Reframed: Marilyn Monroe

'Marilyn Monroe is a mirror for people's ideas about sexuality and women's power', states the new four part CNN documentary series 'Reframed: Marilyn Monroe'. 

After watching, I felt this has never been more true. In an age where women's agency and freedoms are talked about and hashtagged in the news and social media there was a strong and evident agenda to reflect Marilyn as a trail blazer and feminist in this retelling.

The programme succeeded in ditching the usual tragic trappings most documentaries focus on when speaking about Marilyn the icon. Gone were the familiar 'beautiful young and dead' undertones to be replaced by representations of a hard working determined artist and star.

It was thrilling to see Marilyn make decisions and achieve against the odds. Wonderful to hear how she became a pioneer in a male led film industry, leaving Hollywood to set up her own production company, learn her craft and take chances.

To further this feeling of empowerment, the programme consisted of only women talking about her career, giving insights, or in Dame Joan Collins case, recollections, of the star. By taking men out of the picture this became a safe space where agency was given back to a woman whose image was established for the consumption of men.

Yet, even in this, Marilyn was given influence, as Bonnie Greer stated;

'We as women are constantly constructed, we construct ourselves, we collude in it, and you have to as a woman negotiate this, even if it's unconscious, every second of your life. Marilyn knew the machinery of womanhood very early'

It seems strange that a documentary so dedicated to lifting Marilyn Monroe up should then make some glaring mistakes that, if taken for fact, give a false impression of her. For instance, Marilyn's marriage to Joe DiMaggio was touted as a publicity stunt which is difficult to believe as they were both incredibly famous successful people at that point in their lives. Both parties met and fell in love years before their marriage and it's hard to see Marilyn being that callous or shallow where love and security were concerned.

Another bone of contention came when a rumoured love affair between a young Marilyn and her photographer Andre De Dienes was stated as truth. Over the years many men who knew her on a professional or even passing manner have claimed to have slept with her, and this for me is just another of those bragging stories that without evidence can only be met with skepticism.

But, mostly this was a new Marilyn for a new generation. 'Reframed' chose to show her story through the lens of a modern woman helping her to rise above the sexism and stereotypes of her time. While this did present new angles on events in her life giving much earned praise to her achievements and ambitions, the documentary was so fixated on getting the idea of a strong female across that it chose to leave out key points of her story that couldn't be rewritten as a personal triumph or breakthrough.

Crucial moments involving both husband's, Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller, were downplayed or left out altogether. When events led to Marilyn's traumatic stay at the Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic (where she had been locked in a padded cell by order of her psychiatrist), the documentary only stated that she got out, failing to mention that if she hadn't got a message to DiMaggio,  by then her ex,  he wouldn't have fought for her release as he had.

Likewise, the emotional difficulties that came from her marriage to Miller were only skimmed across never giving the deeper extent of her heartbreak and dismay that led to professional loss and ultimately their divorce.

Though flawed in places, Reframed: Marilyn Monroe, made a genuine effort to shake off many of the preconceptions and stereotypes associated with the star and reminded us that living in the midst of all the attention, myth (some self created) and stardom was a real person with real ambitions and struggles just like any other woman. 

Her struggles took place in an era when women's options were small, and expectations were high, yet somehow she managed to elevate beyond anything we could ever imagine and has become more than a person. Even today, 60 years beyond, Marilyn is an ever evolving idea of womanhood and a true reflection of our desires, efforts and successes as we progress through the ages.

A Pre Raphaelite stunner in the flesh and on canvas!

I am loving being back in the studio! At the moment Tuesday is studio day! As I mentioned in my last studio post I was going to share with you guys the Pre Raphaelite photo shoot I did with Grace Oni Smith my wonderful and gorgeous trans gender model and muse! I was SO excited doing this shoot with her as she looked absolutely amazing and it felt like all my dreams had come true as I had a true Pre Raphaelite stunner sitting right in front of me! Thanks again to Grace for being so great to work with and collaborating on costume and styling. (If you'd like to know more about how we put this look together let me know and I'll write about it)

These photos were taken in Grace's Manchester flat, so you'll have to excuse the kitchen background (not very Pre Raphaelite!) The poses were inspired by the paintings, Bocca Baciata, (The Mouth that has been kissed) and The Blessed Damozel both by Rossetti

