When you work in politics, or in any industry where networking is critical, after hours events are not optional. The event can be food from a steamer tray and cheap wine or crafted cocktails and A-list special guests, but either way, you have to act like you want to be there.
It’s your job to look like you’re having fun. Lipgloss (and a cocktail) certainly helps.
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1) Jezebel is offering $10,000 to the person who can provide them with un-retouched photos of Lena Dunham’s Vogue photo shoot. They claim that, since Dunham has made body-acceptance part of her public persona, they want to expose a hypocrite. But I call shenanigans.
Everyone knows that Photoshop is to Vogue what pants suits are to Hillary Clinton. Anyone who poses for their pages is going to be airbrushed into Anna Wintour’s ideal. Jezebel’s quest isn’t about exposing hypocrisy or unrealistic standards of beauty. Jezebel wants hits, pure and simple.
1b) Don’t miss this article about Dunham and mentor Judd Apatow’s harsh response to a fairly innocuous question about the nudity on Girls. For two people who love to push boundaries, they don’t take kindly to people who question their motives.
2) I love the sleek style of Cartier’s Juste un Clou bracelet…the price, not so much. Luckily, Nico New York makes a $25 alternative in rose gold, silver and yellow gold. I also like this Jennifer Fisher Nail Cuff, but it’s pricier (still cheaper than Cartier).
3) My favorite part of the Golden Globe tele case was this great commercial from Microsoft Bing celebrating the heroic women of 2013.
4) I love a chic, under-$100 dress, and there’s no better place to find them than ASOS. This asymmetric color block dress in grey and white is an absolute stunner. This black and white print midi-dress has ultra-flattering side ruching. And this navy and black body-con dress with a twist waist is fantastic.
5) The New York Times has an interesting piece on what women can learn about relationships from time spent alone. A good read for the perennially single lady.
6) A black lace veil with rabbit ears attached. The wealthy just aren’t like the rest of us.
7) Can Time magazine’s quiz predict your politics? I took the test, and while many of my friends felt it was accurate, I came out more conservative than I think I am. See where you fall.
8) This makeup brush from Sephora is the.single.strangest beauty tool that I have ever purchased. And I don’t know how I applied foundation and powder without it. Blends your product to perfection.
9) Plan to travel in 2014? Here are the 52 places the editors at the NYT think you should visit. Some interesting destinations on the list.
10) I bought this travel jewelry case at Nordstrom, and it is awesome. It has separate pouches for your baubles and it’s small enough to fit in a carry-on. No more tangled necklaces for me.
11) This has to be one of my favorite TED talks of all time. Maysoon Zayyid is a comedian and actress who has cerebral palsy. Her talk, “I got 99 problems…and palsy is just one,” is funny, inspirational and eye-opening.
12) Even though it’s still cold, I’m searching for warm weather pieces. Particularly, the kind of inexpensive items that will sell out before the snow melts. I adore this tiny white satchel from Tinley Road. You could easily wear this cut-out shoulder mini with tights until the weather warms. And this short sleeve maxi-dress is going to be my new go-to weekend frock.
Just FYI the Lena/Judd link is going to a pair of Ivanka shoes on Amazon. Great list today, thanks for the links!
Thanks. I shouldn’t blog when I’m tired. All fixed.
I loved Maysoon’s TED Talk. My best friend’s 7 year old daughter has CP. She’s highly articulate and wears her heart on her sleeve, and just thinking of being greeted by her smile makes me smile. One recent time I visited with her, she wanted so badly to give me the $2 she had just received and was heartbroken that I asked for a drawing instead (because I couldn’t take her money). She has CP, but to me, she’s my best friend’s daughter, who is a little red-headed ray of sunshine.
That TIME test was spot on for me. Who knew a handful of questions could be so telling?
1) I’m disappointed in Jezebel. A feminist magazine attacking a woman with “scarlet letter” tactics – COME ON. Let’s celebrate Dunham being named Queen of Comedy and put on the cover of Vogue. And then let’s discuss the pressure women face to be not only supremely talented, but also skinny and pretty, as highlighted by the excessive airbrushing. 2) I sympathize with Judd Apatow’s response. In my opinion, the form of the question was offensive. It was less “why this artistic approach” and more “naked skinny women are hot, you naked is not hot – why do you do it?” The undertones of Molloy’s question is the very reason I admire Dunham’s nudity. I think her nudity not only redefines “sexy” it rebuts the assumption that a nude woman should ALWAYS be sexy and titillating. In this light, your comment “they don’t take kindly to people who question their motives” seems a little unfair. My reading is Apatow took offense to the form of the question (“you naked is not titillating, why are you naked when you aren’t titillating?”) and not to an honest inquiry into artistic motive. Also, since when did we start questioning female nudity? Oh that’s right, when it stopped idealizing the supposed male fantasy.
