Then and Now: The Glass Slipper

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The Glass Slipper  was the Cinderella  of my childhood.  I was sick a couple weeks ago and found it on the DVR, so I watched it with hopes it would live up to my memories.

Then:
I remember the dancing.  I love dancing and always have - so the ballets were stuck in my memory.  Especially the one in the kitchen.  I remembered an odd fairy godmother.  Lots of pretty dresses and those ridiculous hoop skirts.  I also didn't like Leslie Caron's hair - it was so short and back then I was all about long hair.  Probably because I never managed to grow it long - gum, snarls, and mats having to be cut out before I got it past my shoulders.

Now:
Didn't catch that bit in the narration about the prince being educated in "boudoirs" before.  Snicker.

My first thought upon seeing the prince was "The Prince is forty!"  Which, when combined with the fact that Caron plays Cinderella like a child, is a little creepy.  There's an almost twenty year age gap between Caron and Michael Wilding. To be totally fair though, Caron was often paired with much older men.

Hey, Cinderella's stepmother is the Bride of Frankenstein.  Cool.

I can see why little me liked this movie so much.  It wasn't just the dancing, which was even better than remembered, but Caron's Cinderella is angry, rebellious, wild, awkward,  and a dreamer.  I can't see little me relating to the sweet, kind, and saintlike Cinderella that is often shown in other versions.  But dang, if Caron wasn't me all over the place. Of course, minus being a servant in my own home and she's a much better dancer than me.  I'm sure she still is.

As an adult I appreciate that there is an established relationship between the prince and Cinderella that occurs outside of the ball.  I don't like that he lies to her but I also understand why.

I guess I didn't understand/remember, that Cinderella's hair isn't meant to be pretty.  She chopped it off in a fit of anger and despair.

I think I kind of like it better when the "ugly" stepsisters are pretty on the outside.

The end is kind of strange, no wedding (though it's implied), just a walk towards the castle.  Not even a final dance?

A tribute to Yvonne Craig

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I don't know if I can express how much Batgirl means to me.  (I've been stuck in the planning stages of a Batgirl cosplay for months now.)  Batgirl is strong, beautiful, and kicks butt.  We talk a lot about the pressure on women to be everything but there is something to be said for the idea that a woman doesn't have to give up girly and pretty to follow her dreams.  Or to fight crime.  Batgirl was Nancy Drew in a cape and you know how much I love Nancy Drew.  My first experience with the character was through Yvonne Craig's portrayal of her in the 1960's Batman series.   Okay, the show was outright nuts and very sexist but Batgirl!  Plus there's something to be said for a "spinster" librarian who can solve crimes, kick ass, and keep Batman/Bruce completely in the dark about her secret identity.

Of course there have been other Batgirls in both the comics and movies but Craig was my first.  Her Batgirl gave me something to aspire to.  Someone to look up to.  Sure, she's fiction - but everything is fiction until it's fact.  Craig did her own stunts and gave young girls a role model for almost 50 years now.  Craig may be gone but her legacy will continue with all the women who, thanks to her, grew up knowing they could be their own heroes.

Here's to Craig.  May she and her Batgirl be an inspiration forever.

The Shallow end of the Lipstick*

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I was reading this post (do read it, it's very good) the other day and while I know better, I still scrolled down and read the comments.  Some were actually quite nice, others reminded me of something that seems to keep popping up in my life lately: negative attitudes about women who wear makeup.

First, a confession:

In my younger days I did have a negative view of makeup.  No doubt part of it was because I didn't want to be thought of as "vain" or "shallow" - two of the most common words used to describe women who wear makeup.

I’m sure my thoughts were media influenced.  How often do we hear that truly beautiful people don’t care about looks?   How many times have we seen the deep, smart girl who doesn’t wear makeup pitted against the shallow, vapid girl who wears too much.  (Of course in the entertainment industry even “natural” beauties have to wear makeup.)  Then there’s the old classic of the insecure girl who wears “too much makeup” becoming prettier by taking it off - usually at the behest of her beloved who likes her better without. I know it's usually presented as a "He loves me just as I am" but if he truly loved you just as you are he wouldn't be telling you to change.* 

All this got into my head.  I had no desire to flaunt my insecurities or give people the impression that I was shallow enough as to care about my looks.  I’m not going to lie, I do I want to be pretty - but intelligent and talented has always out ranked that. And, of course, this was at a time when I still cared about how other people saw me. 

