Is it week 4 of “What I Wear” already?? I can’t believe it - I think I slipped into a black hole or a time continuum.
I looked through all the pictures - and it’s funny, the choices were so beautiful, but the storytelling aspect wasn’t as present as in past months. I’m not saying that’s true for all pictures, but obviously there is a difference for us when we can shoot our clothes vs. having to put more of ourselves in the picture.
Despite browsing a lot of actual clothing items (and some that I really want to find for myself now!!) I finally picked an image with someone wearing a non-clothing item. I’ve missed the other weeks (thanks to health, computer and traveling issues) so I don’t know how many people did things like “I wear a smile, clean face, etc..” in comparison to this week. Normally those things seem to be saved for the last week of a theme.
Would baby-wearing pop into my mind as a possiblity if I wasn’t a mother myself? I’m not sure, but as someone who now has scoliosis from carrying a child on one hip for nearly four years - I definitely think about wearing another human. In fact, I think about when it will stop.
I was never able to figure out the baby wraps. Hell, I never figured out how to wrap my daughter like a burrito when she was born. She tore off her blanket almost every night - and now she likes to sleep in sub-arctic temperatures. So I’m amazed when I see other mothers manipulate pieces of fabric while their babies remain snuggled and sleeping - the bond completely unbroken. I swear, if I ever have another child - I’m going to attend baby wrap classes… or find someone who will help me.
In my mind, the days I spent with Faith and a baby wrap were a nightmare close to being trapped with your head in a turtleneck - but having a screaming infant inside there at the same time. Obviously I was doing something wrong.
For the correct vibe, see Jaclyn’s post and self portrait about wearing your baby. It’s supposed to be calm and wonderful. I saw her picture and thought “that’s what the video showed!! that’s what I missed!” If anyone can find something more beautiful to wear than your own newborn child, please let me know. My Christmas list is still open.
Mother, child - it’s a wrap.
Image courtesy of Jaclyn.
Hi! This is Cris again! When I hear about this month’s theme, I got excited about the possibilities. I could choose one of my many pictures with favorite dresses or nice haircuts or the right colours to go with my skin. I thought of such amazing lines and decided to start a photo session with my wardrobe in order to test the best look for me. It all seemed great. I could almost read the words in my mind get up together. It would be great!Until last week. I attend to Fronteiras do Pensamento, a project of seminars and classes with intelectuals and researchers and people who think about the world as it is, and how to enhance it, from all countries. I’ve been attenting to this lectures since the begining of the year, and it’s been great. I mean, I thought it was just great. Until last week. Until I had the opportunity to hear Camille Paglia and her astounishing ideas about the image of women throughout History, and the effects on our self-image today of the images several cultures have been making of women and how this image has changed since the early ages of making.
And then it hit me. We are not just what we are, or what we think we are. We’re, also, either we like it or not, a social construction, a desire of fulfill the current cultural concept of what a woman should be, or, being specific, should look like. And how amazing it is to be aware of the influence - mostly negative, by the way - that we suffer from television, magazines, concerts of pop artists, the fashion industry, advertising, and basicly anything that intends to send out a message.
We don’t realize it, but we buy it. We buy this ideal - and also utopic - concept that beauty, nowadays, means thin, means tall, means slim, means fit. Today’s beauty goes against what a regular, average, woman’s body looks like, and should be, considering that our bodies should have a certain shape in order to hold a pregnancy and to be able to provide nourishment to a baby.
So, we buy this “victoria’s secret” ideal look and go crazy (well, me, at least) to fit in the beauty concept, and if we don’t look like a long-legged, tall, slim-figured, model, we can conclude that we’re not pretty enough for the world.
Well, I wrote all this because I wanted to take a different perspective on the what-i-wear theme. I wanted to say, in a sentence, that I feel good in my own skin, wearing my own body, my own self, and that I’m realizing that beauty is relative, and since its meaning can change as societies change, I’m offering my vision of beauty: people wearing out themselves, free of embarrassment or criticism.
That’s why I chose the following pictures. As I see them, what is shown in each one is someone’s heart, someone’s feeling, someone’s true self.
It can be hope, like in this picture.
Bohemiangirldesigns wearing hope It can be a fear, like here. (in this case, the fear of looking geek. By the way, a nonsense fear, because those are good looking glasses!)
And last but not least, the one which is, in my opinion, the prettiest of all, a girl wearing out love, showed in a gesture of care, of embracing her baby.
November 14, 2007 at 3:50 am · Filed under 28 what I wear
I think I was supposed to write this for next week - BUT I AM SO EXCITED!
For a girl who loves her shoes and clothes (just ask my poor bedmate woken up at midnight and a bit by a hysterical me because the moths were eating my clothes…) this theme is a dream come true.
How many mothers have told their children to make sure they have nice underwear on just in case? ::Flickr Joy ::
Be a Voyeur (Just be aware, there’s a naked bottom in there, too!). Change your perspective….
Fashion photography would not be what it is without the creative genius of Richard Avedon. Now where do I find two elephants to match my best frock?
David Lachapelle is incredible at creating nonsensical scenes and playing, having fun. Challenging ideas of what fashion (and art) can be.
The Harajuku kids and the photographer that captures their look so well are inspirational, to say the least.
And it goes on… You are what you wear - so let’s see who you are.
there is no rhyme or reason to the photos i’ve picked this week, especially since almost everyone chose to move on to november’s theme, not that that is a bad thing - i’m just saying… and my first choice doesn’t even include a person, but i can feel her love with every squeezed orange. wouldn’t you love to start your day this way?
Sorry I’m a little lot late - I’m having computer issues.. like, I don’t have one… at all. I also have a pretty bad attitude in general today about food, so my pick seems pretty appropriate.
I figured I’ve already done my happy post about life on my own blog, so why not throw down my misery (related, of course - to photography) about food over here?
Well, in addition to having another chunk fall off my tooth this morning (that makes chunk number 4 - which means my root canal is just barely hanging in there by a thread) I woke to find an entire fridge of food.. spoiled.
It’s one thing to not be able to eat because the entire side of your face is throbbing and any bite you take might pull the rest of a tooth out… it’s another to find hundreds of dollars of groceries are gone because your dog can open the fridge.
Apparently my dog, Nathan - opened the refrigerator last night and ate an entire wedge of fine, aged bleu cheese - along with salami and a whole bunch of vegetables.
That being said - I had chosen my pick for the week “where’d the food go?” before any of this had happened. There is nothing to make you appreciate good food like a diet (or a thieving dog who has become to smart for his own good - and who now has the most GAWD awful breath on the planet).
