A few years back I was really interested in Northern European culture (mainly the style that accompanied the mindset). My interest lived mainly in the attraction I had towards Swedish pop music (you know, before Peter, Bjorn and John were cool), an unnatural desire to live in Iceland and my almost obsessive checking of Hel Looks, a website devoted to street fashion in Helsinki, Finland. It's similar to fashion photo sites like The Sartorialist and Face Hunter with a few important differences. While the two latter deal more with high fashion in hubs like New York City and London, Hel Looks seems to look at fashion as more something anyone can achieve, regardless of income, through a specific artistic process. I'm not sure if this (mostly) frugal-invention-of-style mindset is common within Northern European cities more so than others or if Hel Looks just does a better job picking out those people that fall into this category for their site, but this is the type of living that I find most interesting.
My interest in Northern Europe has more or less disintegrated with time but my interest in Hel Looks piqued over the past few days out of boredom of the internet. I recently went through the multiple pages of pictures I've missed over the past 8 months to see what unpredictably inventive outfits I've been missing out on. The outfits pictured did not disappoint. The current Helsinki street fashion tends to be either extremely oversized or incredibly tight and there's a surprising amount of neon within the clothing choices (I thought neon was out when the Klaxons won the Mercury Prize). What surprised me the most as I looked back further into the archives (I believe photos go back to 2005) was how normal the outfits started looking the further I searched. This can either mean two things: Helsinki fashion has gotten more outrageous within the past few years OR (and this is what I am banking on) Helsinki is just about 3 years ahead of the American/mass fashion look.
(2 pictures from Hel Looks, both taken in August 2005. The man on the left has 2008 fashion down to the nike dunks-although he is channeling the facial hair of AJ from the Backstreet Boys-and I think a saw a girl at the Smith College bus stop with the same outfit on as the girl on the right last week.)
If my hypothesis is right, it can only mean one thing. In 2010 we will all be wearing clothes like these:
Both of these taken in 2007
I guess I'd better start looking for the perfect enormous scarf/furry leggings now.
Audrey Kawasaki's most recent gallery opening was last night. I consider myself immune to most whimsical things, but i can't help but really like Kawasaki's work. I like the mediums she works with (especially the wood) and it seems that the women in her paintings have their own emotional lives evident by their (usually) painful faces. I can see a life story in each painting that calls out for the viewer to discover and any artist who can paint that much depth into a person has my vote. I wish i could see her art in person, but the opening was in LA. Maybe someday i can get a print and it will be like there's a gallery in my house every day.
Today Al and I decided to finally check out the Montague Bookmill in Montague, MA. It's about a half an hour drive from our place and we'd both heard pretty good things about it from people that have lived in Massachusetts for a little long than we have. I generally enjoy used book stores as long as their filing system makes sense and i can easily walk around/find everything i want and the bookmill succeeded in this area. It's located in a building built in 1842 to be a gristmill giving it an interesting aesthetic quality including several different sized rooms, steep stairs and creaky wooden floors. The majority of books they carried were very well kept, many hardly looked like they'd been open. Probably 90 percent of their books were non fiction, mostly academic in nature topics ranging from gay and lesbian lit to graphic design. My main critique of the bookmill was the lack of books published after around 1992. This is probably something one could say about any used book store, but it seemed more prevalent than another bookstore i regularly visit.
What the bookmill reminded me of most is The Book Loft (warning: this is a poorly laid out website that includes a backing musical track that i think might be by enya that you cannot opt to turn off. actually, don't even go here, it's not worth it.) located in German Village, a subsection of Columbus, OH. This was always one of my favorite places to visit when i actually went into downtown Columbus while i was still living around there. I could literally get lost looking at all their book offerings within their maniacally laid out 32 room store. They were superior to the bookmill in many ways, but their best feature was being open until 11pm or midnight each night (as are many other things located in Columbus). Conversely, nothing in the pioneer valley is open past 9.
