something secret

Some food for thought : I call it cunt. I've reclaimed it, “cunt”. I really like it. “Cunt.” Listen to it. “Cunt.” C C. Ca Ca. Cavern, cackle, clit, cute, come-closed c-closed inside, inside ca-then u-then cu-then curvy, inviting sharkskin u- uniform, under, up, urge, ugh, ugh, u – then n then cun – snug letters fitting perfectly together – n – nest, now, nexus, nice, nice, always depth, always round in upper case, cun, cun-n a jagged wicked electrical pulse-n (high pitched noise) then soft n- warm n – cun, cun, then t – then sharp certain tangy t – texture, take, tent, tight, tantalizing, tensing, taste, tendrils, time, tactile, tell me, tell me “Cunt cunt,” say it, tell me “Cunt.” “Cunt.” -Reclaiming Cunt (The Vagina Monologues)

Today, in less than a minute, I was harassed on the street by two different men. I wasn't calling attention to myself, I wasn't dressed provocatively, and it wasn't the middle of the night. And yet it happened. It happened, and it made me feel unsafe, insecure, and unable to simply walk back to my office without being reduced to a piece of meat by men that I didn't know. I almost get why people think catcalling is no big deal. After all, the intention is usually just to flatter. It's not threatening, right? You're just trying to tell a complete stranger how sexy you think she is, how much you'd like to "tap dat ass", how good you could put it on her if she let you... Oh wait... Street Harassment is HARASSMENT . It infuriates me that so many men don't understand why it's such a serious issue. Being a woman in this world is literally a hazard. It means that you are at increased risk for assault  rape, depression, PTSD, eating disorders and a...

via  CNTM Trudy photographed by Calvin French I always start these posts off with a ton of preamble, and it makes the reviews rather long, so this week, I'm trying to make a conscious effort to cut down on the word count. But before I get to the reviews, I want to call attention to something that I'm sure went over most people's heads: this entire shoot was done in redface, and that is NOT OKAY . Naturally I blame the producers of the show for not thinking, even for a second, that this might be problematic, but I'm a little disappointed that none of the girls pointed it out. (Or maybe they did and it was edited out? Let's pretend that happened.) Other people have said it more eloquently than I, (specifically as it relates to Native Americans in the US, however the lesson translates well) but the basics are this: to be Amerindian is an identity. It is not a costume. It is the very essence of who the indigenous people are. To reduce their existence to a homogeneous ...

It's been a week, and the season finale of GIRLS was still a little more than I can handle. After  On All Fours,  and all of the spectacular shame spiraling that occurred, I was weirdly looking forward to some season-ending closure for these girls: some indication that they had learned something from this season of hardship and emotional struggle. But, nope. All we got was more of the same. Hannah's self indulgence, Marnie's near deliberate obtuseness, Shoshanna's innocence (more on this in a bit), and Jessa's flightiness. The finale made sense in the context of this season's larger story arcs, but it leaves the audience, (okay, me) with a sense of dissatisfaction. With the exception of Shoshanna, each of the players is essentially right back where they started in the pilot, and it feels like regression much more than progress. Continue Reading My Brilliance! >>>

via  CNTM Stephany photographed by Marvin Bartley This week was... interesting. There were a lot of problems that had nothing to do with the girls, but can we just agree that the drama between them is just too draining to be worth mentioning anymore? Kendra, you are not humble if you talk about how humble you are. Athaliah, someone not asking excuse, while rude, is not a capital offense. Calm down. Lisa, stop with the passive-aggressiveness. It's not cute. And all of you, leave poor Treveen alone please. There's a reason she's shooting past the rest of you while you battle for a spot in the bottom two. Top Model is a  family franchise . There is no reason TV6 should have to place a parental guidance warning before the show. Tone it down ladies.  But as we mention the bottom two, can we please discuss how completely messed up the call out order was this week?  AGAIN?  Somebody on that judging panel is hitting that Jesus Juice a little hard. I won't say who, but it rhymes...

via  CNTM Treveen photographed by Kerron Riley Oh my darling biddies, I'm sorry to say that I missed everything but the judging this week, so I have little to say about the models' interpersonal drama. Unfortunately that means that this week, I'll have to base this review exclusively on the their performance in the photoshoot. I know! Comment très ennuyeux! But that can't be helped. Let's get on with it.  It seems Treveen has once again found herself at the top of the pack and with good reason! This shot has all the  Charima Uniquness Nerve and Talent  you could ask for. Treveen is engaged with her body and in her face, she's interacting with the other characters in frame, and she still manages to stand out amongst all the feathers. I can easily see this as an ad for Trinidad Carnival, as it fantastically captures the idea of interacting with a new culture, while also being wary of it. In this shot, Treveen has accomplished the near impossible: she looks demure ...

