Marilyn Monroe – Beautifully Invisible™

First Look: Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe

Beautifully Invisible — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 20:21:51 +0000

Every now and again, the subject of who could/should play Marilyn Monroe in a film comes up. Names ranging from Scarlett Johansson to Angelina Jolie to Christina Hendricks come up, and the debates rage on.

One name that was never on any of my lists was Michelle Williams. I never looked at Michelle and thought “yup, that right there is Marilyn!”

Until now.

Here’s a first look at Michelle Williams as Marilyn in “My Week With Marilyn.”

Image courtesy of ComingSoon.net

I can see it.

From left to right: Images courtesy of Clear Collectables and TopNews.in

What about you – can you see it?

The Corset: The Sexiest of Sexy Shapewear

Beautifully Invisible — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:22:00 +0000

When I was growing up my mother used to horrify me with tales of the evil girdle and longline bras. Yes, a woman wearing these would have a lovely shape, but she’d also be extremely uncomfortable after a few hours. Especially the longline bras with their corset-like boning.

A few times she actually tried to get me to wear something girdle-like, and I protested and ran away. No way would she ever get me in any type of shapewear!

Fast forward to today when I am the proud owner of more than one pair of SPANX. I love my SPANX – dresses look so much better on me with my SPANX. Sexy. Sleek. Ok, so maybe all shapewear isn’t evil.

Now, we all know I am a huge fan of “Mad Men” style. Every time I see Joan Holloway Harris on my television I find myself coveting her dresses. To streamline and authenticate her look, costume designer Janie Bryant outfits her in the girdles and longline bras of the decade. Christina described these bras to Esquire magazine:

“It’s like what’s in a corset — it has these long strips of plastic or metal that keep everything [pauses], you know. Oh, yeah — it’s super comfortable. And then the authentic stockings, with the garters, and then a slip and then our dress. From my girdle and my garters last night, I have two bruises on the top of my legs. From being in it for seventeen hours. Women did that.”

No thank you! I’d rather wear my SPANX – or one of today’s corsets.

Corsets date back to the middle ages (and likely even ancient times) but gained popularity in the 1800s and during the Victorian Age. During the Victorian Age they were worn because of the belief that females were so fragile and frail they needed some sort of stay to hold them up. This resulted in women of all ages, even girls as young as 3 or 4, being tightlaced. The corsets were often laced so tightly that they damaged and/or rearranged internal organs, so that by the time these girls reached their teens they couldn’t sit or stand without the aid of a reinforced corset.

At the same time, the tight-lacing also resulted in difficulty breathing, which led to frequent fainting spells. Some historians even believe that the “fainting couch” was manufactured as a direct result of this phenomena.

I bet Betty Draper doesn’t know the history behind her fainting couch.

In addition to providing a 20-inch waist, a tightly-laced corset also meant a women was virtuous. The tighter a corset, the longer it would take to get her out of her clothes. Moving out of the Victorian Age, the focus moved to shape: the corset was able to provide the highly coveted hourglass figure. Different incarnations of the corset have remained popular through the years for this reason.

According to Wikipedia, “shortly after the start of World War I in 1917, the U.S. War Industries Board asked women to stop buying corsets to free up metal for war production. This step liberated some 28,000 tons of metal, enough to build two battleships.[1] The corset, which had been made using steel stays since the 1860s, further declined in popularity as women took to brassieres and girdles which also used less steel in their construction.”

However, some form of the corset has remained popular since then.

Photographers adore their sensuality (beware, some nudity ahead).

Mainbocher Corset. Photograph by Horst P. Horst, 1939.

Black Corset. Photograph by Horst P. Horst, date unknown

Photograph from Ellen Von Unwerth’s ‘Revenge’ Series

Photograph by Jeanloup Sieff

And some people – like Christina Hendricks – are just born to wear one.

Christina Hendricks for GQ UK

Hendricks for GQ UK

Hendricks for NY Magazine

All images from Google Images unless otherwise noted.

Whatever Wednesday: ANTM controversy, DVF does hospital, True Blood nakedness and more!

Beautifully Invisible — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:00:00 +0000

What better way to start this Whatever Wednesday than with some controversy?

The Girl With the Disappearing Waist

Disclaimer: I am not a huge Tyra Banks fan, nor am I a fan of America’s Next Top Model. I respect Tyra’s stance on body image, and I’d be lying if I said I had never seen an episode of the show, but generally speaking I have only watched out of sheer and utter boredom. Project Runway is more my style. I am loving this season of PR, especially hometown girl Valerie Mayen’s work to date!

