Luminous Landscape Forum
The Art of Photography => The Coffee Corner => Topic started by: Rob C on March 08, 2009, 06:03:12 am
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I was cleaning out the fireplace this morning, just after reading some of the latest rubbish about photographic integrity, when my mind wandered off into thinking of ways by which I might be able to avoid the chore of cleaning said fireplace. In the process, the mind (mine) tuned in to an image of Superman. Now he, I thought, would fix this for me at once - must see about getting in touch. Then the idea morphed into another; why the hell should he be considered a great American (okay, Krypton is no more, so it COULD have been American - we shall never know) Hero?
Let´s face it: anybody who can fly, has unlimited strength, can pop in and out of telephone booths with all the ease of Doctor Who damn well should be able to do all the things that he does. Where is the heroic element? Doesn´t heroism depend on risk to the hero?
Rob C
PS Let´s not allow this to become the CanNik war of the over-muscled.
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I think that's the difference between superhero and hero. A superhero has powers where as a hero does heroic things?
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I was cleaning out the fireplace this morning, just after reading some of the latest rubbish about photographic integrity, when my mind wandered off into thinking of ways by which I might be able to avoid the chore of cleaning said fireplace. In the process, the mind (mine) tuned in to an image of Superman. Now he, I thought, would fix this for me at once - must see about getting in touch. Then the idea morphed into another; why the hell should he be considered a great American (okay, Krypton is no more, so it COULD have been American - we shall never know) Hero?
Let´s face it: anybody who can fly, has unlimited strength, can pop in and out of telephone booths with all the ease of Doctor Who damn well should be able to do all the things that he does. Where is the heroic element? Doesn´t heroism depend on risk to the hero?
Anyone who can do all that can damn well be called whatever he wants to be called.
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Anyone who can do all that can damn well be called whatever he wants to be called.
You have a point. I used to have a yen for Mary Marvel; I wonder if she was big in Japan?
Rob C
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Then the idea morphed into another; why the hell should he be considered a great American (okay, Krypton is no more, so it COULD have been American - we shall never know) Hero?
Rob C
PS Let´s not allow this to become the CanNik war of the over-muscled.
American? I thought he was an illegal alien.
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American? I thought he was an illegal alien.
Now that´s the problem: was he illegal? I think that according to international conventions, if your planet blows up, then you are entitled to become a refugee; it´s being an economic refugee that is illegal, unless, of course, you hop over the English Channel on the back of a truck and a bleedin´ heart lawyer takes you under her wing.
You are not allowed to call an alien an alien; that could be damaging to his/her self-esteem.
Rob C
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Superman? Yeah, he's OK.
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Hey All,
John Wayne
Nothing more ever needs to be said.
-Ed-
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Hey All,
John Wayne
Nothing more ever needs to be said.
-Ed-
Sorry, he doesn´t qualify: you could always see him trying to think - held him back.
Rob C
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Hey All,
John Wayne
Nothing more ever needs to be said.
-Ed-
Visiting a couple years ago with Navajo relatives in Dennehotso AZ - grandpa had a large framed portrait of The Duke on his living room wall. I don't know if this was just some fan appreciation, or whether Wayne visited there during filming (grandpa speaks only Navajo so I didn't ask), but what I see from several of his movies is a good character who appreciates people and brings out the best in them. Except for the bad guys, of course.
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Superman? Yeah, he's OK.
Speaking as an ex-fashion snapper, and hoping that I offend nobody, the top that Mrs Superman is wearing is an extremely poor fit: the ´bra section is for a tiny lady which she clearly is not; the body part is for a somewhat different set of rib structures... This is NOT the stuff of Superheroes and certainly couldn´t have come from Central Casting.
Rob C
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Speaking as an ex-fashion snapper, and hoping that I offend nobody, the top that Mrs Superman is wearing is an extremely poor fit: the ´bra section is for a tiny lady which she clearly is not; the body part is for a somewhat different set of rib structures... This is NOT the stuff of Superheroes and certainly couldn´t have come from Central Casting.
Rob C
This casting was more like unemployed-artist-gets-girlfriend-in-costume and has her doing the tips-and-photos bit in front of Mann's Chinese on H'Wood Blvd.
