Janelle monae

What an inspirational artist. Her mind, soul, her talent and her style.

see her video




I really feel that music and artists have a huge influence in the way we think. My goal is to help bring as many people as I possibly can together with my music." But it isn't solely about the music. "With regards to the way that I dress, to the things that come out of my mouth, I'm really trying to give a different perspective." Considering for a moment, she adds, "and I think there are a lot of young girls out there who are like me."
Janelle Monae

Murakami quote

"According to Aristophanes in Plato's The Banquet, in the ancient world of legend there were three types of people.
In ancient times people weren't simply male or female, but one of three types : male/male, male/female or female/female. In other words, each person was made out of the components of two people. Everyone was happy with this arrangment and never really gave it much thought. But then God took a knife and cut everyone in half, right down the middle. So after that the world was divided just into male and female, the upshot being that people spend their time running around trying to locate their missing half."
— Haruki Murakami (Kafka on the Shore)

Facing my feares

I am in Copenhagen at the moment, preparing for a presentation I will be having at an event called Petcha Kutcha. This event was first started by some Japanese architects that invited different people from different creative fields and has now spread to over 110 countries. The format makes it quite special. You are allowed to use 20 slides to present your thing with only 20 seconds per slide!! Its more challenging than you would think, haha.

Unfortunately I suffer from massive stage fright. I get breathing difficulties etc. which will be interesting in a combination with an audience of approx 500 people. I have no clue how I got this phobia. Its very "not me" to be afraid to talk. I love attending interesting forums and presentations and have no problem with participating by being in the audience and ask question. But when Im the one in the spotlight, something switches off in my brain and I become this pile of jelly.

When I got invited to Petcha Kutcha to do a presentation about FLINGA and third wave feminism I thought of this as a great opportunity to face my fears. And why stop there when I'm on a roll? I ended up contacting my old junior high school and asked them if they would be interested in me giving a lecture on Third Wave feminism. The world is such an ironic and wonderful place.

"Chance encounters are what keep us going."
— Haruki Murakami (Kafka on the Shore)

Check out petcha kutcha here:
http://www.pecha-kucha.org/

The Gentlewoman

I was checking out the very cute stylebubble.com and saw a post about this new magazine called The Gentlewoman is coming out this summer. I have been playing with the thought of starting a feminist magazine, but this Gentlewoman would make my efforts superfluous. Their content and aesthetics are almost exactly what I had in mind for my magazine
(I miss seeing more guys in it though) . Im so happy its finally a magazine like that out there, and I hope it will be as successful as its brother; The Fantastic Man magazine . Now I can check "lack - of - fashion - magazine- that- represents- contemporary- feminity- and -masculinity" from my list of wrong things about this world. hehe.

Enthusiasm - a distemper of youth, curable by small doses of repentance in connection with outward applications of experience. Arthur Schopenhauer

Gabe Nevins, Women & Nathaniel Brown by Nick Haymes

Some of you might wonder why I put up so many pictures of boys. Especially really young looking ones. I must admit it has made me feel a little creepy at times, but then I remember Im actually a 23 year old girl . I guess thats my alibi for now.

So what does these images have to do with feminism? For me, these males represents a heterosexual young girls idea of male beauty. Everywhere we see images of women falling for older men, not only in popular media, but also in literature. This also reflects the general population. We can of course discuss weather its because its men running these industries or because its women who wants someone like her daddy, but Im not going to continue that never -ending discussion right now. What interests me is the paradox of glorification of youth in our society - but only female youth. The saying about men getting more attractive with age, while women loose their allure is simply not true. Its completely natural for both sexes to fade with age, that is the circle of life. Gay artists have embraced the juvenile, boyish charm for centuries. This shows how much our sexual preferences are influenced by the Images and portrays we are exposed to. Maybe the stigma for the boyish look comes from - the fear of being lesbian or gay. Who knows. Personally I find it natural for everyone to be attracted to young things. For aesthetic, recreational and nostalgic reasons.


Todays Youth is tomorrows nostalgia.
xx Mary

Eye Candy - James Franco Vs James Dean

After a long day of work, just looking at words and numbers, its nice to finally rest my eyes on something pretty.

