The Pluribus Utopia
The recent show Pluribus has got me thinking differently about the kind of ideal state that might be a laudable direction and how to get there. The show is overtly…
Aesthetics
Some Implications of Boycotting Art
And another thing… Here are two more issues I have with implication surrounding how we’re treating the sexual harassment and assault cases further to my concerns previously discussed and further…
Chest Tattoo with a Side of Lymphedema
As a means of healing and prettying up my mastectomy scars, I looked forward to a chest tattoo. I envisioned never wearing a bathing suit top again! After my mastectomy,…
Now I’m Trendy, Dammit
The NY Times published a piece last night:“‘Going flat’ after breast cancer,” about the nascent movement towards openly having a boobless chest. And here I thought I was doing something…
Just a Flesh Wound
This is a figuring kind of post wherein I try to make sense of it all. I have all sorts of thoughts about breasts now. I had to get the…
On Dying and Grieving and Judgment
My dad passed away this week. He was older than the hills: 93 and a half years old. I’m not sad about his passing; he lived a long and fulfilling…
Typographic Design Can Improve The World
The font you choose matters, it sets the tone of what is read and the overall look of what’s presented. A simple decision around fonts can turn something beautiful into…
On Thigh Gap
My daughter is worried about it. She just turned 11. She’s been sick from the heat a couple times because she wears jeans everywhere. It’s a problem. I told a…
Backyard Studio and Garden Build
Three summers ago, I decided to take over the backyard, get rid of the playhouse that the kids had deserted, and build a big garden and waterfall with a little…
Brief Hiatus
I’ve been busy gardening, and then I took a break to check out NYC. The entire album, Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, played in my head on a loop while…
On Self-Obsession and Self-Hatred
Today some students were discussing Victoria Secrets models. Some of the girls have significant contempt for the women that show off the latest fashions in lingerie. It’s curious to me…
On Alain de Botton
de Botton Alain de Botton wrote one of my favourite under-praised books, Status Anxiety. I also quite like using his Consolations of Philosophy in my class as an additional resource…
On Designer Vaginas and Media Influence
Labiaplasty is on the rise. Who knew? There’s an article in the Guardian in which Daisy Buchanan argues that we can’t blame porn for this rush towards plastic surgery to…
A Work-Out Rant
As soon as I was in my mid-30s, women everywhere started randomly looking me up and down and warning me that as soon as I hit 40, I’d have a…
Reasons I hate hockey
Aesthetics. What is beautiful? What defines beauty, quality and goodness? What distinguishes different levels of quality? For example, why are Oasis’ Wonderwall or Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit iconic songs…
“Hurricane Porn”?: The Aesthetics of Authenticity and Nature’s Wrath
Excellent article that discusses Superstorm Sandy and how events influence images and vice versa. By Paul Mullins n the wake of Hurricane Sandy photographers shared ten images every second on…