I didn’t catch an undertone in the question at all. I think that’s been in the public discussion so much that their allowing that really upsetting discourse to seep into any question about her nudity. He said that her being naked is not titillating because sometimes she’s not trying to be naked to be sexy, she’s just naked to be naked, while nearly every other show uses nudity in a sexy way, not in a “people are just naked sometimes way.”
I think Apatow’s answer, when he stopped berating the guy, was fine: people are naked sometimes, Leah’s comfy being naked, and we’re trying to demystify nudity. But I think the anger in his response was related more to a public discussion that has them on edge, not the guy’s actual question.
Has anyone found a video of that exchange between Lena Dunham and Judd Apatow and the reporter Tim Molloy?
I think it may not have been YouTubed. An entertainment media event that’s not on YouTube? Weird! But that must be so.
Based on the transcript, I agree that his question sounds pretty innocuous, and their backlash seems surprsing. It’s possible that he somehow delivered his question in a nasty way, but I guess we’ll never know. For now, I’m on the reporters team there. Ugh, girl-internet is blowing up in defense of Dunham. I dunno.
Here’s a comparison that occurs to me that might have made his point a little better:
Take Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Jason Segel goes all full frontal in that, which is pretty rare. There were probably a lot of reasons not to do that–it probably made the ratings game harder for the movie–but it’s a choice they made because they thought it served a purpose. It’s pretty clear that the purpose was because it made those scenes extra funny, and made a goofy vulnerable character seem even more goofy. It wasn’t to “titilate,” but that’s no insult to Jason Segel, who’s a perfectly attractive dude. The surprise and the inherent funniness of nudity made it make sense. So, similarly, you’ve made a choice to be naked like, all the time, in spite of plenty of reasons not to. What’s your purpose for making this choice?
I ready the transcript of the interview and really couldn’t find a reason to object to the form of the question. I viewed Judd’s response as trying to create controversy where none existsed. I’ve read the article the report wrote afterword explaining what went on in the end and decided even more that Judd simply reacted strangely to a question re: his artistic decisions. It created controversy where none existed.
reporter wrote – not report! need more caffeine to edit my own post!
+1, Kelsey!
I have never voted republican in my life, ever, not even for a local office, and it said I was 73% conservative. Hrmpf.
Anon, can identify. I share some “conservative” ideals like discipline for kids and pride in my country, but I have never voted conservative for two reasons: affirmative action and abortion rights. Even if I believed in every other Republican party plank, I could not vote for their candidates for those reasons. Its too bad because there are great leaders on both sides, but I can’t vote for anyone who is allied to the anti-choice, anti-affirmative action movement no matter how much I like them personally.
I share those same “Republican” qualities, but I vote Democratic because I believe that government has a role in protecting individual rights and ensuring equal opportunity. Also, the question about fusion cuisines was lame. I don’t like fusion restaurants cuz they usually suck, overly simplify a country’s cuisine, and are purely gimmicky.
Looks like they got the photos… https://jezebel.com/here-are-the-unretouched-images-from-lena-dunhams-vogu-1503336657
I totally agree that this stunt was an assholey move by Gawker/Jezebel designed to get clicks more than anything…and then I clicked it myself, of course! Sigh. Damn.
Well, spoiler alert: I think the joke’s on Jezebel. I don’t think Vogue retouched her much at all, and they certainly didn’t drastically mess with her shape.
Surprise: she didn’t actually have a pigeon on her head! That was photo magic!
I barely stopped myself from clicking it. Sometimes the desire is just too strong.
The cover shot with the polka dot top doesn’t even look like her. The original is actually really flattering.
That bing commercial really was wonderful- I loved it!!
https://nyviewsnikeshoes.com
Seems like the commenters on that Jezebel article largely agree with you, Belle. Some suggested the alternative of making a $10,000 donation to an organization that promotes positive body image in young girls. I think that would go a lot farther than the Vogue smear campaign.
Seriously – Lena Dunham comes off as an asshole in every interview ever. She constantly couches any criticism of her sartorial or creative choices as an attack on her body. Bullshit – she does what she does to get attention and then gets bitchy when anyone calls her on it.
While I was taking the Times test, I thought, Oh my gosh, it’s going to peg me as a Conservative! I was answering the questions honestly, but it seemed also to be the more Conservative answer. Nope, it gave me 70% liberal, which I think is spot on! That definitely makes me rethink what I think is Conservative, and what I think is Liberal. It was interesting!
I did not think the TIME test was accurate at all, however my sister and I (both raised in a Republican household in Kansas, but now vote Democrat or for the least “crazy” Republican) strangely scored exactly alike. Definitely an interesting discussion piece.