Thursday, April 16, 2009

Two of my Favorite Things - UPDATED: I am an idiot


I can't spend much time with you today, because despite having started a couple of weeks ago preparing to give a talk on actress Elizabeth Taylor in Taming of the Shrew to a film class, I have putzed around on putting the finishing touches on it and must scramble to organize my notes.

But I did want to share a few images and a valuable link.

See the picture above? Pretty funky, huh? It's Miss Taylor in Faustus, which I've never seen. It must have been low budget. Did you notice her top doesn't even fit?

That's a problem that even present-day actresses seem to have. Look at well-rounded thespian Salma Hayek, for example.


Of course, sometimes all is not what it seems. Like in the case of:
The secret of how flat-chested Keira became a buxom pirate girl




And now for the link. Please go visit Pink Porn. It requires a bit of time traveling - the post was written just a smidge over two and a half years ago. But it is as timely now as it was then. I really believe in the things said there. Be sure you click the link. Don't try to google the term or you may wind up in some pretty dicey spots.

I am leaving you in the hands of an outstanding blogger, ThreadingWater, whom I discovered while wandering around Bloggyland yesterday. She makes some excellent points and conducts herself with great class in the comments, which you should read as well.

Why are you still here? Head out now. I'll see you tomorrow.

Oh, and the post title, "Two of My Favorite Things?"


I meant politics and the environment. You'll see why once you've read Pink Porn.


What did you
think I meant?!

UPDATED: Apparently I am trying too hard to be clever, and therefore my entire purpose for this post has been thwarted. I thought I would catch people's attention by putting cleavage shots of famous actresses, except since I am linking to - and agreeing with - a thoughtful post about the message it sends when bloggers post pictures of their boobs to raise money for breast cancer research, I send a bizarre mixed message to those who are foolish enough to waste time reading my blog.

So I am heartily sorry for my idiocy. I blame it on trying to do too many things at once, which resulted in me doing them all poorly. Remember that film course talk on Elizabeth Taylor I was supposed to give this afternoon? The one for which I prepared 37 beautiful powerpoint slides with photographs of Taylor's career and personal life?

I arrived at the college and attached my thumb drive to the auditorium computer.

Gasp of horror.

Click on it, it's cool.
Don't you LOVE the internet?


The computer was only able to read about six of the slides.

The rest were blank.


In two weeks, I'm supposed to talk about Claudette Colbert.

I am bringing a sock puppet just in case.

5 comments:

Lisa Wheeler Milton said...

I love Salma. That is all.


(Have a fun time teaching class.)

Lisa Wheeler Milton said...

So, Holly just emailed me and I thought I should explain my flippant comment here.

It was a shallow remark, as I was racing around this morning - I bookmarked Pink Porn to read later. I was just saying how much I like Salma and her cleavage doesn't bother me a bit.

Cleavage in general doesn't bother me a bit.

I went back and read the link, just now. Because some time has passed, I am not sure about the last point, about the breast pictures, but I've seen some amazing pictures of breasts before and after breast cancer and I didn't find them to be pornographic at all. I thought they were honest, stark and beautiful.

I support Komen and other corporate sponsored charity/cure organizations because I think they do more good than harm. They are the public face; most people do look any deeper & lives are most likely saved by the awareness.

That said, I think many diseases have environmental roots and I tend to lean towards more natural methods for healthy living.

I've taken immunosuppressants and used chemo meds to manage my autoimmune disease, because like cancer, there is no cure.

I have also spent hours discussing what triggered it in the first place. I am passionate about prevention.

So. Where am I and when am I going to shut up?

I don't mind the big organizations and their silly campaigns, but I am the first to question why MS, why cancer, why lupus, why autism rates steadily rise and what we can do about it for our families.

(And with that, I must run although I could discuss this until my eyes bleed. That would be gross, cleavage or no cleavage.)

Fantastic Forrest said...

Thanks, pal! I just wasn't sure what you were saying in that first part. If you thought the points in Pink Porn were dumb and rejected them, or something entirely different. I appreciate you taking the time to read the link. And to comment so thoroughly.

I feel pretty strongly about the environmental causes thing. Some of the other material was brand new to me and I wondered what others thought.

Now, back to class prep! EEeeeek!

Mrs. Chili said...

Well, with all those titties and a link to something called "PINK PORN!", what did you THINK we were going to think?! (I know what 'pink porn' is, but anyone who didn't probably WOULD get the wrong idea...)

I'm just sayin'.

I'm not bothered by cleavage at all, either and, in fact, am very happy with my OWN body. My goal is to teach my daughters that everyone's bodies - up to and including theirs - is perfect just the way it is...

threadingwater said...

Thanks for linking to my post, FF.

The reference to posting photos of bare breasts was a response to an annual fundraising event called "Boobiethon." Anyone can upload photos of their breasts to the website and, for a small fee (donated by the website host to one or more breast cancer organizations), anyone else can access the site and see the pics.
If the photos were actually of women who have had mastectomies, I think I would feel differently about this method of fund raising. But as it stands, I find their message to be "breast cancer is robbing the world of beautiful breasts" as opposed to "breast cancer is robbing the world of beautiful lives," and that offends me mightily.
If any reader is looking for more information on this issue, I recommend the following sources:
Breast Cancer Action (very involved in researching environmental links to breast cancer and sponsors of the "Think Before You Pink" campaign) and the bookPink Ribbons Incorporated.