The Gremlin's Wings » fashion

The Blogger Strikes Back (At Society)

Flying Gremlin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 07:50:43 +0000

Thank whatever deity is out there that the Christmas season is done…

So, what have I been doing? One thing that I did do today was start following a few links on Twitter and I ended up perusing Carrie Fisher’s Twitter page. Completely randomly, of course; I was clicking on people that were following William Shatner. It was while I was viewing her recent tweets when I saw this update, which contained a link to her blog, where I read this. (Sorry for doing that… but I noted a few people on Twitter were noticing that some tweets got deleted. I want to back my links up, just in case.)

Now, just in case some of you are wondering what the big deal is with this particular person, let me jog your memory for you:

…yeah. Princess Leia. Star Wars.

Anyway, there was this big blowup online where she was blasted because of how she looks now. Apparently people have taken the whole “let’s be jerks on the Internet” liberty and blasted Carrie Fisher about her looks, calling her “fat” and stuff like that. The Internet is useful for many things, and unfortunately this particular part is also what it is primarily used for: uncensored reactions that are saved forever.

For reference, this is a picture of Carrie Fisher that I found online from September 2009:

People blasted her for her appearance. And in her blog, which I linked above, she had this to say:

Amazing as this might sound, I BARELY eat a fucking thing, AND I exercise regularly, get acupuncture—-AND I take hundreds of these enormous, annoying vitamins……but it would appear that between being 5 foot ONE & 53 years old (in 3 weeks), I’m not going to be shedding a bunch of pounds anytime soon…..I suppose I could completely STARVE myself, but then I wouldn’t have the energy to do my show, be myself AND (most importantly, of course) defend myself on the Internet to those I’ve been upsetting with my increased presence……..

I hate going on these talk show excursions, cause everytime I do, the Internet fills up with what a fat act I’ve become……

First off, sorry for the language. That is the only time I have sworn on this thing so far… and it was not me. Carrie Fisher made me do it.

Another thing I wanted to mention here is that… granted, that is sort of what I thought the first time when I saw this, too, I will not lie. It was the first thought that crossed my mind when I went looking at YouTube videos and saw a recent interview she did on a talk show. Then the second thing that crossed my mind was a sharp dose of perspective, and I believe this is something that culture as a whole has forgotten, and has largely glossed over:

People change, especially over three decades; and
The fact she did not dive into plastic surgery was awesome.

The fact that most people associate the Star Wars original trilogy with a good wave of nostalgia – and considering it is one of the most well-known movie series in the western hemisphere – it is not too surprising that people view her as still this young woman in their minds, especially those who are turned on by the first picture. But what people forget is that three decades have passed since A New Hope premiered. Harrison Ford has changed. Mark Hamill has changed – bad break for that guy, too. James Earl Jones and Alec Guiness are dead. Carrie Fisher has changed too.

I remember seeing Miss Fisher – I can not bring myself to call her by her first name, dammit, no matter how hard I try – in the first role I recognized her in outside of Star Wars: Austin Powers. I recognized her there, without having to re-watch the movie. Time is cruel to all of us, and Miss Fisher has had to battle a bi-polar disorder, drug addictions, and Internet trolls since then. Personally, I think she looks good; hey, I do not like the plastic surgery look popular in Hollywood, what can I say?

Who finds this sexy, anyway?

Notwithstanding, this is something that, I think, is a symptom of Western society as a whole. Apparently, if one does not find sex appeal in a person, especially in females, they are no longer relevant and subject to trashing. Males, on the other hand, unless they go bald, they can get sexier even as they age. Our youth-driven society that values looks over function is rearing its ugly head. But hey, that is what MTV is for, right? Glorifying beauty and youth over everything else? I mean, it was not founded for something silly, like music or anything like that.

If you have not guessed it, I am not really enamored with Western society’s “if I do not want to have sex with with it or view it as competition, it is not worth my time” kick it has been on, but I will admit, I have to fight those urges too; to judge something so readily on looks is a base human instinct. That which is ugly used to be that which could kill you easily. If you thought your baby was ugly back in the caveman days, you would probably eat it and kill off the human race. Desirability in mates is what we all have, but the problem is that we have that thrown into our faces by the media, and we are expected to discard those that have any imperfection, those that do not look like a perfectly-molded plastic doll. Especially in women.

Funny thing, I have heard that we are living in a “post-feminism” world. We are living in an era where women are expected to make their own way and be strong and independent, but still make the men pay for a dinner date. Where manly men are told that they are dinosaurs. Where strength is encouraged in females and feelings are encouraged in males (at least, these examples have been my experience). We silently accept this, because we see it as an inevitable struggle to fight the change in society that we cannot control.

I think people forget that a single snowflake can make the difference in between beautiful snowy scenery and an avalanche of destruction. Of course, one should be careful.