I don't want to dis the bookmill too much though, we didn't try out the cafe located next door that has a pretty sweet menu (yum, brie, apricot jam and marinated apple grilled sandwich!). Additionally, i did pick up two Margaret Atwood books for 3 dollars and some change. They are her first and second published works, The Edible Woman (published in 1969) and Surfacing (published in 1972). I've never actually heard anyone talk about these two books when they talk about Atwood which i guess either means they're really bad or really crazy. I have to admit though, the real reason i bought them (although at some point i will read them) was the hilarious quotes on the front cover of each.
It's kind of crazy that that kind of thing would ever make anyone want to buy a book. I really like how Surfacing is considered the most shattering novel a woman ever wrote and then touted as even better than The Bell Jar like Sylvia Plath is the only other woman author out there (maybe in the New York Times eyes she is-- all they probably recognize as literature are the Great Books anyway *puke*). Also-- was everyone afraid of flying back in the late 60s early 70s? Didn't they use to smoke on flights back then? I can only assume that flying fear had something to do with the stale, overused cigarette smoke recirculating through the air ducts on a long flight. I'm really excited to read these books to see if their cover hype lives up to whats inside. When i finish these maybe i'll have to go back to the bookmill to get some more reading...and a grilled sandwich.
With the presidential election only (ha) 10 months away the general feeling by those in the political realm is that our next president will be the democratic nominee (see: Bush, the war, scandal, approval ratings, etc. on the republican side). Even though Super Tuesday has already passed there is still no definitive answer on who that candidate will be. Obama and Clinton are neck and neck trading votes from delegates and states, pretty much ending up equal in their earnings (although in this graph it looks as if Al Gore still has a chance!). McCain is heading towards receiving the republican bid mere months after being hated on for becoming inauthentic in his most recent years. Probably the best course of action for this presidential year would be to get rid of the republican candidate completely and instead let the actual race be between Clinton and Obama. Now that would be interesting! Alas, i'm pretty sure that's not possible, besides they'd probably just split the votes and then we'd have to have a ridiculous amount of recounts, etc. How. Annoying.
For the past several years that Clinton had been hinting at running for president i just laughed it off. Even if she was going to run, i thought, no one would vote for her in the primaries and she'd drop out in the beginning of 2008. I mean, come on. She's a lady. If i learned anything in my women's studies classes it's that no one likes a woman in power. But apparently, i was all wrong. Evidently, she actually might win. WIN. (although one reason i think she is doing so well is because Obama has some things against him too-- mainly that he is NOT a old white man who has a lot of political experience...but that's a different discussion altogether.) Let me make this clear- i consider myself a woman, a feminist and white. Therefore i should be cheering on Clinton and this improbable run. Yet, i am less than pleased. The last time i visited home my mom broached the subject of politics with Al and i and proceeded to tell us she was scared of what Clinton might do if in office. I couldn't help but laugh out loud at her. The right-wing propaganda against Clinton is ridiculous and is forcing unsuspecting conservative people, like my mom, to think that this "feminist, radical, liberal woman" is going to force abortions on all women (even if they aren't pregnant) and castrate all men. Perhaps Clinton was a radical liberal feminist at one time but after her failed attempt at innovating health care in 1992 while her husband was in office she changed as a person. Clinton became part of the political machine, perhaps even, she became the machine itself. In reality Clinton should be the least scary of all the democratic nominees. If she is our next president we will probably see a lot of the same shenanigans we saw with Bush as our leader (but without the scary god-told-me-to-start-the-end-times shtick).
What i believe about Clinton, though, is in no means indicative of the general feminist climate. Actually, it seems most people who call themselves "feminist" (which honestly could mean any number of things) are pretty split between Clinton and Obama supporters (not unlike the race itself). Last week New York State's NOW (National Organization of Women) released a statement to the press demeaning Senator Kennedy for not supporting Clinton saying,
Women have just experienced the ultimate betrayal. Senator Kennedy’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton’s opponent in the Democratic presidential primary campaign has really hit women hard...This latest move by Kennedy, is so telling about the status of and respect for women’s rights, women’s voices, women’s equality, women’s authority and our ability – indeed, our obligation- to promote and earn and deserve and elect, unabashedly, a President that is the first woman after centuries of men who “know what’s best for us.