Now I wear makeup all the time.  Nearly every day.  I think the shift began when I started hunting for the perfect vintage red lipstick.  As part of my hunt I did a lot of research on both historical and modern makeup.  I also started trying different brands and got more savvy at application.  I found I enjoyed the creative aspect. As it became more a part of my everyday life I began to reevaluate my views on makeup.  I realized that wearing makeup cannot make a person "vain" or "shallow" anymore than not wearing makeup can make them deep. 

Back to the article:

When I read about women who went through years of deprivation, worked hard (and sometimes dangerous) manual labor, were bombed out of their homes, volunteered for the war effort, kept families fed, clothed, and alive as best they could while missing family that was either dead or far off and in serious danger the last word I think of is “shallow.”  These women gave up so much that it probably was a relief to know that their country wasn’t going to judge them if they still cared about their looks.  In fact, their country wanted them to go on as they always had and to maintain as much normalcy as possible.

Anyone who considers a woman shallow for putting on lipstick during wartime is probably either an idiot or has absolutely no concept of what World War II was like. I’m not saying I truly do know, nor that I would have been capable of half the amazing things these women did.   What I do know is that the war went on for years.  Despite missing family members and bombings and shortages - people still had to live their lives.  Do the people who consider the women of World War II shallow think that every single person gave up all joy and creature comforts for the duration?  People still made art, sang, danced, fell in love, dressed up to go out, and laughed.  Everyone does all these things in wartime - they have to do them to remind themselves why they are fighting and sacrificing. 

You might as well say the men of World War II were shallow and vain for still shaving.

We all have our morale boosters.  The little things that make us feel better when we are down.  The things that help us maintain our dignity when someone else is trying to chip away at it.  For some of us it may be music or poetry.  For others it just might happen to be putting on makeup. 

And if a little lipstick and rouge is all it took to keep the women of WWII going, I kind of think that makes them superheroes. 

*Yeah the title doesn't really make sense but I thought it sounded cool.
* Using heteronormative language here as I haven't seen such things portrayed about same sex couples.

Then and Now: Cover Girl

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What I remember:

I honestly completely forgot I saw this movie at all until I watched it recently.  Bits of it were vaguely familiar:  The "Poor John" number and the dancing in general.  The only thing that made me realize I had seen it was the bit about how they kept buying oysters they didn't like or eat to look for pearls.

What I realized:

The plot is dumb.  It's conflict isn't so much based on funny misunderstandings as serious communication issues.  It's best summarized as:  Boy loves girl, girl loves boy, girl wants fame but doesn't tell boy about her chance at fame, boy says he doesn't care if girl goes after fame, girl stands up boy, boy is offended, girl runs off to be famous and marry someone else, almost every other person in the movie conspires to get the two together, big dance and sing.  I'm sure if they do marry it will be awesome - because we all know how good communication screws up a marriage.

Dumb plot aside, the dancing is still top notch.  I could have used more Gene Kelly but I feel that way most of the time.

The costumes are so pretty.  Well the ones on the women.  Rita Hayworth's hair is amazing.  As for Gene Kelly, maybe they weren't sure how to dress him yet?  They put him in a dark brown suit with a dark tie that somehow made him look not nearly as attractive as he was.  I mean, this is a technicolor movie, why put your male lead in a dull brown suit?  He gets gray and blue suits too but everything is rather dull and doesn't really do anything for him.  The best outfit is a stage costume of green pants with a yellow stripe and a yellow and green striped vest.  Yes it's as hideous as it sounds but it's far better than those yawn inducing suits.

Hey, this movie took place during World War II.  Of course when I first saw it I probably didn't know all that much about WW II and the references are vague at times.

This must have been fussy to wear, but it's certainly amazing looking.

And, I totally love Eve Arden in here.  She's plays a no nonsense career woman who doesn't moan over her lack of beau and is just generally fabulous.  She's also hilariously funny and pretty much saves the day for the two leads.  I seriously covet her wardrobe, especially her hats.  Short of Gene Kelly she's pretty much the best thing about this movie.  How could I have totally forgotten this character?

