Blonde Bombshells, Pin Up Wonders and the Magic of the Icon(ography)

Hey you Whipsters out there! #GetWhippin! I hope you had a fabulous day, and enjoyed the latest edition of "Born Naked, The Rest is Drag!" Today we will have a closer look at three things that I am absolutely fascinated by: blonde bombshells, pin up icons and the process of iconography.

And what better way to start off this course through the fascinations of overly feminine and somewhat objectified ideas of beauty then to differ the blonde bombshells into different categories. Cause you know, there ain't no prove that all blondes are stupid, neither that all blondes are man eating! (And of course these differentiations I make here are based on the public images that these women had, and only to a smaller extend on the private figure they are. Because in the end what is left will mostly be a public image. And only a small amount of people will look behind the veneer.)

The first category of blonde wonders are the Ice-Cold-Blondes. Characterized as a blonde who appears cool, settled and a little detached from the world she hides her internal fire, hunger and drive beneath the cold outside shell of hers. With their cold heartedness on the outside and a burning fire and desire inside these women often fell under the category of femme fatales as they made men lose their mind over their non availability. Typical examples would be Grace Kelly, Kim Novak and Veronica Lake. All three of them mostly portrayed strong, independent and very beautiful women with an interior drive and sense of duty and commitment to a cause. Or the other way round. Their detached behavior and undercooled nature often brought them the reputation of men devouring succubus (A clear misunderstanding!).

Second category of blondes are the Blonde Bombshells. This category, featuring the most well known women all over the earth, is defined

by an explosive and über eroticized sexuality and appeal. She makes her sex appeal and herself available for men at a price (Not meaning money. We talk being a person her, not hoeing!). And saying it features the most well known woman on earth, I of course mean Marilyn Monroe. As well the category features Mae West, Jean Harlow and Lana Turner. This category of blondes is often mistakenly refered to as dumb as well, but the difference between them and the women in the third category is that their naivity rather is more part of their sex appeal then a real attribute. Marilyn Monroe is known to have been a smart and sensible woman.

The last of the three categories are the Dumb Blondes. These women had an open and naturally huge sexual appeal and their sexuality appeared along with a profound manifestation of ignorance. Sometimes childish and sometimes of a not that smart nature this combination marked them as the light headed blonde. This category features Jayne Mansfield and Alice White.

With this theory lesson behind us lets move on to the pin up wonders, which I am fascinated by as well. A pin up is generally defined to be a model (Male and female darlings!) who's image is produced and reproduced over and over. Hence pin ups actually do not have to be erotic. The notion of pin up as erotic was just later added to the table. Pin up photos with an erotic twist, sexy turn or body display are as well known as cheesecake photos. Female pin up has a long story in pop culture. Starting in the 1930's with icons such as Marlene Dietrich, Jean Harlow and Joan Crawford. Pin up in this time was rather aplay with androgyny and the sexiest it got was a bare leg. So no nudie shots there folks! That was an era of classy ladies in tuxedos! WERK Marlene! In the 1940's it were Rita Hayworth, Judy Garland (You know, the girl who played the chick in the cinemascope technicolor movie with munchkind, flying monkeys and ruby red low heel pumps?), Betty Grable, Bette Davis and Jane Russel that wer pinned up on walls all over America. Here the first ideas of eroticism came up which evened the way for the 1950's pin up sensation and all over blonde wonder Marilyn Monroe, Italian siren beauty Sophia Loren and Americas sweetheart Elizabeth Taylor (Yes mama! This one was considered a pin up at once!).  With the sex bursting (Well for the 50's people like Bridget Bardot and Cleo Moore were sex bursting!) pictures these girls paved the ground for nowerdays sexy icons. But the 60's, with their cultural conformity from initiated in the 50's, were sparely pinup but still gave us dolls like Raquel Welch and Barbara Eden. 

