Bruised-Up Barbies and D/s

Apparently, I've missed something from Hollyweird--which means I've actually missed nothing at all, as it's always the same shit but with a different shade of pink around the lens.  Apparently, one of the girls from Glee did a photo shoot in which she sports a black eye.  I linked over to his blog and looked at the rest of the pictures, as well as the video.  The video's a bit of a snore.  Lots of folks in the comments are all pissed off about the glamorization of violence against women, but many of the m are pissed off about the glamorization of violence in general.  What they seem to lack empathy for--the fact that Hollyweird and teh pr0n industry has been doing this shit for ages, and this is what people see as true D/s and/or BDSM.

Here's my take on it.  Folks, it's just an image on celluloid.  Or whatever the fuck film is made out of.  It's another dull-as-dishwater blonde who is younger than most of my socks and fave t-shirts.  The photos look to be done by someone just as young and clueless.  I don't see any cops coming round to haul Tyler Sheilds's "arty" self off to jail.  But then, cops can't get involved in domestic affairs, I don't reckon.

Y'all realize this shit is staged, yes?  Do I think it glorifies abuse?  Yes, it probably does.  Wrong?  You better believe it.  Pathetic?  Yup.  This is freedom of speech at it's best?  Wow.  No wonder I don't dig art.  But then, hell, according to the "arts community" (and artists at-large) I'm too fucking thick to get this stuff anyway.

This ain't D/s.  Or BDSM.  Or anything close to it.  It's just pictures of abuse, and this moron's too thick to get it.  So much for my good day.

Book Review: Let Them Eat Cheesecake

De Berardinis, Olivia.  Let Them Eat Cheesecake: The Art of Oliva.  Malibu: Ozone Productions, Ltd., 1993.  Print.

Yes, I know it's the latest, greatest MLA style up there, and yes, I agree that having to actually write the word "print" for something that should obviously show itself as a bound and printer piece of work is ridiculous, but the MLA changed it, not me.

And now, to the meat of this review!  And oh, what a delightfully well-trimmed chunk it is!

I first discovered the beautiful and breath-taking artwork of Oliva De Berardinis and her husband, Joel Beren, back in the early 1990s, as a sophomore at Fairmont State, through my new friends Jennifer and Paxton.  Arty and Beat to the core, we drank red wine, imported beer, and wrote poetry and admired artwork in their tiny house tucked behind a bridge, and held many a delightful rent party at the end of each month.

Jennifer was the one who introduced me to Olivia, Bettie Page reprints, and modern-day burlesque.

With delightful drawings of well-muscled, strong women, some wielding whips and some in demure lace sipping from demitasse cups, perhaps my favorite Olivia can be found in the center of the top of page 56, and it is an untitled work, depicting her cat, Buffalo, a Siamese, wrapped around the ankle boot of Olivia's friend, Jennifer (taken from the description notes, page 103).

I first began collecting some of the artwork in this book as trading cards from a comic shop just down the street from Jen and Paxton's house, and for years I have longed to find a copy of this book.  The artwork is, of course, impeccable.  Beautiful oil and gauche and richly colored, this is everything a modern-day art lover and appreciation of the female form deserves.  I'd suggest hitting Amazon for a copy of the book, but if you are interested in following the Divine Ms. O and her artistic musings, I'd suggest checking out her web site,
http://www.eOlivia.com.

Interested in some of the artwork featured in the book, plus the ever-popular much much more?  I'd suggest you check out the following YouTube video from pfMaya.

Retail Therapy

I'm home today, waiting for a new internet and cable and phone company hook-up after going offline and without phone service for darned near 2 weeks.  But that will start a rant, and until my medication kicks in, I don't want to go off on a tangent.  You, dear reader, have done nothing wrong, so there is no need for me to swear, shout, vent, or possibly knock your teeth loose.  Those morons at Frontier Communications, however. . .

I just bought a lovely, retro-inspired dress at a web site that caters to that sort of thing, and then that wee purchase led to a quick trip to a UK BDSM site which touts an on-going and oft-updated list of their top 100 books on BDSM and all its rather delightful varieties.

I went there because they consistently have 2 books there about the Divine, Beautiful Bettie Page.  One book they panned, the other is quite good as it is written along with Bunny Yeager, one of Page's former photographers.  This led to me clicking the US Amazon link and picking up, instead, I think, 3 books from pin-up sketch artist Olivia.

I have been a fan of pin-up art since I was in high school and first glimpsed some of the old-fashioned "girly" magazines stashed in my late grandfather's storage area in his garage. I didn't consider it pr0n and I still don't. A majority of the cheesecake available then is still available now, and I'd much rather look at an artist's rendition of a suggestively nude form than what passes for "art" in t3h pr0n industry.  I am also a HUGE fan of Gil Elvgren's work, simply because some of his images showcase these wholesome, well-scrubbed, all-american beauties not only in varying positions and filmy lingerie, but also because he sometimes showcased librarians and girls sitting in chairs reading.  Perhaps my favorite Elvgren is one in which the female subject is fully clothed in a late-40s style women's skirt-suit, wearing sensibly-heeled shoes and is walking a small Scottish terrier on a breezy autumn day.

A more recent pin-up model who I greatly admire is Ms. Bernie Dexter, delightful retro rockabilly queen who looks remarkable like the late, great Ms. Page.

I have no desire to look like any of these women, but I sure do dig their threads!