As a final bonus, this film contains Phil Silvers.  I adore him in general but also because he was in one of my favorite musical comedies of all time: Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe.  That film is probably ripe for one of these posts as I have not seen it in at least a decade or more.

Checking In

Been a bit, hasn't it?  Since I have been too busy to put together new posts I thought I'd just do a little brief on what I'm enjoying right now.

Currently obsessed with this song:

Am quite impressed with "Astronaut Wives Club".   From the ads I expected it to be frothy fun but as a total space nerd I had to at least give it a try.  Sure it's pretty to look at but there is definitely more going on than pretty clothes and great makeup.  I'm quite excited that it looks like they will be dramatizing the hearings to allow women to be astronauts.  It's a bit of space race history that I'd never even heard of until I took a class in college on the history of space exploration.  A class in which I was, oddly enough, the only female student.  It was a small class, but still very strange that I would be the only female.

Anyway, if you aren't watching it I recommend popping in to give it a try tomorrow.

And while I'm promoting things I just saw these guys last week:

They are amazing.  I listen to a lot of "new stuff that sounds old" (you could even say it's my favorite genre of music) and it can be hard to come off as more than a novelty act.    Artists who are so heavily influenced by a much older style sometimes struggle to create a sound that walks the fine line between classic and fresh.  The Nightowls Seem to hit the sweet spot every single time.  They did some awesome covers in their set when I saw them - but I have to say I like their originals best.

Feel free to share anything you're currently digging in the comments.

Book Review: The Last American Vampire by Seth Grahame-Smith

   

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While I promise to steer away from major plot points and try to keep things vague in reviews some of what I write might be considered vaguely spolierish.  So if you prefer to read a book with no prior knowledge then I would advise not read my reviews.

The Last American Vampire  is the both the sequel and prequel to Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer.   While it does pick up after the events of the first book it also goes back in history to explain the origins of Henry, the vampire protagonist.  We get both his human history and his vampire origins and their relation to one of the earliest European settlements in North America.  It also moves forward in time, giving an alternative history of the United States, with the occasional stopover in the UK and Europe.

The story is fast paced - I think I read it in less than a week.  There is lots of excitement and violence.  Henry also seems to have a habit of running into and either befriending or making an enemy of many historical figures through out the course of the book.  Well, white and male historical figures.

And here's where we come to what really bothered me about the book.  Now it has been years since I read Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer but I do recall that it had mainly white male characters and I wasn't too bothered.  The book was the story of the friendship between a man and a vampire.  However, this is the story of the United States.  Yes it's an alternate history, but it's still a history.  Where the hell were all the women and people of color who helped shape and build a nation?

There is literally only one female historical character who is a major player in the story.  And I am being really generous in saying so as she gets very little in the way of characterization.  What little we are given about her motivations makes her sound more like a one note stereotype of a traditional female character and less like a flesh and blood being.

And, okay, sure.  Henry is around four hundred years old.  His views on race and gender might be a bit antiquated.  And yet, he specifically mentions women's suffrage as something he supports and takes action to punish those who lynched an African American man.  So, if he believes women are good enough to vote and people of color deserve justice - well why are all his friends white males?

I am not kidding when I say over a dozen white and male historical figures are a part of this story.  But female and persons of color?  In some cases they only get a mention in the footnotes, if at all.

I know, I know, it's just a silly book.  And it is silly.  And I like silly.  I just think an "alternate history" where the white male vampire is the protector and savior of the United States is pretty much what we get when we whitewash history.  Except for the "vampire" part.  It's an okay read but I was really hoping for something more subversive. 

Top Ten Reasons Why there should be more Angent Carter

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 I was going to do a "Final thoughts" type thing analyzing the rest of what I hope is just season one of Agent Carter ( I can't find anything that confirms or denies a season two, anyone know anything more solid?) but then I decided I'd rather think about season 2. Spoilers (for season 1) ahead.

1. Agent Carter, Herself

Because TV needs more women like Carter.  And so does Marvel, well they need to start putting them in films and shows more. Not that I don't love Black Widow and Agent Hill, but they don't even get to have a conversation with each other.