It's amusing - the would-be actors expect to post with you in the photos - they don't understand if you just want a photo of them. Sure I'd pose with Rambo or Ozzie, but I would not look good next to her.
Pictured: Batman didn't survive the leap.
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Sorry, double post. A bit like following somebody from the front, if you see what I mean.
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Pictured: Batman didn't survive the leap.
That´s because he has a boyfriend called Bruce. Waddyawant for your money?
Rob C
PS As an aside, can you explain the tips-and-photos bit for a non-LA person? Is it something like musicians playing in the street or subway, or have I just completely missed what´s going on?
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That´s because he has a boyfriend called Bruce. Waddyawant for your money?
Rob C
PS As an aside, can you explain the tips-and-photos bit for a non-LA person? Is it something like musicians playing in the street or subway, or have I just completely missed what´s going on?
Very much like street musicians, except they have agents who are often close by, especially for acts like Wonder Woman. The Chinese theatre has a sign in front "Actors are not associated with this theatre etc.", but despite not being associated with any visible business, the actors maintain a long-time presence in a very competitive area.
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but despite not being associated with any visible business, the actors maintain a long-time presence in a very competitive area.
This makes them very similar to some famous photographers also with no visible means of support!
Rob C
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Speaking as an ex-fashion snapper, and hoping that I offend nobody, the top that Mrs Superman is wearing is an extremely poor fit.
Mrs Superman!? I think you may offend fans of Wonder Woman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_woman) as will her lack of bracelets in the costume.
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Hey All,
I've no doubt you were smiling when you said this - Pilgrim.
Sorry, he doesn´t qualify: you could always see him trying to think - held him back.
Rob C
Wayne was one H E double toothpicks of a smart man who could hold his own in any political/social debate. I personally didn't always agree with his views but he correctly defined the word "man" in a way that Hollywood rarely does today. That makes him a genuine bonafide Hero.
-Ed-
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Hey All,
I've no doubt you were smiling when you said this - Pilgrim.
Wayne was one H E double toothpicks of a smart man who could hold his own in any political/social debate. I personally didn't always agree with his views but he correctly defined the word "man" in a way that Hollywood rarely does today. That makes him a genuine bonafide Hero.
-Ed-
Well that makes you an even greater hero: you KNEW him! I didn´t even know Lloyd George.
Rob C
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Mrs Superman!? I think you may offend fans of Wonder Woman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_woman) as will her lack of bracelets in the costume.
Futt Futt, I was but trying to protect the lady´s honour: she was being quoted about Superman and how would she know how he was unless she´d had intimate err - dealings with him?
Now you have stripped her of her mask (metaphorically speaking) and the world knows of her indiscretion! - I´d hoped nobody would have recognized her during the pavement interview. How cruel!
Rob C
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Let´s face it: anybody who can fly, has unlimited strength, can pop in and out of telephone booths with all the ease of Doctor Who damn well should be able to do all the things that he does. Where is the heroic element? Doesn´t heroism depend on risk to the hero?
Good point.
It is probably more heroic to speak about a DSLR in the Medium format LL forum than it is to save the earth day in day out for superman.
I like this way of looking at things.
Cheers,
Bernard
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I was cleaning out the fireplace this morning, just after reading some of the latest rubbish about photographic integrity, when my mind wandered off into thinking of ways by which I might be able to avoid the chore of cleaning said fireplace. In the process, the mind (mine) tuned in to an image of Superman. Now he, I thought, would fix this for me at once - must see about getting in touch. Then the idea morphed into another; why the hell should he be considered a great American (okay, Krypton is no more, so it COULD have been American - we shall never know) Hero?
Let´s face it: anybody who can fly, has unlimited strength, can pop in and out of telephone booths with all the ease of Doctor Who damn well should be able to do all the things that he does. Where is the heroic element? Doesn´t heroism depend on risk to the hero?
Rob C
PS Let´s not allow this to become the CanNik war of the over-muscled.
Yes, I see. Very relevant to photographic matters, Rob.
Superman? Nothing to do with heroism. Just a variation of the God versus Satan conflict.