 I had chosen the flowers Grace holds in the photos especially to reflect an aspect of her story and personality. The pink rose in her hair literally means 'grace', while the Daffodils, a Spring flower, represent rebirth and renewal and overcoming the hard times of Winter, a fitting sentiment since Grace had just weeks earlier undergone her gender reassignment surgery. The Gladioli posed a problem as they had failed to open in time for the shoot but in theory they represented strength of character. (I have since learned Gladioli are an August birth flower, and Grace was born in August! One of those flukey coincidences)

As you can see from the photos we arranged a selection of items in the foreground. These included, a magnifying glass, a mirror, some of the daily medication Grace takes, and make up brushes. Each item was chosen to represent a part of Grace's life and follow the Pre Raphaelite tradition of placing corresponding items in a painting to tell us something about the person we are looking at. (See the apple for instance in Bocca Baciata above, she's a temptress, a modern Eve waiting to lure you in!)

Now I have images to work with I am unsure about whether to use these items or not, or at least how to use them, I think this is something that will became apparent as I continue working on the project.

I've begun my first painting from the shoot  and in my last studio post I promised you guys I'd also share how my experiment on canvas board was going. So here's the scoop!....

I decided I wanted to recreate the feel of one of Rossetti's unfinished paintings, which just happens to be another version of The Blessed Damozel. He often painted the same subject several times, sometimes with slight differences. Here you can see the Damozel's gaze, hand placement and flowers are different to the original.

I find this unfinished painting more exciting than the actual finished version! I love how we can see the textured background and the raw edges to Rossetti's work. This is also my reason for painting Grace in this way, because as yet, she herself is unfinished, a work in progress, with raw edges.

To replicate the textured background I began this piece by painting the entire canvas board a deep ultra marine blue mixed with a little yellow to bring out a green tinge. Once this was dry I painted over it with gold. I am using acrylic paints instead of oils as I can't stand working with oil paint and hate waiting around for it to dry. So I will be trying my best to get the softness and depth with my own paints. The blue paint shows though the thin washes of gold and creates a metallic gold/green that looks mustard or deep green depending on the light and will contrast nicely with the softness of the skin and hair.

Once the gold layers (I put two thin coats on ) had dried then came the hard part of placing my image onto the board. I would usually do this by having a scaled down version to the exact dimensions and use a grid to transfer the outline onto the unpainted canvas. But for this work it felt right to do as much by eye as possible. This proved extra hard as I found it really difficult to draw out Grace's outline to the correct size! In the end I placed sheets of baking paper (a cheap alternative to tracing paper, plus you can use whatever size you need!) over the the board and drew onto that. It took a few attempts but I finally got the size and shapes I wanted.

I cut out the cartoon, as this kind of preparatory drawing is called, and placed it where I wanted it on the board securing it with tape. I then drew around this with chalk to fix where I wanted the image to stay. 

The gold paint makes it very hard to see where you are working and other acrylic paints do not sit on it well. I would have to build up lots of layers to get a purchase on it, so instead I filled in the outlines I'd created with white primer! Once I'd done a couple of coats I had a Grace shaped cloud floating on the canvas board.

This reminds me of how the Pre Paphaelites achieved their vivid colours by painting onto a white background, so I feel this is a good start! Next I had to add some loose detail as a guide line so I went back to the cartoon I'd done and drew on it's reverse. I then taped it back into position over the white shape and drew over the lines to transfer them onto the canvas board.

Now I have everything set up to begin painting Grace onto the board. I have begun by blocking in her hair for now. I have put in roughly the pattern of her curls and I will finish her hair after I have finished painting her face.

I'd run out of time by this point so I'll be continuing when I return this week. So far I am loving working on this painting! I am hoping to get some more free time in the next few weeks so will be able to make more progress. I'll be documenting the whole thing so will let you see how things are coming along!

Gemma***

Interview with Grace Oni Smith

In a busy coffee shop in the middle of Manchester I met up with Grace Oni Smith to interview her as part of my project investigating trans-gender femininty. In time Grace will be posing for me as I paint her in a Pre - Raphaelite inspired piece exploring her femininity and personal story (see past posts for for info on what we've done so far). I thought it was about time to really get to grips with the subject matter, so please read on to find out more in this unabrigded interview which involved coffee, cake and very candid chatter...

-Hi Grace how are you?

Good thanks!

-What have you been doing today?