2. Moving On

I'm not that bothered that season one was so much about getting out of Cap's shadow but now that Carter has let go of Cap, can the show do it too? Carter has always been her own woman and never the shrieking violet needing saving and she deserves to be seen as the hero she is.  Even if she's not in need of validation, I kind of am.

3. Agent Sousa

While I'm not shipping Carter/Sousa (Carusa?) yet I definitely want to see more of Enver Gjokaj as Sousa.  Plus they have to write the "Stark gives Sousa a new prosthetic and wackiness ensues episode."  They've already teased it!

4. Jarvis

He's already Carter's faithful retainer and it's always funny when he and Carter go "Full British."  Also, we've still got a lot of unsolved mysteries about Jarvis that I'd like to see revealed.  Perhaps his past comes back to haunt him and Carter helps him . . .

5. History/film buff Easter eggs

Considering my occasionally spotty knowledge of modern pop culture it's nice not to have to go to Google just to get the joke.

6. That Radio Show

So, I was reading that if Agent Carter does continue they are talking about doing a podcast of 15 minute episodes of the Captain America radio serial.  I know I said it's good that Carter is out of the shadow of Cap, but to have him not be there at all would be a bit strange.  The serial would be a nice way of keeping him there but out of the way.  Also, if they need someone I'm pretty sure I was born to write a 1940s style superhero radio serial.  Just sayin'.

7. Dotty

Because I'd like to find out if she's Moriarty or  Darth Vader.

8. More female characters

While there were females in season one, Carter wasn't really close with anyone.  (Admittedly they made it clear why she was wary about getting close with civilians.) Carter just revealed herself to her new roommate Angie, so that's a good step.  But I'd also love another female in the office.  Perhaps someone Carter mentors.  We can always skip ahead a few years and have Carter in a more senior position.

9. Witty repartee

Raised on a steady diet of Thin Man Films and screwball comedies I'm a total sucker for fast and funny dialog.  


10. Better Marketing

You know how sometimes there's a great product but they don't know how to market it?  I think that's what Agent Carter is suffering from.  There was the whole "Her hero" stuff and then referring to Agent Carter as a "Female weapon"?  Seriously, who is writing this crap?  If you want to draw in your target audience calling your lead a "tool" isn't helping.

I actually could add a few more things there but will leave it at that, for now.  Most of all I think at least 12 eps for the next season would be a good idea. 

An Epic Journey

I read once that socks are the short stories of the knitting world.  If I were to name a literary metaphor for this sweater I would pick an epic poem.  Specifically the Odyssey because I felt like I might never finish.

Initially I thought I wouldn't have enough yarn for this sweater at all.  But I found an extra skein and breathed a sigh of relief.  Until I got near the end.  I ran out of yarn halfway through the button band.  But I wasn't going to be defeated, oh no.  I would finish this baby.  Here were the options:

A) Probably the easiest:  Find yarn in my stash of the same weight as the yarn I used for the rest of the sweater and knit a new button band from it.  It wouldn't be gray like the rest of the sweater but it would be a finished sweater.  Except, I didn't want a gray sweater with a different color button band, I just wanted a gray sweater.

B) Possibly easy: Track down another skein of the yarn.  It wouldn't even need to be the same dye lot - I could just reknit the button band from the new skein and if the dye lot was noticeably different I could live with it.  Except even if they still make that color it will involve buying yarn and you know you can't just buy one skein.  Well I can't. I'm trying to use up my stash, not make it bigger.

C) The hardest: Rip out and re knit sections of the sweater shorter to reclaim enough yarn to finish the button band and for the making up.  Of course, this is what I chose to do.  I ended up re-knitting both sleeves (just the arms, not the cuffs) and having to claim a little yarn from the body as well.  It worked out, the sleeves probably would have been too long as they were and I discovered I bound off wrong on the fronts.  Sometimes doing things the hard way does pay dividends.

While the actual knitting turned out to be a longer journey than expected, the buttons were a miracle.  I've no idea if I picked them up with the intention of using them with this yarn but I found buttons of the perfect size and color in the button box and I had enough of them.  And we know that never happens.  I'm always one short or they are the wrong size or color.