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Superman? Nothing to do with heroism. Just a variation of the God versus Satan conflict.
It's more complicated than the TV show Superman. In the '60's comic books they had Bizarro - the anti-Superman. Looked just like him, but did everything backwards. Not evil necessarily, just confused.
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Not evil necessarily, just confused.
Then that makes him frighteningly human...
Rob C
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I think that's the difference between superhero and hero. A superhero has powers where as a hero does heroic things?
But a superhero has to be able to make his clothes disappear instead of leaving them behind in the phone booth.
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The idea of the superman is a throwback to the transition in culture where mankind put people of ability above themselves. It harkens back to concept of theocracies during times long past. According to Nietzsche, the idea of a superman was created by society trying to live up to a sense of “true potential.” To do this society "needs" (read that, creates) a system of values that reflects this potential. While a man of strength can tolerate a blow only a man of steel can tolerate gunshot.
Superman is rooted in the common sense of right and wrong, but who transcends this by succeeding better than any other. He works to illustrate that by emulating his role model and deeds, we can improve our selves and by extension, our society. The approach of a superman has become a common ploy of both theater and politics.
But of course a society that strives for unreal goals, generally serves not to improve itself but to coerce itself into one bad mistake after another. The concept is not unlike believing that home values will go up relentlessly, and due to this, even financially weak people can share in this gain. While it happens everyone feels great about their inflated worth and people believe. Yet when society’s goals are built on contrived basis, sooner or later it falls apart.
Anyway, heroes are valued because they succeed and superheroes change the rules on what defines success.
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apart.
Anyway, heroes are valued because they succeed and superheroes change the rules on what defines success.
I note we are drifting at the Matrix speed of a floating bullet towards taking our thread too seriously! Also, sad to say, many heroes do NOT survive their heroism and are deemed heroes for the attempt, even when they fail to save either the situation or themselves. Others might call them foolhardy.
On the latter part of the sentence, maybe if you make superheroes and supermodels interchangeable nouns, then you might have a point!
Rob C
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I note we are drifting at the Matrix speed of a floating bullet towards taking our thread too seriously! Also, sad to say, many heroes do NOT survive their heroism and are deemed heroes for the attempt, even when they fail to save either the situation or themselves. Others might call them foolhardy.
On the latter part of the sentence, maybe if you make superheroes and supermodels interchangeable nouns, then you might have a point!
Rob C
Speaking of heroes, as Devil's Advocate, I would have doubled the AIG bonuses. Since I'm paying them to bring in money, and make personal sacrifices, the $100 billion or so they brought in from the Fed, plus taking the rap as they're doing - now that's heroic.
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Speaking of heroes, as Devil's Advocate, I would have doubled the AIG bonuses. Since I'm paying them to bring in money, and make personal sacrifices, the $100 billion or so they brought in from the Fed, plus taking the rap as they're doing - now that's heroic.
I hadn´t looked at it that way: heroism brings its own reward!
Rob C
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I note we are drifting at the Matrix speed of a floating bullet towards taking our thread too seriously! Also, sad to say, many heroes do NOT survive their heroism and are deemed heroes for the attempt, even when they fail to save either the situation or themselves. Others might call them foolhardy.
On the latter part of the sentence, maybe if you make superheroes and supermodels interchangeable nouns, then you might have a point!
Rob C
I don’t see it is being taken as too serious. And it is worthy of discussion. Hero worship and its’ close cousins, the cult of celebrity worship plays a note worthy role in all societies.
Historically heroes are closely tied to epic stories. One of the mandates in this kind of story is that the hero dies. In contrast, a superhero is very difficult to kill. This permits changing of the story because while they usually appear to be mortal (as in superman) they are not. This permits serializing the story of superheroes. You can use the same character in any number of stories. They will always prevail. As such the story becomes about how they prevail rather than how they died.
Regarding supermodels, they are members of the cult of celebrity worship. They play a role that is similar to superheroes. Look at the influence virtually any supermodel has. They typically are so thin as to be anorexic (not typical of humans), but it is an appearance that is highly desired. They may have any number of body alterations, but we don’t get to see the scars, just the final appearance. Many (most?) are chemical dependent. Yet that is hidden. The consumer is sold the image but the substance of the person is far removed if not outright hidden from the public image. As such supermodels are akin to superheroes.