As we arrive in the 70's we have mother of the gay nation (She inherited that title from her mama!) say hello, welcome , bienvenue and wilkommen to Liza Minelli, Julie Newmar (Too Wong Foo!) and Farrah Fawcett. With a rediscovered mix of androgyny and sex appeal they made way for the 80's big hair and earrings girls like Madonna, Heather Locklear and Kim Basinger. And non of these ladies did it like a virgin! As we finally arrive in the 90's, nowerdays sarcastic and uber ironic hipster world and playground,  we had Carmen Electra and Pamela Anderson who sexxxed up our life along with Anna Nicole Smith. Allthough Anna brought some more curvy ladies to play Carmen and Pamela really now brought the erotics into pin up, and the idea of sex sells basically was born between a huge pair of breasts. As well we get self determined black goth vamp Elvira mixing the stick up from the other end. In the 2000's we have everlasting contemporary pin up icon Dita von Teese, Lindsay Lohan (Then she was still mainstream hot!) and then Hugh Hefner main bunny Holly Madison. As it now is 2014 our pin ups have become even wider in their appeal as they have sropped pure sexy, used androgyny and incoorporate monstrous features. What we consider pin up in 2014 is way different then what we understood as such in 1960's.

Which gets us to the the last of the three things: Iconography. And it will provide us with the answer to why the pin ups and blonde bombshells turned out to be icons at last. Lets hit it! 

Iconography is basically a process that involves a narrative and mostly a visual coding based on endless repetition, re-creation and re-invention.  A generic, or widely known, icon gets its significance not only through its individual and specific genre or community but throught the fact that it has use to a generic system. Icons are genre, region and comunity specific. These infuse them with a thematic value in addition to visual and narrative. So basically these womenn turned into icons because their picture was ever re-created, re-imagined ans they appeald to a very broad demographic, even though they kept some specific characteristics of their heritage.

Puuh. After that much about icons, pin ups and bombshells, lets just sum it up and say that I am in love with all of them and their subtext. All that leaves me with only one thing to do and that is to make you adore my attempt at a pin up face! (And yes I know its oretty basic! =) ) So see you tomorrow with another fun filled article! 

XOXO Dita

Blonde Woman, Dead on Arrival.

Here is for you one of my older stories I wrote on Marilyn Monroe. this one tries to be a mixture of a reflective piece and a obituary. When I wrote this i was very much obsessed with the idea of an image surviving time and overshadowing its origin. 

August 5th. 1962.1.36 pm. 12305 Fifth Helena Drive, Brentwood, Los Angeles.

She dialed the number. The phone rang, but no one answered. She put down the phone. John did not answer, and nobody knows why. She picked up the phone once again. This will be the last time she ever touched a phone, and ever dialed a number.

When they look back at her life all they see is the bright, shiny and stunning creature, which Hollywood wanted her to be. It is not like Marilyn lied to the world, nor did Norma Jean,but she always wanted to be a terrific beautiful star and special. She loathed average. She was not average. But this night, the night of her spirit finally leaving the vessel, she had become what she hated most: average. But what she might have loved is that even in being average she was truly special. Death she may share with each and every creature, but with her death she entered the sphere of icons. She will always be remembered as this star she always wanted to be.

“Marilyn is gone. Would you come here? Marilyn is no longer alive.” Jack Clemmons, an officer of the Los Angeles Police Department, received this call by Marilyn’s psychiatrist Dr. Ralph Greenson. She was 36. As the doctors entered the room all they saw was a woman lying on a bed, nude, with her face and blossoms down. Only a thin blanket covered her body. A blonde woman, dead on arrival.

What we may remember most about the following days was that her death was an unbelievable thing. Her visuals, which have been captured on photographs and in movies, have constantly flashed through the papers and now they took their final flash in the center of the spotlight. Marilyn will always be alive, even if Norma is dead. The blonde, divine, fake and dead hair shined for its last time. Superficially Marilyn’s appearance and behavior has always been about the looks, the poses, the sex appeal and the desire she embodied. The world wanted to see beauty, to own the picture, to absorb it. That is what they always got, even until the very end. She never disappointed.