I slept in today, it's my day off. I washed my hair, plucked my brows and watched an episode of Buffy with a slice of quiche. Tonight I'm hosting Drag Bingo at Vivid Lounge.

-You’re a very busy woman of late, not only working as a full time professional make-up artist but also moonlighting as a drag/burlesque performer; can you tell us something about how you juggle your time and how your jobs might influence each other?

It's a mixed bag really but it all involves artistry. My drag work is about character, mood, creating an other self. With my make up work it's the same, it's about faces and peoples persona. Making people feel good through the way they look. Outside of work I focus on myself as a canvas but the message is similar both ways. Creating looks and characters that are empowering, inspiring and creative.

  

-For anyone who doesn’t know, can you explain exactly what ‘drag’ performing is, and how it relates to you as a trans woman?

Lots of people assume drag is all about a man in a dress and a wig impersonating a woman. But in my drag family it's about creating a persona and a character and amplifying different facets of your personality. That's why drag can be a man a woman or a trans person. It's a chance to create an amplifyed version of yourself.

-Can you give us the scoop about your next incarnation?

My next show is at the Cornerhouse [this Thursday] and is for the Vogue Fashion Night Out. It ties in with the Double Indemnity show thats on at the moment and is inspired by the women in film noir. In film noir women are personified as characters like the bitch, the damsel in distress or the femme fatale. It's similar to drag in that way. We'll be dressed as film noir characters for people to sketch on the night. Our look will be monochromatic, like we've just stepped off the screen and been placed in the gallery. My look will be based on Marlene Dietrich, Sheila Blige will be a Joan Crawford type and Anna Phlactic will be based on Monroe. Then there will also be a drag king posing as Humphrey Bogart. We'll be creating tableaus and will break out into lip syncing songs.

-Sounds amazing! I'm going by the way!

Good!

 - You’ve stated in the past that performing on stage, rather than pretending to be someone else, is a chance to ‘hold a magnifying glass up to yourself’. Do you feel that it is the audience or yourself who learn the most from this experience?

When I first started it was purely from a selfish place. Through performing I got to show off the trans body both the glamourous and the ugly side. It put me in a cathartic mindset. I've always felt that if there's a part of yourself you hate then you should get it out and shake it around. Show people. In that way you're able to let go of the things that you're tortured by. It's an unusual way of having therapy; Celebrating the things you're not proud of and making them into something you can be proud of.

People responded really well [to my performing] so in the end it became about the audience too. One time someone came up to me after a show and said, 'I can't beleive you got your scars out! I've got loads of scars, it's great to see someone embracing it!'

Now I feel an obligation to celebrate the things that make me different instead of hiding them away.

- Brilliant! Ok next question: Many women have a certain degree of maintenance in their lives, be it waxing plucking tanning or manicures. You've already touched on plucking your eyebrows earlier today, can you give us some insight into the upkeep and maintenance involved in being a trans woman?

[Laughs] Well obviously there's the hormonal treatment you have to have before surgery. I have to have a tablet injected under my stomach every three months; it lowers the male hormones to a level of a biological lady. It's called Anti Androgene, I always thought that would make a good drag name, you know, Auntie Androgene!

Then there's estrogen tablets I take every day, and as far as womens maintainance it's somewhat more; plucking, waxing, laser treatment.

-You recently got your lips done didn't you?

Yes, well I got my nose done in the new year and I got bored waiting for more surgery so I decided to get my lips plumped up. I have priorities but if I won the Euro Millions I'd go on holiday and come back a totally different person!

I'm getting my boobs done next year and I plan to get my teeth done too.

-What, like veneers?

Yes

- You don't need to I like your teeth the way they are, they have character!

Character! What like an 18th Century syphilitic? [laughs and mimes a diseased mouth]

-[Also laughs] No no! Like... You know before David Bowie got his teeth done, he looked better than he does now. He looks a bit boring now, a bit too perfect. I like his old teeth.

Well, I want a perfect smile, I want that horse look!  As far as other forms of up-keep goes, just use your imaginations... anything a woman does to keep herself looking good, times it by 10!

-Is there anything you find challenging on an everyday basis that many other people might never even think about?

People find it difficult to understand how being transgender affects every facet of your life. From waking up in the morning, looking in the mirror, going to work... Everything always reminds you that you're transgender. I'd never claim it's a disability because it's opened up new communities and people to me. But unless you go through that every day is difficult to understand.