Of course models don’t do a whole lot, so the only reason for them to die at least in the eyes of the public, would be due to accident, drug overdose, or growing old. I suppose gaining weight would be another reason. Disclosing drug use for a supermodel is akin to kryptonite for Superman: it weakens them and thereby diminishes their appeal. Ironically this is often seen as the “tragic end” of their career, so in this way they are akin to traditional heroes.
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Speaking of heroes, as Devil's Advocate, I would have doubled the AIG bonuses. Since I'm paying them to bring in money, and make personal sacrifices, the $100 billion or so they brought in from the Fed, plus taking the rap as they're doing - now that's heroic.
And was no doubt calculated…
But who celebrates those who work to destroy a favored enterprise?
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....This permits serializing the story of superheroes. You can use the same character in any number of stories. They will always prevail. As such the story becomes about how they prevail rather than how they died.
Regarding supermodels, they ..... typically are so thin as to be anorexic....
"We have a new love relationship each episode -- it keeps the viewer interest." - Denny Crane.
When my friend came back to L.A. from Kansas City and dance school, she was *very* slender, and I said "Lori, you look great", and she said "Dale, I'm anorexic", and I said "Well, you still look really great."
Ironic how both of the above aren't just photo-related, they live by photography.
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And was no doubt calculated…
But who celebrates those who work to destroy a favored enterprise?
Speaking of AIG, misunderstanding their true intentions makes the people victims again and again. They're not trying to sink the ship, especially when they're still on it. Tom Wolfe said words to the effect that "The reason the people on the East Coast in the 1600's and 1700's fell victim to pirates over and over again, was because the people couldn't comprehend just how vicious and ruthless the pirates really were."
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> "We have a new love relationship each episode -- it keeps the viewer interest." - Denny Crane.
David E Kelley, creator of and often writer for Boston Legal, is an excellent author and loves to play to the cynics in the audience. The character Denny Crane is cast as a bumbling hero who gets away with non-credible acts, but ultimately he is a foil for Alan Shore, the counter-culture near superhero of the show.
> When my friend came back to L.A. from Kansas City and dance school, she was *very* slender, and I said "Lori, you look great", and she said "Dale, I'm anorexic", and I said "Well, you still look really great."
> Ironic how both of the above aren't just photo-related, they live by photography.
Photography and it’s cousin cinematography are the representative tools of preference of our time. Their relationship to helping to idealize the extremely thin is an interesting topic. I’ don’t know if idealizing thin people is related to photography, but the timing is highly suggestive.
Most of the history of western art has shown a demonstrated favoritism for heavier people in art representing women. Think of figurative works, even erotic art dating from Hellenistic Greece to at the works of Jean-Honoré Fragonard in the early 1800s in the West. You have a good point that photography is an enabler of this trend towards idealizing thin women.
Has anyone researched the relationship between idealizing thin and the growth of photography/cinematography? I bet the transition started in the last 100 years or so.
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Has anyone researched the relationship between idealizing thin and the growth of photography/cinematography? I bet the transition started in the last 100 years or so.
This is an interesting twist in this thread. I've had numerous complaints about certain of my images making people look too fat, but so far, never too thin.
So, putting aside the fact that most people in the U.S. are too heavy given their physical activity level, and that they're sensitive about it, could there be a purely photographic factor contributing to the perception of "too fat?" Something technical perhaps, not just an awareness issue?
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According to an article in Wikipedia, the first supermodels appeared in the 1930s and 1940s. These were (and are) models who appeared frequently and in a wide variety of publications. This clearly shows the relationship between the concept and the use of photography. According to the article, the term supermodel was coined around the 1940s as “super model” but it was in about the 60s when the extremely thin young women started to predominate as supermodels.
A new vehicle for marketing was the pin up and it wasn’t until the 1980s that fashion designers begin advertising on TV. During this period many models surpassed top actresses in popularity and income.
The article is interesting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermodel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermodel)
So it is a very new phenomena, representing a shift in the concept of beauty that was born and propagated through photography.