 So was it worth it?  Yes! I love this sweater and wear it almost daily.  I'd much rather go the extra mile and rip and reknit to get something I want, love, and wear all the time.  Sure, completing a project is good, but a finished object that gets used and loved is so much better.  This is why I also rip out or give away sweaters when I no longer use them.  I don't like the idea of something that took hours of my life hiding in a drawer or trunk when it can be out in the world being useful.  Even if it takes me more hours to make it that way or someone else is wearing it now.

The pattern is the "Trimmed with Roses" cardigan from A Stitch in Time Volume 2.  I skipped the color work be cause I wanted something plain. The yarn is Dale Garn Baby Ull.  I would recommend both the pattern and the yarn.  Ravelry link.

Can Vintage fashion improve your body image?

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I found this article via Trashy Diva and while it's mostly stuff I already know, it got me thinking.

I may have mentioned that before I started dressing "vintage style" I was having some body issues.  Nothing too bad.  I mean, we're not talking needing therapy, but I was really feeling bad about my body.  The main problem was clothing.  Not much fit and what fit didn't fit right.  It made my body look worse than it actually was.  High waisted pants were a revelation to me.  I no longer had to yank my pants up every two steps or wear a belt that cut off circulation.  I found clothing that actually was physically comfortable to wear and bonus - looked better than modern stuff I'd been trying to pull off for years.  A failure which I once blamed on my body.

But that's just basic stuff, right?  Dress to suit your figure.  What this article got me thinking about was that maybe all the time I spend looking at old media helped too.  Yes, I'm looking for fashion inspiration but am I not also reminding myself that the fashionable body has changed and will change again?  That whatever body type is "in" will always only be a reflection of a small portion of the female population? 

And it makes sense, doesn't it?  All we hear about is how our media consumption can have a impact on how we view ourselves and the world.  That's why there is a campaign for real beauty, right?  Sure I am exposed to plenty of modern media but I would say a good portion of what I consume is historical in nature.  Now I am not saying historical media was more inclusive or body positive because it wasn't.  But when you have a general idea of how body shapes fall in and out of fashion it's easier to reject the current ideal.  Bodies go in and out of style just like clothes.  Better to focus on what lasts, right?

Is it possible that seeing all kinds of body types, even idealized versions, may have helped me feel more comfortable about my body?  I will never have the "ideal body" of 2015 (or 1915 for that matter) and I know that.  Funny thing is, it doesn't really bother me anymore.

Agent Carter: Thoughts on the Show So Far

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Caution: Minor spoilers ahead.

I have been anticipating Agent Carter ever since I heard about the show.  I've also been worried.  Let's face it - the women superheroes still don't get their due in live action media.  I'm not saying Marvel has completely let down it's female heroes - but they sure as hell took their sweet time about giving us a female lead in any of their films and shows.  Someday I hope to live in a world where a female superhero movie is considered bankable.

First of all, I want to make it clear I will not be nitpicking the historical inaccuracies here.  Yes it's the 1940s but it's the 1940s in the Marvel Universe.  This is comic book science fiction and shouldn't be held to the same standard as a traditional period piece or something "based on a true story." 

But moving on.  We have our star.  The woman on whose shoulders the weight of the show rests.  So to speak.  And Atwell does a fine job.  She brings Carter to us as a whole person.  A woman who is strong, smart, and capable.  But also human.  She cries.  She makes mistakes.  She never wishes she were a man.  She may have moments of doubt but she still believes in herself and is rightly pissed that her co-workers don't.  She is keenly aware of what is expected of her as a woman and resents it with every fiber of her being.  She seems to be a wonderful combo of two of my favorite childhood heroes: Nancy Drew and Emma Peel.

Swap the gun for a magnifying glass and it's Nancy Drew.

We have our co-star: Jarvis.  Who actually points out Carter doesn't have to carry the weight of the world alone and indeed Jarvis (James D'Arcy) helps her carry the show quite well without stealing it from her. It's clear she's the hero and he really only wants to be allowed to provide her with support. They seem to be hinting there's a lot more to Jarvis than we've seen so far and I'm interested to find out what it is.  