The discussion continues! What say you about the peacock blogger wars?  As Christina of Profresh Style detailed earlier this week, tolerance for snotty, entitled bloggers is at an all time low. A lot of this stems from the peacocking behavior of bloggers at fashion weeks. There are interesting arguments/justifications for this phenomenon on both sides of the fence, but have we gotten to the point where bloggers consider themselves to be legitimate fashion celebrities, with the egos and attitudes to match?  What do you think?

via Afrobella With all the controversy surrounding Django Unchained upon its release, I purposely waited until after awards season to watch and review the movie. As much as I love getting into the thick of things, I'd already  seen and read so much about the merits and failings of Quentin Tarantino's latest offering that I knew that there was no way I could love or hate it in a void. I needed distance. So now, two weeks after the airing of the 85th Annual Academy Awards (at which Django won for Best Original Screenplay ), I'm finally sitting down to ruminate on how I felt about this movie. I almost don't know what to say about Django Unchained, but I will say this: I didn't hate it. I've never seen any of Quentin Tarantino's other films. From the trailers alone , he seems to specialize in a kind of overwrought, violent camp that does not appeal to me. But Django was his first directorial credit since 2009's Inglorious Bastards, the film featured several ...

via  CNTM This week's winning photograph Treveen photographed by Andros Belfonte Firstly: I TOLD YOU BITCHES IT WOULD GET BETTER! This week we saw improvements in almost every aspect of the show (except the damn sound editing. *shakes fist*) from the judging sets, to the girls' house, to the girls themselves in the form of makeovers. Sadly, Wendy was still gorgeous and still boring, and the final call-out order was an absolute mess, but we did finally get a clear picture of the prizes: a US$50K contract with bmoblie, a cover and feature spread in Caribbean Belle Magazine and a modelling contract with Factor Women. But it was makeover week, so naturally there were tears and complaints, but other than Kendra, no one seemed to have any serious traumatic experiences. In general the makeovers were pretty great, but the colours were mostly atrocious. None were truly terrible, but there were only a handful of standouts. (See Treveen, Trudy, Lisa, Susan) Everyone else looked different,...

via fashion gone rogue Charlotte Free by Max Abadian Loving this bright March cover. Between the blues of the cover and the pinks of her hair, this cover is eye-catching and interesting. I'd definitely look twice if I saw it on a newsstand.

via fashion gone rogue Sheila Marquez and Christopher Abbot by Guy Aroch Just yesterday I was telling a friend that I was thinking of delving back into photojournalism, because although I love fashion and fashion photography, there isn't that much opportunity for linear storytelling. Fashion simply is , and there is very little you can do to make it about any one thing in particular unless you are taking a dedicated approach to creating a specific story.  So what I love about the shots in this campaign is that they manage to do just that. The entire thing centres on the story of these two people in love, and how they interact with the fashion is simply an organic extension of that. It's a very refreshing take on a very old and played formula, and I could get used to it.  Continue Reading My Brilliance! >>>

via fashion gone rogue Barbara Palvin by Simon Emmett It's been a while since I posted any beauty, but these shots were so glamourous that I couldn't help myself. I think the strength in a good beauty shot is to enhance the model's natural looks, rather try to recreate them in a different way. It's so much better to see a face at its best, rather than done up beyond recognition.  Continue Reading My Brilliance! >>>

via CNTM The Winning Photograph, featuring Trudy and Susan photographed by David Wears So… almost an entire week has passed and I’m just getting to this review. It’s a little bit laziness and being busy at work, but it’s mostly my complete and utter inability to make heads or tails of what happened on Monday.  And I’m not talking about what happened in the episode. But first, the task at hand: A few minutes in, Rachel opted to leave to take a job she had interviewed for prior to making it into the competition. Power to you girl. Go make that money. Modelling may seem glamorous and fun, but it can take years before you hit a stride and make the kind of living you want. In the spirit of fairness, model hopeful Lisa was invited to take her place. With that all sorted, the journey continued. There was some screaming, two gorgeous male models, arrival at their new accommodations (a drastic, minimal, military style barracks) and commentary on who is or isn’t “real”, who causes comess, and wh...