidate it. AOC also takes America’s obesity problem and lack of exercise very seriously.

The article Plus Size Bodies, What Is Wrong with Them Anyway? shares key statistics that are correct, to the best of our knowledge, but also one-sided.

Actress Demi Moore has signed an agreement with publisher Harper Collins — who reportedly more than doubled her advance after split with Ashton Kutcher — to write a book about overcoming her alcohol and cocaine addictions, her difficult relationship with her mother and being both cross-eyed and wearing an eye patch as a young girl. Throwing in her six-year marriage to Ashton should make the book a blockbuster. There’s no word yet if Demi will discuss her alleged liaison with reality TV star Brandi Glanville.

Photographed by Cedric Buchet for the February 2012 edition of Harper’s Bazaar US, Demi chats with good friend Amanda de Cedenet about body image.

On the subject of aging and body love, Demi Moore says she has a ‘love-hate relationship’ but has finally grown to accept it.

“I have had a love-hate relationship with my body. When I’m at the greatest odds with my body, it’s usually because I feel my body’s betraying me, whether that’s been in the past, struggling with my weight and feeling that I couldn’t eat what I wanted to eat, or that I couldn’t get my body to do what I wanted it to do.

 “What scares me the most is not knowing and accepting that just about everything is not in my control. That makes me feel unsafe. I think being comfortable is perhaps overrated. I think a better word than comfortable is accepting. Accepting weaknesses and strengths and being more able to celebrate all of it as a whole package,” Moore said.

In saying that she has come to terms with her body, Demi addresses recent commentary that she has become too thin.

“I think I sit today in a place of greater acceptance of my body and that includes not just my weight but all of the things that come with your changing body as you age to now experiencing my body as extremely thin-thin in a way that I never imagined somebody would say to me, ‘You’re too thin and you don’t look good.’”

The duo Demi Moore and Amanda de Cadenet will premiere ‘The Conversation’, a new interview series produced for Lifetime and debuting this spring. De Cadenet describes the show as “alternative television”.

A controversy has broken out over Terry Richardson’s new ad campaign for Equinox fitness Clubs. Critics of the campaign argue that the models are way too thin and are very passive creatures, the attempt at arm wrestling aside.

Huff Po asks: “Do you go to the gym to get healthy and strong — or skinny and sexy?” and Anne answers with this comment:

Your own separation of “healthy and strong” from “skinny and sexy” puts you in the same group of fashionistas who don’t utter healthy + strong + sexy +­ muscle lust (or muscle definition­) in the same sentence.

In the downsizing of models from the Crawford, Campbell supermodel size 4-6 with muscle-def­inition, real power, influence and big bank account days, those words got ripped apart as not being mutually inclusive. The truth is real-women gym rats come in many shapes and sizes and many enjoy both a healthy body AND an appreciati­on of their own sex appeal with muscles that are hard-earne­d. Others pursue the “I’ll die if there’s an ounce of fat on my body and any muscle tone” approach, which is their prerogativ­e. From all I know about sexuality research — which is a lot — the latter group tend not to be the ones with intense libidos. Exceptions exist, of course. What’s wrong with the Terry Richardson ads is their one dimensiona­lity, and I would expect nothing else from him, being that Terry is a rather simple-min­ded guy.

Andrea Mary Marshall’s Toxic Women Female Archetypes AOC Private Studio

Dear Bro. Dennis,

When I read your words in this recent post ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’:

The second greatest commandment from the Christian perspective is to, “love your neighbor as yourself”. Authentic love requires the humility to see our selves in the manner in which God has created us. It is essential to identify our individual beauty, viability, goodness and worth in order to see our selves as a reflection of God’s love.

 … they resonate deeply with me. And while no one — including me — can speak for all women, those voices and suppressed thoughts from our readers and millions more women are percolating in my unconscious.

Your own perspective on God’s love is soothing and confidence-building for women. But as I told you, my own experience with learning to love myself was a journey that many — including my own mother — would label an ultimate act of narcissism.

Narcissism in the Search for Self Love

For every enlightened person like yourself, I wonder how many other people would condemn my self-photography project. In my case, the images became an ultimate act of self-exploration and understanding triggered by my friend Bill. Sharing photos of me completely clothed and snapped in front of the bathroom mirror, he asked me about cropping my images. 

At first I denied the cropping (I wasn’t taking the time to do any retouching, which I can also do in Photoshop.) But when he then said “Anne, images don’t come out of your camera 3.7” by 5.2”,” there was no place to hide. His next words cemented our connection to each other for many years: “Anne, I’m no psychiatrist, but it seems to me that if you don’t like something about yourself, you just chop it off. Aren’t you symbolically cutting yourself into little pieces? It’s a form of dismemberment.”