I tried to explain it to a male friend like this: You're a man, you look like a man, you feel like a man you act like a man but imagine you have a massive pair of big bouncy tits instead of your normal chest. How would you feel?

When you walked down the street that's all anyone would look at. You'd still be a male but this unusual difference would set you apart.

Even children pick up on transgender people.

It's about how you feel as well as how other people react to you.

-Have you always felt like that?

Yes always. But I was lucky when I was little, my mum was great and never dictated what I should be like. How many little boys do you know who go home from school to play with their Barbies and watch Splash!?

-You come from a Jewish background, how has your faith affected your life as a trans woman?

[Takes a moment to answer] The main thing I always say to myself is God tests us. There's lots of conflicting ideas; plastic surgery, changing bodies... Would God want me to live my life and be miserable with negative emotions? As transgender, ultimately the journey is about relinquishing yourself of demons. Do you just stay the way you are to be accepted visually or do you change what you can? Instead of introverting your energy, put it out there to help people. 

-So how has the Jewish community been towards you?

Jewish people are mostly accepting. My gender is not relevant. To them I'm just another Jewish woman.

-The project we are working on is something that ticks all my boxes; glamour, history, narrative and the celebration of femininity (your femininity in this case) to name but a few! Can you tell us why you wanted to partake in this work and have your portrait painted? 

All the same reasons as you! Art history; before I started this project I didn't realise how many parallels there were betweeen me and the women in the [Pre-Raphaelite] paintings. They have strength and confidence. It's made me delve deeper into that movement in art than just thinking 'oh that's a gorgeous picture'.

Plus it's an interesting idea. I'm glad to be part of the process; working together to create something with power behind it. Especially with my [gender re-assignment] surgery in three weeks. This is a strange peiod of my life, and it's never really been explored before. It's nice to look at it in a beautiful and romantic way. It's subversive in a different way. 

Since I've seen some of the drawings you've been making of me I've come to think of the finished styling and make-up for the piece as much softer. You've been drawing me as I am, not as I usually like to be seen. It's challenging, more real and raw. For instance I'm sat in front of you now with no make up on, but a couple of years ago I would never have done that. The drawings have made me think, 'That's what I look like'.

 -I've just drawn what I see, I still think you look beautiful as well as real. 

There's lots of parallels with me as a trans woman. [The Pre Raphaelite style] has strong and powerful women but they are soft too. I remember my mum saying I would never be a namby pamby woman, she said I was more of a Grace Jones, an amazon. That's what I've always identified with, but I've since realised I can be more refined and feminine too.

-How has art in general been an influence in your life?

That's a big question! Really in every way! I've always been very artistic; painting, crafting... that's always been an outlet. as a teenager I was always hiding in the art department learning differnt ways to be creative. I'm not academic so art was a way to express myself. Performance is a way of bringing it all together. Arts always been an outlet, always will be.

- Do you have a favourite artist?

Many many many, too many and it always changes.

-This year is a big one for you with your gender re-assignment coming up next month, how are you feeling about things at the moment?

Just... ready. I'm tired of waiting. I'm looking forward to six months time. That's really exciting to me. I'm looking forward to five years down the line when this [time] is a distant memory. I'm really ready and looking towards what the future holds!

-Do you have any words of advice or experience for anyone else that might be beginning or on a similar journey to your own?

I think the best advice is just be who you are 100%. Trans people shouldn't be afraid to embrace both their masculine and feminine sides. It's what makes you special in your own way. View it as a blessing not a curse. 

If I could just take a pill and be totally happy with the way I am right now I would. But you can't do that so you have to be you and make the changes you can. Life's a journey so you've always got to move on. And if you haven't got the support of your family make your own family. I get so much strength from my family and community I wouldn't be where I am right now without their support.

There's also my queer family, I'm lucky to have met a group of people so loving. There's so many people going through the same thing. There's a wider community and support network and I take strength from that.

-If you could describe yourself right now in three words what would they be? It's a lot harder than you think...

Three words... Shiny; I've got a LOT of moisturiser on today! 

Ready

Erm... this is hard! Um... Determined.

-Good choice! Thanks Grace! Is there anything else you’d like to add that I haven’t asked?

Just, thank you. I'm grateful that you asked me to be part of this and I'm glad to be working with you. If it was anyone else and not Gemma Parker doing this I don't think I'd have said yes.