As with many role models, what is curious about this phenomena are the predictably wide array of emotional problems associated with supermodels. Most are anorexic, many have substance abuse problems, and often have tragic lives. Yet the image is still coveted and many young people aspire to emulate these supermodels.
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> …could there be a purely photographic factor contributing to the perception of "too fat?" Something technical perhaps, not just an awareness issue?
The camera, we are taught, doesn’t lie. Therefore if one is insecure about their weight (rightfully or not) they will come to glorify skinny people.
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> …could there be a purely photographic factor contributing to the perception of "too fat?" Something technical perhaps, not just an awareness issue?
The camera, we are taught, doesn’t lie. Therefore if one is insecure about their weight (rightfully or not) they will come to glorify skinny people.
I'm 71 inches tall and weigh 143 lbs. Not unnaturally skinny, just always been that way, running several miles per day, a healthy weight. The fact is, if everyone in the USA would eat right and walk a lot or run some, most of them would become fairly slender, so for their health's sake, their weight anxiety is for good cause.
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According to an article in Wikipedia, the first supermodels appeared in the 1930s and 1940s. These were (and are) models who appeared frequently and in a wide variety of publications. This clearly shows the relationship between the concept and the use of photography. According to the article, the term supermodel was coined around the 1940s as “super model” but it was in about the 60s when the extremely thin young women started to predominate as supermodels.
A new vehicle for marketing was the pin up and it wasn’t until the 1980s that fashion designers begin advertising on TV. During this period many models surpassed top actresses in popularity and income.
The article is interesting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermodel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermodel)
So it is a very new phenomena, representing a shift in the concept of beauty that was born and propagated through photography.
As with many role models, what is curious about this phenomena are the predictably wide array of emotional problems associated with supermodels. Most are anorexic, many have substance abuse problems, and often have tragic lives. Yet the image is still coveted and many young people aspire to emulate these supermodels.
I do remember the USA culture clearly, from the mid-1950's on. The big breakthrough in thin was the advent of Twiggy, from Great Britain. Like the Beatles and the so-called British Invasion, Twiggy was the defining moment for us in model-thin.
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I remember reading an article years ago (sorry, no idea where) in which the author had taken the figure sizes of all the Playboy centerfolds (as reported in the magazine) and plotted the trend. Apparently, as judged by Playboy anyway, our culture is losing its taste for hourglass figures and instead is developing a taste for more boyish figures. Would this have happened without photography, I don't know. But it is concurrent with the increased sexualization of younger and younger females, and younger females tend to have more boyish figures. I suspect that this may be an active area of research by sociologists somewhere, or should be.
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I remember reading an article years ago (sorry, no idea where) in which the author had taken the figure sizes of all the Playboy centerfolds (as reported in the magazine) and plotted the trend. Apparently, as judged by Playboy anyway, our culture is losing its taste for hourglass figures and instead is developing a taste for more boyish figures. Would this have happened without photography, I don't know. But it is concurrent with the increased sexualization of younger and younger females, and younger females tend to have more boyish figures. I suspect that this may be an active area of research by sociologists somewhere, or should be.
Or, despite Playboy's official propaganda, it could be as simple as the Hefner daughter's taste in women.
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The theory which sounds convincing to me, is that anorexic women look more like teenage boys and therefore appeal more to the homosexual tendencies of the fashion designers. I don't want to appear homophobic, and I'm not. I'm just trying to be objective. Men who design womens' clothes tend to be homosexual, as I understand. Correct me if this is a wrong impression.
Anorexic women are perhaps a victim of homosexual fashion designers. I'm a red-blooded heterosexual. I like my women fairly full-bodied, but not overweight.
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The theory which sounds convincing to me, is that anorexic women look more like teenage boys and therefore appeal more to the homosexual tendencies of the fashion designers. I don't want to appear homophobic, and I'm not. I'm just trying to be objective. Men who design womens' clothes tend to be homosexual, as I understand. Correct me if this is a wrong impression.
Anorexic women are perhaps a victim of homosexual fashion designers. I'm a red-blooded heterosexual. I like my women fairly full-bodied, but not overweight.