His words were scorching. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, I confronted the reality that after all my years of success, accomplishment, and therapy to learn to love myself — my reality was that I loathed the woman in the mirror. Why? Yes, the years of intense physical and emotional abuse; yes, being judged and denied communion by the priest after my sexual assault. Yes, hearing my mother say that if the assault even happened — since my attacker insisted that I made the whole thing up — I caused it, because I must always be the center of attention.

Standing in front of the mirror, I saw decadence and shame over my sexuality, which at any weight and age has always by part of my persona. For all your words of wisdom about treating our bodies as temples, which we have agreed will be the focus on my post, I loathed mine.

My body was decadent and disgusting; and I grieved that such an intelligent mind could be attached to such an imperfect, polluted physical form. The physical blows of physical abuse recede from memory long before the words. When abuse attacks every aspect of our physical selves, those are the words that confront us in the mirror.

The Lens Doesn’t Lie, or Does It?

It was at this moment, early in 2004 that I picked up the camera and launched a deep exploration of myself, one that included every aspect of my physicality. I snapped the lens continuously for months — clothes on and clothes off — until I made peace with the corporeal nature of the woman I faced every morning.Daily exercise became part of my life and the pounds melted away.

Almost on cue, Andrea Mary Marshall’s toxic women female archetypes art works appeared this morning. I was so obsessed with them that I left the water boiling on the stove for an hour and nearly scorched my tea pot. Her images remind us of the many conflicting messages that women receive from brands, marketing, moms, community leaders, dads, religious figures, teachers, husbands, lovers … the nonstop list of inputs determining who and what women are supposed to be.

Nowhere do these images say “It is essential to identify our individual beauty, viability, goodness and worth in order to see our selves as a reflection of God’s love.” These images are all about making us into something else, improving women with the right hand while condemning us for being vain with the left.

It’s easy for you and I to tell women to find their own inner beauty and to believe that God loves us and our corporeal nature, that we have beautiful soft skin and smiles for a reason. The reality is that the messages condemning female physicality and beauty come not only in the form of commercialism and parental child abuse or bullying at school. Those messages come from many of our religious institutions.

Morfium prior collection by Dusan Jaukovic

Delving more deeply into the content of your blog post, I recognized the pattern of healing revealed in your dream, which existed before the dream. Pretty cool! You are Anne of “today” and your dream of falling into the elevator shaft and emerging alive was the manifestation of who you are in the “now”.

I suppose that is obvious to the reader, but I found it particularly insightful; like an image being photographed. As the image—you existed before the photograph. Your dream enabled you to be aware of the epiphany. Similarly, beauty or other existing attributes within us can be hidden from our awareness. This is where the power of projection can enable us to see what is otherwise concealed (as I shared in my last post).

In our more formative years when we fell prey to the abusive words and actions of those we loved, trusted or admired, the experience can cause an indelible and tragic affect—following us through life. Not until we become self-aware are we able to exchange the lies for truth.

What’s love got to do with it? ~ Tina Turner

“Love is not a second hand emotion”, as Tine Turner sang in 1986. Healthy, balanced relationships of intimacy and longevity can only bring fulfillment when two people give and receive from each other.

The spiritual energy that is generated from such selfless activity is fundamentally the life source that fulfills our being and of which the sum of energy is greater than its two sources. This type of relationship requires the maturity fashioned through the healing journey of self-awareness.

The second greatest commandment from the Christian perspective is to, “love your neighbor as yourself”. Authentic love requires the humility to see our selves in the manner in which God has created us. It is essential to identify our individual beauty, viability, goodness and worth in order to see our selves as a reflection of God’s love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-13 is the love “litmus test” we can apply to any and all relationships! In one degree or another, these attributes need to be familiar to a relationship. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being “not at all” and 10 “all the time”, if the following attributes are not expressed above a level of 5, there will be issues if not failure in the relationship:

MAC Cosmetics have announced their latest collaboration with 90-year-old Iris Apfel, a style superstar who defines the concept of Old Ladies Rebellion. Every bit the eccentric individualist, a woman old enough to be the great grandmother to young fashionistas will share her bold beauty formula of bright lipsticks, commanding attention nail lacquers and intense eye-shadows. 

MAC says the range is ‘a colour collection inspired by a rare bird who has always been ahead of her time.

We just love the visual imagery of the MAC ad capturing Iris Apfel’s saucer-shaped eyeglasses. The collection takes a lead from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 2005 Rara Avis (Rare Bird) exhibit, naming the lipsticks Pink Pigeon, Diamond Dove and Scarlet Ibis. The Met writes that all of the items in that show have been pledged to the museum.

The MAC collection goes on sale Jan. 5.

Previously Jan 18, 2010