-Thank you!

There then followed a conversation about the trans community. I said I was getting on really well with the Pre Raphaelite side of the project but I wanted to know more about the trans side of it. Grace suggested we visit a particular bar in the Gay Village well known for it's 'tranny night'. But she said the experience would show me a dark side of trans life. 'The girls there are all so desperate to be noticed and accepted even if that means getting exploited'. To be frank it means that the girls who frequent the bar can be targeted by men after the fantasy of sex with a 'tranny'.  Grace described it as a 'dark sordid little rabbit hole'. She certainly paints a picture with words.

Grace stated there needs to be a positive change to open up the trans community as there is no one in mainstream culture who represents them. It's just not questioned or talked about. 'There's no one like Pete Burns or Boy George on mainstream TV these days... Can you imagine a person who plays with gender that way as a guest on Blue Peter nowadays?' In truth, no. 

Talking with Grace this afternoon about her trans life amongst the bustle of city workers and shoppers, sipping their coffees and gossiping, felt like the most natural thing in the world. My project might not make the positive change Grace was talking about but by working together and simply chatting this way I feel we've begun something that will at least start to question peoples understanding of life as a trans person and will celebrate this little understood path of femininity.

-

I am scheduled to meet with Manchester Art Gallery next week to speak to one of their curators about their Pre Raphaelite art collection including the chance to view some Rossetti drawings not usually on show to the public! I will get the chance to chat about my project to get some direction in how to put Grace's story into a narrative within her portrait. I am very excited! See you next time... :)

New art project part 2: Something about Grace...

 

Last week myself and Grace Oni Smith, visited Manchester Art Gallery to view some of the Pre-Raphaelite works there in preparation for the new art piece based on her. (find out about this spectacular lady in my last post: New art project: A date with Grace)

More specifically, we went to perv at the lovely Pre-Raphaelite models who take pride of place in many of the paintings. These lovely gals are to be the inspiration for my portrait of Grace, a stunning transgender woman who put me in mind of the Victorian pin ups; Something about Grace was niggling me for ages after I first met her. Then weeks later while waiting for the bus it hit me. Not the bus....a thought! Grace reminds me of Jane Morris. She is tall and willowy with strong features and dark hair. Was it the shape of her nose, the placement of her lips? I'm not sure but that similarity fueled my ideas and now here we are staring dreamily at Dante Gabriel Rossetti's Bower Meadow.

'Look at her nose!' Grace said running a well manicured finger down her own work of art, her newly refurbished schnoz (not long tweaked by a nose job). 'It's me!'. It's true, looking at any of the Pre-Raphaelite girls especially Rossetti's, it's easy to find elements that ring true with Grace's features.

Pre nose job, Grace is still reminiscent of a Pre-Raphaelite stunner!

The Victorian models were painted as ideals of femininity. Yet it's interesting to note many of the women who found acclaim through their modelling were originally a bit, how can I put it, odd looking for the fashions of the time. It was the artists' vision and ideas which helped to open society's mind and soon had the art crowd knocking down the doors to celebrate these unique women.

Far from claiming that vision as my own I want to use the Pre-Raphaelite ideal as a platform to air Grace's story and challenge our society's views on femininity. Using two of my favourite things artifice and theatrics I want to stage a Pre-Raphaelite style scene with Grace as the icon and muse.

Lots of things need to be taken into consideration for this piece: Story, styling, symbolism, pose and paint technique to name but a few. But during our visit to the gallery, Grace and I were most involved in looking at the details in the paintings; the beautiful way hands and shoulders were showcased; the models never really revealing much but still oozing sensuality and fierce femininity.

Joli Coeur by Dante Gabriel Rossetti is one of the paintings we went to see at Manchester Art Gallery. This small and intimate picture has pin up girl written all over it! Looking like she just threw her jacket on to open the front door to the milkman this minx embodies the Pre-Raphaelite style. Her decolletage hands and wrists are the only flesh on show heightening the eroticism of her pose and expression.

Words which Grace and I used to describe the feel and look of these paintings included:

Luminous

Irredescent

Glossy

Sensual

Strong

Rosy

Soft

Voluminous

Lit from within...

Certainly when looking at works such as Vivien by Frederick Sandys you get a feeling this lady is lit from within. Grace and I spent a good while studying this work. Not only did we like the way she dominated the viewers attention, we were intrigued by the items placed in the painting with her. What did they tell us about her, and what did they symbolize?