In other words, "just right."
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Whenever people talk about "heroes," I am reminded of a television show I saw about 20 years ago. Bill Moyers had a series on PBS called "A World of Ideas." Now, Bill Moyers is pretty far out on one end of the political spectrum, but that isn't the important part of this story, so don't start thinking in political terms here.
Anyway, for the episode in question, Moyers interviewed the author Barbara Tuchman. She was a well-known historian in the U.S., noted particularly for her book "The Guns of August" about the events that led to the outbreak of World War I. By this point, she was quite elderly, and she died shortly after the show aired. She was defintiely a woman with a sort of early 20th century sensibility and demeanor.
Apparently, prior to the Moyers show, some organization had invited Tuchman to participate in a "Celebration of the American Hero" event somewhere. She talked about preparing her thoughts about sacrifice and service and such. When she arrived, she found that the "heroes" being celebrated were a small girl famous for having been rescued after falling down a well, the notorious "Mayflower Madam" Sidney Biddle Barrows, Superman, and some other similar characters. I'll never forget the disgust and contempt Barbara Tuchman used to describe her horrifying ordeal. I get a chuckle every time I think about that, even now. What I would give to have seen her as she began to realize what kind of "hero" event she'd been drawn into...
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Whenever people talk about "heroes," I am reminded of a television show I saw about 20 years ago. Bill Moyers had a series on PBS called "A World of Ideas." Now, Bill Moyers is pretty far out on one end of the political spectrum, but that isn't the important part of this story, so don't start thinking in political terms here.
Anyway, for the episode in question, Moyers interviewed the author Barbara Tuchman. She was a well-known historian in the U.S., noted particularly for her book "The Guns of August" about the events that led to the outbreak of World War I. By this point, she was quite elderly, and she died shortly after the show aired. She was defintiely a woman with a sort of early 20th century sensibility and demeanor.
Apparently, prior to the Moyers show, some organization had invited Tuchman to participate in a "Celebration of the American Hero" event somewhere. She talked about preparing her thoughts about sacrifice and service and such. When she arrived, she found that the "heroes" being celebrated were a small girl famous for having been rescued after falling down a well, the notorious "Mayflower Madam" Sidney Biddle Barrows, Superman, and some other similar characters. I'll never forget the disgust and contempt Barbara Tuchman used to describe her horrifying ordeal. I get a chuckle every time I think about that, even now. What I would give to have seen her as she began to realize what kind of "hero" event she'd been drawn into...
Americans tend to think of heroes as men primarily, as they do rock bands, and 911 reinforced that in a big way, to the delight of many. So many of those many would indeed be horrified to encounter non-traditional hero models.
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The theory which sounds convincing to me, is that anorexic women look more like teenage boys and therefore appeal more to the homosexual tendencies of the fashion designers. I don't want to appear homophobic, and I'm not. I'm just trying to be objective. Men who design womens' clothes tend to be homosexual, as I understand. Correct me if this is a wrong impression.
Anorexic women are perhaps a victim of homosexual fashion designers. I'm a red-blooded heterosexual. I like my women fairly full-bodied, but not overweight.
Many people have speculated on this, but I don't recall a single article or discussion about it. This is the first time I've seen this in black and white.
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Disclosing drug use for a supermodel is akin to kryptonite for Superman: it weakens them and thereby diminishes their appeal. Ironically this is often seen as the “tragic end” of their career, so in this way they are akin to traditional heroes.
Kate Moss was caught by the tabloid press taking drugs in a toilet and was initially dropped by some campaigns, however by the next year her earning were up as she was even better known and used even more.
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Many people have speculated on this, but I don't recall a single article or discussion about it. This is the first time I've seen this in black and white.
You're unlikely to see people talk about it as they will be scared of being seen as homophobic, despite the fact it's just an observation of why feminine [curvy] women are rarely seen on the catwalk, not as a critism of other's sexual preferences. I 've said exactly the same on previous occasions and no doubt others have too.
As an aside - Dove's advertising campaign featuring real women, with real curves and no photoshoppery increased Dove's sales by 900%!