When they had lifted her body up, and laid it on the stretcher, she looked as if she was not Marilyn at all. Her face was swollen softly, her eyes closed and her skin looked pale. The hair, which smelled chemical, was all messed up, her lips, which had always been perfectly full, looked torn, and her lipstick was smudged.

The whole world knew her and still, more than 2600 weeks later, everyone knows her. If you type in Marilyn on google.com it will instantly add Monroe as a proposal. If you press enter approximately eighty three million seven hundred thousand results will be found in less than 0,2 seconds. They knew her for her body, her sex appeal and her being Marilyn Monroe. But what is most remarkable is Marilyn’s smile. Smiling is a happy expression. It shows joy, vitality, energy and spirit. Marilyn smiled a lot. She always tried to be happy. Not for her own sake but for Norma. Since Norma hasn’t exactly had what is supposed to be the picture-perfect childhood, Marilyn was her way to make the experiences she did not had. She, they, Norma and Marilyn, were seen as one, but in fact were 2 different people. Norma, who was a child when she first got married, had to grow up so fast that she was an adult by the time others went on their first date. Marilyn, who was an artificial creation of FOX, was not the adult she should have been.

Not even in the night of her death the paparazzi ignored her. When her corpse arrived in an ambulance at the Los Angeles County Hospital the paparazzi were already waiting for her, to catch the image. The image of a fallen star, which once was a symbol for America, as prove for the possibility that your dreams may fulfill themselves. They wanted to catch her, take her picture. Pictures made her a star, and they were to guide her till the very end.

Her zodiac sign was twins. Twins may represent a dual force, the power of two and the unity of two parts. On the other hand twins are a representation of a duality. A split personality. And this girl, woman, being, construct, dead creature and beautiful personality was two, split. Norma Jean wanted to be Marilyn. FOX created Marilyn in cooperation with Norma Jean. Marilyn grew. Norma grew along, for a while. When Marilyn grew more and more, Norma suffered. Marilyn, always reduced to the sex symbol and serving as a mask, started to get so heavy that Norma suffered under the pressure and the reductionism. When Norma could no longer take the pressure she was in danger to break down. On movie sets she was fragile, appeared late, was always on drugsand could hardly make a scene. She needed help. Psychoanalysis seemed like theanswer. But it was not. Finally Marilyn brought Norma Jean to the edge. Norma jumped the edge. It is not clear if Marilyn helped Norma. What “helped” her were her lovers.

To be photographed always seemed a way for her to be loved without risk. Her skin was her protection. Her body was notsomething she associated with shame; rather she saw it as a vessel. As something to work with and on.

But in this night her lovers were not called Joe, John or any other male name. They were called pentobarbital, chloral hydrateand other barbiturates.

Marilyn has always been more that what the world perceived her to be. Ways more. Underestimating her and making her a dumb doll was wrong. Simply because she was everything else than that. Once she wrote a poem:

Help help

Help

Ifeel live coming closer

when all I want

is to die

It seems as like she knew that she would not get very old. Just like her idol: Jean Harlow.

She was laid to rest on August 8th in a bronze coffin. The only husband of hers coming to the funeral was JoeDiMaggio. Lee Strasberg who held the funeral speech said that he couldn’t bare to say goodbye. Marilyn hated to say goodbye.

In 1955 in a letter to Claude Claude she added in the post scriptum:

“In a few day’s I am sending you a reminder – to remind you of something of me mostly.”

It seems as though Marilyn has left behind a reminder for all of us. Her life, story and being is a reminder. We should keep it in mind.

"The Celluloid Church" - A Short Story

Right now I am reading one of the most fascinating boos I have ever read. Its "Blonde" by Joyce Carol Oats and is a recounting of the life of Marilyn Monroe in form of a novel with a biographic approach. And, in relation to it, I was inspired to write a short story.