In case you're wondering, Vivien here is not a very nice piece of work. She is an evil enchantress from Arthurian legend and this can be backed up by reading the symbols around her. The apple for instance, represents man's fall, the flowers she toys with are poisonous Daphne and the all obliterating Opium Poppy. Teamed with her aloof  look, I think she's best kept at arms length

 

We discussed possible items to be placed within Grace's portrait and played around with the ideas of the Star of David and menorah to symbolize her Jewish faith and upbringing and butterfly motifs as used to reference transformation and transgender. But I feel the items need to be cohesive so maybe placing Grace as a mythical/historical character who shares similar cross references of transformation and strength might work too. This needs to be looked into further. One thing I really want to do is create something that references Pre-Raphaelites but is still contemporary, so I definitely want to put modern items and references in with the classic styling.

Grace was inspired by the clothes and faces we saw and has already begun to plan her look. Being a professional make up artist I know she will come up with something striking and spot on. I've asked her to keep me posted with any experiments she does and I will post them up here to share with you. You can see an example of Grace's fabulous work in this video for Tranarchy. She certainly isn't afraid of a little lipstick put it that way:

I think the next step in this project will be to get some drawings of Grace done, so I can get used to representing her face, and start to experiment with poses and ideas, kind of like brainstorming with pictures. This will be a good chance gather our ideas and work with what we have already thought about. I'll let you know how we get on next time...

My Week With Marilyn

I am soooo excited about this new film! Based on the true story of junior assistant producer Colin Clarke's unbelievable week long relationship with Marilyn Monroe during the filming of The Prince and the Showgirl in 1957 England. I recently re-read the book in preparation!

My Week With Marilyn is like having a new Marilyn film coming out in my life time; impossible, amazing, exciting and slightly worrying. Like many MM fans I am extremely protective of her, this woman who left the world years before I entered it. I've grown up watching her, studying her photos and reading every book I find about her. In short Marilyn has helped shape my ideas of glamour performance and artifice. She encompasses my obsession with femininity! And what's more, I really like her, not just her image, her personality traits too.

It's an understatement to say that the mark Marilyn left on this world goes far deeper than that of a moviestar. Her reach has profoundly altered her fans, uplifted them, inspired them and touched them. Marilyn's creativity and personal story shines on and on...

On viewing the trailer for My Week With Marilyn I felt a small shiver run down my spine, Michelle Williams seems to really get her. Rather than focusing on the sex kitten image (which I have a horrid feeling Naomi Watts will try to capture in her upcoming MM picture Blonde) Williams has keyed into MM's vulnerable side and her complex state of mind. This can really be seen in the shots used to promote the film.

This is certainly no looky-likey performance yet I feel Williams ability to tap into Marilyn's psyche will do more than any amount of bleach and lipstick could ever achieve in doing her justice. I found this interesting talk featuring many of Hollywood's big names sitting around chatting about their work, Here Williams describes her transformation into MM and her own feelings about the star's personality.

It's fascinating stuff. I hope with all my fingers and toes crossed this film lives up to my expectations! 

Hit or Miss?

This weekend sees London host the 2011 Miss World pageant, an event that has been running for decades and now celebrates it's 61st year! So popular is this programme it is viewed by millions worldwide. Yet no British mainstream channel will broadcast it (if you're intertested you can find it on the Active Channel here in the UK. Ever heard of it? No me neither.)

So why the awkward silence and doleful staring at the feet? Surely such a huge and successful enterprise would have the BBC and ITV both elbowing each other out of the way to get first dibs. 

Well no, you see Miss World has become something of an embarassement these days and anti feminsit. The 'respectable' media will no doubt promote this opinion because lets face it, championing a beauty pageant in this day and age is 'totally uncool'.

This morning I watched The Wright Stuff on Channel 5 and the phone-in was about Miss World. Matthew Wright laid down the gauntlet; 

'...We’re going to find out what you think about Britain hosting the Miss World beauty contest on Sunday. Feminist groups say it’s sexist and outdated but organisers say the contest champions racial equality and has more than 1bn fans worldwide. True, many in such open-minded pro-women democracies as china and Zimbabwe. Come on folks, what the hell are we doing hosting this nonsense in the 21st century'

With the bait set Wright waited for the lines to fill with disgruntled women. Which they did, but not the disgruntled women he was perhaps expecting; every caller was a female proclaiming her love for the contest and dismay at his views.