Brothers

With a film starring actors such as Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan, it was obvious that Brothers would be a great movie experience. The story is about an American soldier (Maguire) who gets to experience how far he is actually willing to go to save himself and see his family again. I had to hide my face at several occations, not because of blod splattering scenes, but because of the awkward situations and emotions the actors so brilliantly were able to create. That goes not only to the big names, but also to the two children played by Bailee Madison and Taylor Geare. I seriously went out of the cinema with chills.

As a side note; I must say it does not hurt that I got yet another excuse to post pictures of one of my favorite actresses Natalie Portman. Im not sure who took these V magazine pictures (maybe Sølve Sundsbø?) but the last black/white is Hedi Slimane. Gyllenhaal looks handsome, even with his hairy chest (not my preference) It was more difficult finding cool shots of Maguire for some reason. He looks good on these , tho the black tshirt is a little too meat- head - tight for my taste :D

When I was writing pretty poor poetry, this girl with midnight black hair told me to go on - Carl Sandburg

Taking some snapshots of my little amazing Hannah...

All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his - Oscar Wilde

Talent : Carey Mulligan

Since her star-making performance in director Lone Scherfig’s An Education last fall, Carey Mulligan’s meteoric rise has itself become a cinematic affair. The 24-year-old Mulligan’s portrayal of a precocious but naïve schoolgirl whose hunger for experience leads her to become romantically involved with an older man (played brilliantly by Peter Sarsgaard) earned her an Oscar nomination.

But Mulligan’s impressive work in An Education isn’t the only reason why many are finding great solace in her emergence as one of the most important young actresses working today. It’s what her success represents: the triumph of talent, a celebration of difference, and a small victory for a young woman who sounds believable when she says she’s in it for the roles and not the acclaim. “Carey stood out immediately,” Scherfig says. “Not because she reminded me of anyone—more perhaps because she didn’t.” “She has this great indefinable quality,” says Jim Sheridan, who directed Mulligan in his most recent film, Brothers (starring Natalie Portman). “Yet you feel like you immediately know who she is.”

read the entire story in interview magazine

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism

The consumer criticism has been fueling academia for the last 40 years and has only achieved making people buy more for less which means more pollution and bad payments for those who produce. The irony of this turn in consuming behavior is largely a result of guilt for spending too much money on one single item. Its seen as irrational, hedonistic, wast full and immoral.

Max Weber says that this guilt derives from the Protestant puritan ethics that has been dominating vestern societies. He defines spirit of capitalism as the ideas that favour the rational pursuit of economic gain. That is why we feel so satisfied and smart when we get something on sale " I saved soooo much buying these three items for the price of two!".

This cultural baggage is a big problem when it comes to climate issues such as waste. Cheap stuff are usually of bad quality, which means you have to throw it away next season. The quantity demand requires more exploitation of the earth. Which basically makes it quite unethical to buy these kind of cheap, low quality, mass produced goods.

So Academia continues to to focus on the hedonistic unreflected human being who in large part is what mass media reflects, expecially when it comes to female consumer behavior turning this thing to a self forfilling prophecy.
“Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it.”( Lewis Carroll quote)

An Education

I let myself out of my working bee - mode the other day to check out Smuglesnings pre-launch of An Education. It was totally worth it.
Nick Hornby wrote the script about the tale of this 16 year old child prodigy who gets seduced by the oh so charming older man played by Peter Sarsgaard. The story is based on journalist Lynn Barbers diary, and could be the memoirs of many women before her; Gold digging ladies who ends up digging their own grave...so to speak. The character of the 16 year old Jenny is a refreshing change from the Carrie Bradshaws out there in the movie landscape where marriage is the ultimate goal for every girl. And of course with a older, loaded guy. When are these ladies going to see that its actually easier and a lot less risk to do what guys have done for centuries ; Earning your own dough.
Even though its easy to predict how the movie is going to end, its still worth watching. The acting is great as well as the script with loads of black humour. And last but not least; great moral. Haha!

Eye Candy by Bruce Weber

"There is no such thing as being realistic, only positive or negative".

Last weekend I think I was as close to a cocaine high as Ill ever be. I finished work 7 am sunday. Then went to this interview with Wixen magazine to talk about Flinga and third wave feminism 12 am the same morning. It was great though, and Im exited to read how 4 hours gets merged into a couple of pages. Im not being sarcastic.



PS: If Im not wrong I made this quote, not the original thought behind it, but at least the words put together. If im totally wrong and taking credit for someone elses geeeenioooous brain power, please feel free to enlighten me.

Fashion: Norwegian photographers

Ingrid pop