 

This short story is content wise my own work, but the characters of Norma Jean and Gadys have really existed, as their drives trough the Hollywood Hills. But the undertone of it is in borrowing from Oats book. I hoe you enjoy reading it, as much as I enjoyed writing it.

The Celluloid Church

Sunday, June 24th, 1934.

Putting on her dress on Sundays has always been an exciting moment for the little eight year old Norma Jean. Her mother was in their small apartment’s bedroom and put on her dress when the girl entered the room. It was a knee long black satin dress. It had a white underdress that pushed up the upper skirt. Gladys closed the zipper on her back. She wore her dark hair open and in curls, it surrounded her face beautifully. The hairstyle laid emphasis on her porcelain doll face, her voluptuous lips, with the thick red lipstick, that were voluptuous and sensual, and her eyes that Gladys had put on a light make up. On the bed Gladys had laid out a dress for Norma Jean and some shoes as well. She put on her white and black leather pumps as Norma Jean picked up the dress she laid out and started to put it on. It was a very simple, but still very chick dress, with a diamond pattern of blue and white with a simple black belt around her waist. Gladys had put curlers into Norma’s hair earlier today, so the girl only had to remove them now. But under the judging look of Gladys eyes, these eyes that seemed to see everything but nothing real at all, she hesitated to do it, until Glasys walked towards her. "Let me do it, we don't want your hair to look horrible, not today." Today, the day others went to church and after the service had pancakes at the diner, mother and daughter had their own little, reliogiously stylized, ritual. If Gladys had the money for it, the two would sit in their car and drive to the Hollywood Hills to look at the movie star houses, and today was one of these days. And of course, as the occasion was a holy, a special, one, they had to dress upf or the occasion. At least that is what Gladys always said about ocasions and the befitting wardrobe. "Special occasions call for a special wardrobe, dress up to the event, even if you have to make debts for it!" 

So Norma Jean just put on the dress and let Gladys do her hair, to fulfill the expectations. 

And now she was sitting in the car. The eight year old starred out of the dirty and scratched right side window, and waited for wonders to happen, as Gladys turned the key and the engine started. The motor roared and they slowly drove towards the mysterious and glorified hills, the Hollywood sign in their front window view. The car was a green, twelve year old Ford with black leather seats. The left backseat had a rupture at the right upper part, and filling came out of it. 

Her view went right through the window, the material that set these two worlds apart, the much too real world of the car and the mysterious shimmering world of the hills. When they, if they, would just stop, open the cars doors, and get out of it they would enter another world, set foot on hallowed ground of Hollywood. But they never did do, they were just visitors who were feeding their eyes with this supreme dream that became material reality. All its glory was consumed by their lenses. Norma Jean did not even dare to touch the cars window glass and insult the magnificent sight with the fingerprints of her hands on it. The gaze was too perfect to insult its perfection with something so utterly human as fingerprints. In a state of severe awe the girl just held her breath, with the feeling that she and her mother, were in a world of larger than life people, the realm of true stars, of inhuman perfection and a superior standing point. This hot day it was the sun that was burning down on Los Angeles like the flames of hell. They made the small car heat up pretty fast. Although Gladys had lowered her window to let in a bit of fresh air, Norma did not dare to lower the window on her side, she did not see herself worthy of the air this place offered. This space was not to be just entered. Not directly and not yet. Not as an intruder, but as someone you had to get entered. They turned left into a beautiful long avenue, with palm trees on green hedges on both sides, as Gladys started to slow the car down. Norma Jean knew that if her mother slowed down the car, and they were driving very slowly already, some magnificent thing must be about to happen. When Gladys hands, covered by satin gloves up to her elbows, put the steering wheel back into its straight driving position, the anticipation was nearly touchable. It covered over the momentum like a thin, silky veneer of Egyptian cotton. 