But I digress. Back to ANTM. This latest controversy fits in perfectly with the size/weight debate which has been dominating lately. The source of the controversy is the newly released promo below:

As you might guess, it’s Ann’s body – specifically her tiny waist – that is causing the stir.

Critics are saying that the ad promotes poor body image and I have seen the words “skeletal,” “unnatural,” and “anorexic” attributed to Ann by various sources. New York Magazine printed a piece on the story which included a statement from Tyra. Her response seems to indicate that Ann does not have a healthy body image:

“…During this season of Top Model, you will see that Ann (the woman featured in the trailer) provided another opportunity for me to support a young woman struggling with her own body image issues (she’s 6’2”; and is the receiver of countless stares and ridicule). Helping young ladies, like Ann and countless others that have confided in me, furthers and supports my core mission.”

Although the ANTM judges appears to be taken aback when they first see Ann, there is no question that the promo makes it seem that the panel is ultimately approving of Ann’s figure. This is where the concern lies. Based on Tyra’s comments above, it appears that the show will delve into Ann’s body image issues this season. I would also infer, from that comment, that Ann may be completely healthy and perhaps just has a very unique body type. The concern is – again – what will impressionable young women think when they see that type of body being promoted? What if they don’t watch the show, and just see the promo, and come to the conclusion that must be the ideal body shape? For the majority of women, it certainly is not.

This is essentially the flip-side of the plus-size debate. Shouldn’t both sides be represented? In theory, yes. I would argue, however, that in my experience I have seen countless plus-size women, and very few that have Ann’s proportions (actually, none). Hopefully Ann is a healthy, unique young woman and ANTM can use this controversy to help promote a positive body image.

What are your thoughts on the subject?

Angelina Jolie as Marilyn Monroe?

The past few days rumors have been flying that Angelina Jolie has signed on to play Marilyn Monroe in the adaptation of Andrew O’Hagan’s novel The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog, and of His Friend Marilyn Monroe. According to The Daily Mail, Angelina had beat out both Scarlett Johansson and Christina Hendricks for the role.

Although I have always loved Angelina Jolie, I don’t know if I like the idea of her playing Marilyn. Physically she just doesn’t seem voluptuous enough.

I was relieved when The Los Angeles Times confirmed that Angelina is not attached to the project after all.

Who would you cast in the role?

DVF’s newest creation
Now for some news that hits closer to home: Diane Von Furstenberg has helped to design a line of hospital gowns! According to Jeanne Ryan, the Cleveland Clinic staffer overseeing the project, the redesign has been underway for 3 years. The Cleveland Clinic finally began piloting the new prototype-gown design in May, and so far the reviews are good.

“The current model is a full-coverage, reversible design, incorporating the Cleveland Clinic’s diamond logo into von Furstenberg’s signature repetition pattern. Other changes include an elastic waistband, wrap-around closure, and a wide V-neck to accommodate chest monitoring and stethoscopes.

Most important… the gown is functional while preserving modesty: “Physicians can open the gown to expose the part they need to access without exposing the patient completely.””

Not something you would generally expect to see from a designer of Von Furstenberg’s caliber, right? Well, they may not be high-fashion, but they are DVF!

COACH Poppy Project redux

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you may have noticed that I have removed the COACH Poppy project from my side bar. There is a great conversation going on at IFB on the project and what it’s true benefits (or lack thereof) may be for bloggers.

If you haven’t done so already I encourage you to check it out. The post and subsequent comments really made me take a look at the perceived “benefits” I was getting and I decided – for myself- that it didn’t make sense to participate. That may not be true for you, but it’s worth looking into!

The good news is – no more annoying Grow, Poppy Grow tweets from me!

Is that a *collective sigh of relief* I hear?

Nakedness

Finally, in other jaw-dropping news…. I bring you the True Blood Rolling Stone cover. I would probably think it was genius if I wasn’t too busy wondering how – um – revealing – shooting it must have been for Anna Paquin. Wow.

What is on your mind this Whatever Wednesday?

All images courtesy of Google Images or Rolling Stone magazine.

Daily Dose of Inspiration: Marilyn Monroe

Beautifully Invisible — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0000

Circa 1953

Image Details:

Photographer: Milton Greene

Source: myvintagevogue

Daily Dose of Inspiraton: Marilyn Monroe

Beautifully Invisible — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0000

Before Marilyn there was Norma Jeane Mortenson. This 1947 photo was taken before her career took off. Gorgeous.

Photo courtesy of LIFE Magazine.