But how can you say there's nothing wrong with 'ogling girls in bikinis', how is that not sexist? Wright asked in exasperation.

He was so outraged by the callers he cried out that he was the only true feminist on the programme. Citing that women only feel the need to conform into ideals of beauty, because of a male dominated society which wanted to keep them in their place, the Miss World contest did nothing for womens rights and in fact put them back to the 1950's when the pageant began.

He certainly has a point. But somewhere in between all this political correctness and pageant nonsense something is bothering me. When Wright told one of the callers they couldn't be a feminist and still be a fan of Miss World I wondered why not. It might seem obvious but wait...

I applaud his sentiments and passion for the subject of womens rights, but surely, as I pointed out in my post about the bunny girl, being a feminist means allowing women to pursue their lives in any way they see fit, whether that be dressing as a fluffy rabbit or taking part as a Miss World contestant, it's their choice.

To dictate just what a woman should and shouldn't think in order to be taken seriously is just as bad as these dominating men Wright was talking about. Why can't you enjoy watching a beauty contest and still feel strongly for women's rights? One of the things that occurs to me is that in our fight for equality over the years, women's roles have changed dramatically, but one thing has always remained the same, we ARE women. And as women we still enjoy cosmetics and fashion and beauty. Despite what Wright says these passions are not completely due to men telling us we should conform to them, they come from somewhere deep in our genetic makeup. (The thousands of women out shopping for new outfits and lipstick right now are probably having a whale of a time glorying in the thrill of it all.)

But I do feel these interests are massively exploited by the media and commercialism, and no doubt Miss World plays on them in order to have been running for so long. Tanya Gold (She of the bunny hating club) recently wrote an article entitled 'I blame the media for ignoring feminsim in favour of makeup' In it she asks 'why the feminist movement seems so comprehensively to have stalled.' 

My answer would be it hasn't stalled, it has changed. Women like myself, and possibly the caller on The Wright Stuff, enjoy the trappings of modern femininity (I view artifice as a huge part of femininity), but that doens't mean we have been brainwashed into accepting nothing else in our lives. Feminists (men and women) need to stop pigeonholing other women over their choices and focus on a fully rounded representation of women including the cosmetic side. Why does that have to be a bad thing?

While I personally find Miss World off putting I don't agree with some feminists using the beauty card to underline what they see as womens failure. There is a fine line between enjoying being a woman and having your femininity exploited.

Neeta Madahar: Flora

Laura with Irises: Neeta Madahar

While my Stoke project is moving on to the next stage I thought I'd share with you an artist whose work really caught my attention over the past few weeks.
Neeta Madahar, is a photographer whose new work is celebratory of women and uses a decorative theme which completely enchants and speaks to my love of female glamour!

Last year I wrote about Madame Yevonde, a photographer from the 1930's who produced a series of images based on goddesses. It is this work which has inspired Madahar and similar set ups and themes can be seen mirrored in her portraits series; Flora.

The Hon Byron Guinness as Venus: Madame Yevonde

Using friends and work collegues as models Madahar asked each one to choose a flower which has been used as a womans name to personify in their portrait. Whereas Yevonde photographed the titled peers of her social circles, such as' The Hon Byron Guinness as Venus', giving them an etherial filmic glamour in each shot, Madahar uses very normal looking women. In fact the lack of photoshopping is very refreshing in this day and age and it's the contrast of real and artificial which helps to make the images so intriguing.

Sian with Bluebells: Neeta Madahar

I love the campy aestheticsm, the artificial lighting and sets and vintage glamour, but I also love the way the models are natural in portrayal of size, age and looks.

There is a fantasy in each shot which transports the viewer and perfectly captures the personification of the flower in question. Artifice rules yet again. Despite the believability of the models they have successfully altered their everyday appearance to give a performance which only seems to maginfy their own characters and personal stories.

Venus Verticordia: Dante Gabriel Rossetti

The idea of women with flowers or nature is an ancient one and one that has been touched upon hundreds of times, and I'm happy that the powerful myth is still inspiring artists today and producing images that glorify the female as icon! I think Madahar's Flora images could be seen as deceptfully simple but they are actually full of meaning and layered in history, reference and narrative.

Lee with Fushias: Neeta Madahar