As they approached the gate of the most wonderful estate the little girl has ever seen, Gladys raised her voice, and full of pride and admiration she said: “Here lives our Jean, Norma Jean. Here lives Jean Harlow, our Jean!” And the girl looked out of the window and soaked all she could see in, into her eyes, her brain, her nerves, her soul, her senses and her being. All the visuals were absorbed right into her cortex, into her deepest inner parts. Here, with the mighty and shiny iron gate, the ridiculously green hedge and the monogram in the gate, the tremendously green lawn and the stunning beauty of the mansions front porch, the crack between these two worlds seemed to be in range. The rupture in the continuums broke the barrier that separated reality and fantasy. The barrier was so thin, so thin in her imagination, that just the exhale of her breath could burst the glass and set her free, free into this unnatural naturalness of beauty and dreams surrounding her. There was a connection. A red line that connected her and the legendary Harlow, a link beyond admiration and desire. Beyond the movies, and beyond the desire for her, as this child of eight years could desire such iconic figure as this actress. She had something in common with the glamorous and adored Jean Harlow. They shared a name. They had in common this thing that only is given once and never can be taken away from you. They had an essence that they shared. That they shared names made that little girl, so full of hope, desires and dreams, filled with admiration and agony, strength and fear, part of the dream. Part of her myth. Part of her course in life, in the universe, and a part in the plan of the gods plays. 

With her eyes focused onto the world on the other side of that green Ford’s window, the little girl knew that this would one day be her realm and some other girl would be in her place, starring and dreaming. She was so sure about it, it just had to be. It was destined to be. The gaze would change, for sure. 

As they drove on Gladys voice started to get more and more pregnant with excitement, but as she described which movie star lived which house, her voice as well started to crack a little. And by the mentioning of one another stars name the excitement of the afternoon grew to the unimaginable. But knowing her mother and her ways, Norma Jean knew that all the suspense built up, and she knew the changing temper of her mother very well, would culminate in nothing. The expectation would grow like a balloon, pumped with air to be given to a pretty little girl by some friendly person somewhere, and then, at its beauty’s peak, the moment of its fullest perfection, it would pop, make a loud noise and let you wonder what actually happened. Exactly the same it was with Gladys and expectations. At the culminating point her bubble of good mood reached its breaking point, and exploded. And, as it is with the balloon, all that is left of all the happiness, all that sheer excitement and the connection between the Hills and Norma Jean, between Gladys and Norma Jean, would be gone. All that would be left was the dull memory of the moments of luck that already faded away, forced by the mental state of Gladys, even though the moment was bright as a star and happened only seconds ago. “… lived here. She starred in this movie, “The Wind and Gone” with …”, and Gladys was in her element. As they drove and drove along the streets of the Hollywood Hills on this hot summer day of 1934, mother and daughter together, united by the admiration and covered by the blanket of hope and desire, the future of their existence seemed eminent. To be a star, to be someone, to gain an identity on the horizon of this celluloid world, to be admired, to be a person of superior faith and a god given path in life. A name, an image and a life, hallowed and sacred, iconic and photographed by the world. And preserved forever, constantly repeated, never dead but always alive. In every household, admired and praised like a prophet, the prophet promising another life, sometimes, somewhere and for something. A thing magnificent enough to be captured, an image that spreads its hallowed light onto the celluloid. 

Gladys cursed on the way back home, because she ignored Norma Jeans plead for a stop, so she could use a public toilet. She hit her daughter when she smelled that the girl could no longer hold it. The have been on the road for four hours, and Gladys was too taken to know that, to notice that, unlike the many names she counted, the myths she recounted, they, sitting in this run down car, were human. Two human beings, one doomed and the other one cursed.

"I Love Art" - Don't Hate Me Because I Am Beautiful

Yes! Finally I have been able to take some time off and was able to draw a nice new picture of my favorite icon: Miss Marilyn Monroe! So let the art awe you!