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I'm 71 inches tall and weigh 143 lbs. Not unnaturally skinny, just always been that way, running several miles per day, a healthy weight. The fact is, if everyone in the USA would eat right and walk a lot or run some, most of them would become fairly slender, so for their health's sake, their weight anxiety is for good cause.
There is a wide range of “normal” weight. I think studies have shown that people’s physiology plays a huge role in determining their weight range. Add to that the effects of environment (and marketing upon culture over the last 70 years) and the range has seen huge upward growth.
Your physiology clearly favors being skinny. Clearly your desire to run (exercise vigorously) plays a role.
I too exercise regularly. I realized long ago that our bodies are half legs. The design says a lot about what we are built to do!
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I do remember the USA culture clearly, from the mid-1950's on. The big breakthrough in thin was the advent of Twiggy, from Great Britain. Like the Beatles and the so-called British Invasion, Twiggy was the defining moment for us in model-thin.
I remember it too...and feel so old!
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I remember reading an article years ago (sorry, no idea where) in which the author had taken the figure sizes of all the Playboy centerfolds (as reported in the magazine) and plotted the trend. Apparently, as judged by Playboy anyway, our culture is losing its taste for hourglass figures and instead is developing a taste for more boyish figures. Would this have happened without photography, I don't know. But it is concurrent with the increased sexualization of younger and younger females, and younger females tend to have more boyish figures. I suspect that this may be an active area of research by sociologists somewhere, or should be.
I heard a story long ago that one month in its first year or two Playboy did a center feature on a woman who had small breasts. The magazine was said to have received lots of letters complaining. Due to that, so the story goes, they never repeated that “mistake” again.
I don’t want to step over any lines of inappropriate commentary. All hear appear to be reasonable adults. With that in mind, in our recent history, as recently as less than 100 years ago, very young women, girls, really, were very widely having babies. This wasn’t just in the USA but the world over. It still happens a lot throughout the world. This history shows a clear basis for attraction towards the very young. Now our culture rightfully condemns this behavior.
Still, most supermodels fit the form factor of those who appear both very skinny and very young. In fact, when you consider that some parents encourage their children into modeling as early as age 5 or so………………………………………………………
Anyway the growth of photography has served demands of an ever growing audience that shows ever increasing diversity. The supermodels as a hero of sorts is a product of those demands.
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Whenever people talk about "heroes," I am reminded of a television show I saw about 20 years ago. Bill Moyers had a series on PBS called "A World of Ideas." Now, Bill Moyers is pretty far out on one end of the political spectrum, but that isn't the important part of this story, so don't start thinking in political terms here.
Anyway, for the episode in question, Moyers interviewed the author Barbara Tuchman. She was a well-known historian in the U.S., noted particularly for her book "The Guns of August" about the events that led to the outbreak of World War I. By this point, she was quite elderly, and she died shortly after the show aired. She was defintiely a woman with a sort of early 20th century sensibility and demeanor.
Apparently, prior to the Moyers show, some organization had invited Tuchman to participate in a "Celebration of the American Hero" event somewhere. She talked about preparing her thoughts about sacrifice and service and such. When she arrived, she found that the "heroes" being celebrated were a small girl famous for having been rescued after falling down a well, the notorious "Mayflower Madam" Sidney Biddle Barrows, Superman, and some other similar characters. I'll never forget the disgust and contempt Barbara Tuchman used to describe her horrifying ordeal. I get a chuckle every time I think about that, even now. What I would give to have seen her as she began to realize what kind of "hero" event she'd been drawn into...
I'd never heard of Sidney Biddle Barrows before.
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Kate Moss was caught by the tabloid press taking drugs in a toilet and was initially dropped by some campaigns, however by the next year her earning were up as she was even better known and used even more.
Yep, sometimes the kryptonite actually helps. Ask Martha Stewart.
It’s the old "that which doesn’t kill me makes me stronger" phenomena
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I'd never heard of Sidney Biddle Barrows before.
Really? People were talking about her all over the place in '87. She did the talk show circuit during that time, and there was at least one TV movie made about her "career." Perhaps that's why she was considered a "hero" for that particular celebration. 15 minutes and all that...