It takes someone to rally and challenge the norms, to strike out in the night and say, “Something is wrong with the status quo.” It takes one person to change the landscape of the world… Alexander the Great, Leonardo da Vinci, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Joan of Arc and others all did it. They saw something was wrong and did something about it. Granted, most of those fought in bloody wars, but the principle is the same, and should be remembered. I am trying to affect some change by pointing it out. If it is ultimately successful or not is up to chance, really. I know I do not have a particularly large audience with this, but I am trying, and that is the important bit.

I am trying to be that single snowflake.

I am unique, just like everybody else!

So, now, how does this all relate to Carrie Fisher? Well, in a way, the reaction to her was a symptom of a larger problem that Western society as a whole refuses to treat. To have a blow to your image like that is, I would think, pretty hard to even the strongest individual, and I think we should be giving her some positive comments. Personally, I think she looks great, a lot better than the molded plastic figures we have in show business today.

Since reality seems to be coming to the forefront in the entertainment industry, maybe we should be bringing our expectations back to reality as well.

Pants That Make Me Cringe

Flying Gremlin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:02:00 +0000

All right, there has been something on my mind for the last long while. It has nagged at me, especially since I moved back to the city and saw this every day, I feel like a dam that is going to burst if I do not vent this frustration with this particular trend anywhere. The fact of the matter is:

I hate skinny jeans on men.

Yes, this is a fashion trend. Gah!

Just posting that picture up there has made me feel sick to my stomach.

Skinny leg, low-cut jeans on men is a fashion trend that I cannot follow in good conscience, and there is some damning evidence for it as well. First off, I’ve seen this one around for most of the 2000′s (I always get confused in what to call this decade – the 2000′s? The Zeros? The Naughties?), and the first place I saw it? Women. I can admit, a woman in one of these jeans doesn’t look too bad. Maybe they look a little more fragile in these ones, more like a stiff breeze could break their legs, and I think it may encourage the anorexic/bulimic look, but if you have the body for it and it works for your fashion sense, go for it. There is some women that genuinely can rock out this look.

Note I only say some women.

Some fashion designer, in whatever infinite wisdom they use (insert very sarcastic eye-rolling motions here), decided that this look would be perfect for males. And voila. A trend is born.

Problem is… it looks ass-ugly.

I have no problems with some things being unisex. The hooded sweatshirt, for example, is a good example. I think females look good in one – granted, they look even better when wearing mine after a night of… okay, let us not go there – and it is an acceptable thing. Guys’ ties is something that some people are using as a fashion trend on females – a hint, it only looked good on Avril Lavigne for about two years and she stopped wearing it too. Some of the long hairstyles that made it over from females to males I can stand, as well.

Definitely not this one, Justin. Glad you cut it, or else you would be getting a subscription to Ass Pirate Monthly.

But these jeans that is the focus of this post… just… NO!

Unisex is great, but when I hear stories about men interchanging their pants with their girlfriend and wearing their girlfriend’s pants… that is just stepping over a line. (Yes, I have heard that one, from a male who was proud of this fact. Scared me to no end.) It almost seems that society is trying to castrate men – first the mustache falls out of favor, then male manicures, and now this?!? – and leave us with effeminate males. If I was a conspiracy nut, I would say that a group of hardcore feminists are in control of the fashion world and trying to strike back at males for centuries of oppression, and it was a subtle way of striking fear into those that are male, and proud to be male. I am not, so I will just say it is disturbing.

Why am I speaking up now? Actually, I have told this to the face of several men, whom have just shrugged it off. The one that I mentioned earlier that swapped pants from his girlfriend told me that she thought it was hot. To be fair, I knew both of them, and I always thought they were both semi-freaks of nature as-is. Is this anti-masculinity as a trend, or is that the little paranoid voice in my head that feels that it is perfectly logical to buy a shack in the middle of the woods, three rifles, enough ammo to declare World War 3 and foodstuffs to last a nuclear holocaust talking and saying that?

Yeah, but does it have a good 'Net connection?

Of course, it could just be that fashion is inherently stupid. I mean, have you ever actually watched any of the reality shows where they are competing to be fashion designers? I would not want any of them on a remote desert island with me, and they would be the first ones sacrificed for food if that were the case – a fashionable roast, anyone? – so I tend to agree with that. So really, we are trusting trending to come from these people?

I guess I will just have to live with the fact that men want to be emasculated. The more we buy these clothes, the more plentiful they become in the Gaps, the Old Navys, the Off The Walls, or wherever people buy clothing. I am just wondering when it will be fashionable for men to wear skirts and dress like 80′s hookers… and not be in drag. Maybe never. Maybe in ten years. Maybe we will all look like extras from the Rocky Horror Picture Show in five years. Who really knows?

All I know? I am not going to be doing the Time Warp again. Even if it is just a jump to the left… and then a step to the right.