I thought about the classical age of glamour and of course the first image that popped to my head was the picture of Marilyn Monroe when she was starring alongside Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall in "How to marry a Millionaire?" Despite the fact that her role was a bit of a dumb blonde Monroe had fun on set of the movie and posed for this one photo where she ha this iconic "Don't hate me because I am beautiful!" pose with the hand in her face. Lady Gaga has also used that pose in her videos for "Paparazzi" and "Telephone". This is a campy as fuck pose and an essential one to beauty ad the perception and reception of it, at least in my mind. So enjoy!

Don't hate me because I am beautiful, its more a curse then a blessing!

"Iconic Photography" - Nirvana meets RuPaul

Photos and photography are a part of how we keep memories and important moments in our life. With pictures we keep things from our past and preserve what we love. History in progress often is documented with photographs, some of these photographs have gone around the world and reached an iconic status of themselves. But some photos capture more then what meets the eye.

Such images might not be that iconic, and sometimes do not even go around the world. But things are that these images are very well able to transmit things on a whole other level. They create feelings and provide us with the certain feeling of the moment the image was captured. Since everyone of us has a digital camera, a smart phone or a tablet and takes photographs all the time, shares them in digital networks and makes them available for everyone, images with the certain qualities I described become more and more valuable. One of these images is from the 90's. Featured on this image are, the supermodel of the world and probably most famous drag queen of the world, RuPaul Charles and iconic, tragically died Nirvana member, Kurt Cobain. Also on the picture are the other members of Nirvana.

Of course I did not take the photographs. But the rights belong to whoever took these.

"I Love Art!" - The Face of M.M.

Hey there! Since it is more than obvious that I have a certain affinity for Miss Marilyn Monroe I am just giving you this: Another picture of the iconic Miss Monroe. This time centered around her face. I hope you like the drawing, since I absolutely love it.

She is beautiful, she is talented and she has a big soul. A huge soul tortured by life, because she and her amazingly beautiful face, were just born in the wrong time. But anyways, even though she looks so sad: Isn't she smizing?

I Love Art: Marilyn The Last Hours, a reenactment drawn by the model of Amanda Lepore - Outtakes

And here are the outtakes: 

With this picture i was not really sure if i could make it work. I think i would have had a hard time to really work out the face of Marilyn.

Wit this one i had doubts if i would really get it to look like gives this kissing mouth Also i thought it might have a happy undertone which the series does not. 

I really liked the pose, it reminded me of something angelic. But i think i decided to leave it out since it was some sort of copy of picture #2 The Face. 

Maybe I will try to make these 3 happen and then show you if they turned out or not.

I Love Art - Marilyn: Tha Last Hours, a reenactment drawn by the model of Amanda Lepore #11 The Body Bag

#11 The Body Bag

Marilyn: The Last Hours, a reenactment drawn by the model of Amanda Lepore

I decided that I wanted to finish this art / drawing series with  drawing that did jump out a little. So I decided to go for the tabloid version. There i'd have a picture of Monroe in the body bag, only her lips visible. I decided to go for the lips and not the iconic blonde hair, since her lips were super voluptuous and Amanda Lepore's lips are as well.  Also I liked the idea that, even as a corpse, Monroe was property of the public.

I Love Art - Marilyn: The Last Hours, a reenactment drawn by the model of Amanda Lepore #10 The Last Night

#10 The Last Night

Marilyn: The Last Hours, a reenactment drawn by the model of Amanda Lepore

Well, i think it is obvious with this picture. I just wanted to make a picture of a candle blown out by the wind, as a metaphor for the dimming light of Monroe's life.

I Love Art - Marilyn: The Last Hours, a reenactment drawn by the model of Amanda Lepore #9 The Sip

#9 The Sip

Marilyn: The Last Hours, a reenactment drawn by the model of Amanda Lepore

This sip will be fatal for Norma and will make Monroe a legend and a myth. Sadly this last sip of champagne flushes down the cocktail of pills she took before going to bed. She will sleep. I decided to make this picture not blurred since we don't take on the action from Monroe's perspective, but much more from the perspective of an outsider, or the press. 