This is insane, disgusting and not something that (i hope) most feminists feel. NOW New York lost a lot of respect after posting this from many feminist bloggers (INCLUDING MYSELF). (it must be noted that the national NOW branch has issued a statement saying that they do not agree with the feelings within NOW New York [aka- not all feminist groups are crazy, apparently just one].)
The anti-feminist Ann Coulter has also come out with her stance on Clinton. Last week on Hannity and Colmes Coulter announced she'd endorse Clinton if McCain is the republican candidate (and after the Super Tuesday results it seems more likely than not he will be)
I'm not sure, but this might be the end of the world. If conservative joke Ann Coulter is campaigning for Clinton (even if it is only to make a point) AND ultra-feminists feel as if she must win because of her womanhood i can only assume Clinton will be the next president of the United States. Sadly, in all of this ruckus about who is more liberal, who is more scary and who is the most democratic i agree with Coulter's stance the most (!!!). She seems to be the only conservative (maybe even person) that understands the inability for Clinton to do anything for the liberal side because of how integrated she is in the old wealthy white male political machine.
After i said all of this i realize that i don't really know anything at all about Obama except that he's charming, he looks good on the beaches of Hawai`i (see above) and he's new to this whole political thing (which can only be a good thing). I don't think he's the best candidate for the job, but at least he's not as misunderstood as his rival.
Scott Tennent over at Pretty Goes with Pretty (out of all blogs, a good one) most recent post, Let's Talk About the Issues, somehow encapsulates the 2008 presidential election pretty well for me. Taking his cue from a (relatively bland) LATimes photo album/article about what pop culture affects the different presidential candidates (specifically their favorite music, television and movies). PGWP gives its reaction to the different candidate's answers and appears spot on in its evaluation relative to what I generally think of the candidates.
My two favorite PGWP comments are toward John McCain and Hilary Clinton:
John McCain Campaign soundtrack: "Gonna Fly Now (Theme From 'Rocky')", ABBA's "Take a Chance on Me" and "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry
Favorite TV show: "Prison Break"
On the iPod: "I have an iPod with Beach Boys, Roy Orbison – I have a varied taste in music between very good music and not-so-good music, but most of my advancement in music appreciation stopped the day I was shot down in October of 1967."
Pretty Goes with Pretty reaction: Fuuuuuuuuuuck. It's hard to fuck with a dude who throws his POW ordeal in your face when you ask him who is favorite band is. Speaking of, it would blow my mind to hear him talk back to his TV during an episode of Prisonbreak. (Additionally, I like that he likes good music and he also likes not-so-good music--lest he offend people who really love not-so-good music. Ever the politician.)
Hillary Clinton Campaign soundtrack: Celine Dion's "You and I"
Favorite TV show: "American Idol," "Grey's Anatomy," "Dancing With the Stars," and HGTV makeover shows
On iPod: Clinton told the Associated Press in the spring of 2006 that she received her iPod as a gift from her husband. At that time, songs included Aretha Franklin’s “Respect,” the Beatles’ “Hey Jude” and “Take it to the Limit” by The Eagles.
Pretty Goes with Pretty reaction: the transparency of her clearly pandering choices for favorite television show are a great example of why I don't want her to win the nomination. I do, however, believe that she likes the Eagles. However, taking her campaign song into account, apparently Clinton and McCain could reach across the aisle in their love of not-so-good music.
Scott, you speak right through me, man. Seriously, though. You can learn more about how those candidates are going to act if elected through their take on pop culture more than you ever could listening to any campaign speech.