We also have Carter's female friends.  Civilians,  so she can't really talk about her SSR work with them.  And we lose one of them right off.  Still, I like Angie (Lyndsy Fonseca) and hope that Carter learns to how to balance personal and professional so she can have female friends.  That said, I'm also suspicious of the new tenant.  Is she really a ballet dancer?

As the story progresses I want to get a better picture of the men in Carter's office.  I want to see more of who they are and why they treat her as they do.   Are they really completely unaware of her capabilities?   Do they view her as taking the place of a better qualified man?  Do they see it as a waste to let her in on work that might advance her career when they figure she will probably just retire when she marries?  Perhaps all three?  Will she ever earn their respect or will she have to continue to manipulate and work outside the system to make any difference?

There are great moments through out the show.  When the lone male co-worker who seems to have some respect for Carter defends her she thanks him and tells him not to do it ever again.  Carter doesn't want to be defended.  She doesn't need a hero, she is her own hero.  She was there before Captain America ever existed.  (Am I the only one irritated by the promos that identify Cap as Carter's Hero?) 

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Another moment is where Carter tells Jarvis she used to have a sense of purpose.  It's a thing which all soldiers face after any war.  To have to return to civilian life and do something ordinary.  She once helped win a war.  She had seniority and respect.  Now she's filing and answering phones.  It's hard on soldiers but can you even imagine how much harder it was on women like Carter?  Women who would have probably married or worked in a shop but because of the war were called into the service of their country?  Who found the opportunity to be someone they never imagined or perhaps imagined but never thought possible.  And then the war is over and where are they?  They are asked yet again to do their patriotic duty and to give their jobs back to the men.  Possibly not even being able to tell anyone about what they did during the war - not because they didn't want to but because their government required them to keep secrets that wouldn't become public knowledge until decades later.  Their silence leaving people to assume that they were no more than a secretary.  Or no more than Captain America's girlfriend.

I also love the radio show.  It's ties in quite well with the underlying themes of perception and assumption.  It's a good reminder when most people look at Peggy Carter they don't see an Agent.  Not only because of her (assumed) history with Cap but because of her gender and looks. Which can be frustrating for her but also an asset at times.

I think it's not at all surprising when Stark asks for her help Carter jumps at the chance.  She's bored and wants to do something important again. Stark is part of a good time in Carter's life.  Oh yes, it was the war but she had purpose then.  Carter is also under the impression that Stark respects her - something that her male coworkers don't.  Of course if Stark really did respect Carter, then wouldn't he have told her the whole truth?  Whatever that might be?

I'm impressed so far and have high hopes for the rest of Agent Carter.  I also hope other Marvel (and DC for that matter) women finally get their due in quality shows and movies.  

Because I needed another beret*

I'd been on the fence about the book Knitting Vintage.  While I am all for reissues of original vintage patterns I sometimes find "Vintage style" patterns not all that interesting.  I found a used copy and looked through it and while some things I will very likely never make there were enough patterns I wanted to make to justify the price tag.  My first project ended up being the Hollywood Style Beret.  I love berets.  They are quick knits that use little yarn.  They are also warm, easy to wear in a variety of ways, and great for packing.  I mean I love fancy vintage toppers but you can cram like a dozen berets in the same space one hat would take up and no worries about crushing anything.  Or at least that's what I tell myself when I cast on for yet another beret.

I used yarn left overs which somewhat limited my color choices so I lucked out in finding two colors so eye searingly bright. 

Related to the business of using leftovers I've come to the conclusion I am not a stasher.  I mean, I have a stash and it's handy and all but I like to shop for yarn and visit my LYS and well having all that yarn around kind of stresses me out.  It's like some sort of to do list hanging over my head and it isn't like I don't have lots of other things to do.  Knitting should be fun, not stress, yanno?  So I am trying to use up what's there.  But even with my tiny stash it might take awhile.  Especially since I have a habit to ripping out whole projects if I no longer use the sweater or hat or whatever. 

I am absolutely certain that I made a few mistakes here and there - sometimes I had a pesky extra stitch but I just added it into the decreases.  I can't see/don't care to notice those mistakes so it looks fine to me.  The lace pattern is super simple and the results look all fancy and impressive.  Which is pretty cool.  I like a challenge.  I also like mindless travel/tv knitting.  Ravelry Link.

*Yeah, not really.