I Love Art - Marilyn: The Last Hours, a reenactment drawn by the model of Amanda Lepore #7 The Hallway

#7 - The Hallway

Marilyn: The Last Hours, a reenactment drawn by the model of Amanda Lepore

Obviously in this drawing Monroe is already drunk or intoxicated. By whatever: we can see that her perception of her surroundings is already extremely blurred. She stumbles into the hallway of her house on the way into her bedroom. She seeks protection in the room she feels the most secure and comfortable. 

I Love Art - Marilyn: The Last Hours,a reenactment drawn by the model of Amanda Lepore #6 The Confusion

#6 The Confusion

Marilyn: The Last Hours, a reenactment drawn by the model of Amanda Lepore

What id like to tell you about this picture is that it reminded me of the confusion that takes part of your identity if you are constantly pressured by anyone, but you don't really know where the pressure comes from directly. And also this drawing is the first step in Monroe's destruction. 

I Love Art - Marilyn: The Last Hours, a reenactment drawn by the model of Amanda Lepore #5

#5 The Photo-Session

Marilyn: The Last Hours, a reenactment drawn by the model of Amanda Lepore

During sketching this drawing i was thinking about this last photo session Monroe did for Vogue magazine, where he was semi nude. I think this shoot was with famous photographer Brad Stern. These pictures were really beautiful, but also had this sleepy and half dead vibe to them I decided that in order to fit the drawing into the series id go with the exposing part of the shoot, and show that Monroe really felt like an empty vessel during these days. 

I Love Art - Marilyn: The Last Hours, a reenactment drawn by the model of Amanda Lepore #4

#4 The Sex

Marilyn: The Last Hours, a reenactment drawn by the model of Amanda Lepore

What to say about this drawing. I mean its obvious that some hand is touching the body of Monroe . And what I have read about her in many books is that Monroe in the last months of her life had a feeling like she was just keeping the mask of Monroe up and shrinks behind this mask till she does not even exist anymore. So for her sex is not an act of love, or connection between to people. Its just something to do. And therefore she gets into the danger of just having sex with people who could just use her or harm her.

I Love Art - Marilyn: The Last Hours, a reenactment drawn by the model of Amanda Lepore #2

#2 The Travel

 

Marilyn: The Last Hours, a reenactment drawn by the model of Amanda Lepore

 

 

 

Like we all probably know Marilyn has travelled a lot during her life. She was torn between L.A. where she had to work and where she live  and New York where she felt hoe. She was not really that much of a Hollywood type of girl. So Maonroe was always on the travel. I choose her sitting because it reminds me of the view you get when ou look inside a cab. For my story, Monroe sits in the cab, and drives home to meet with someone.

I Love Art - Marilyn: The Last Hours, a reenactment drawn by the model of Amanda Lepore

A sex symbol is a thing, and i hate it to be a thing. - Marilyn Monroe

Monroe #1 Fear

She has inspired generations, has overcome obstacles, had give stardom a new peak and will mesmerize the world forever. Her beautiful, artificial, tragic and controversial life was a mirror of all the beauty of Hollywood and all its ugly symptoms. Of course we are talking about Marilyn Monroe. Her death is, up until today, a mystery and has inspired musicians, singers, artists and models. She has become a true legend and an iconic figure of pop culture. Monroe has really made her way into fashion and academia and into many other ventures. I myself am very inspired by Monroe and her story, i have read many books on her and i have painted Monroe several times. 

From the first of may i will start to post an 11 picture long series entitled: Marilyn: The Last Hours, a reenactment drawn by the model of Amanda Lepore. Each day I will post a picture, and add a little information about the story I have created behind the series. On May 12th I will explain the inspiration between the project and maybe some "outtakes". So I hope you are excited for the turnout! 

I watch it, so should you! : "Joan and Melissa - Joan knows best (?)"

"Forty for you, sixty for me. And equal partners we will be." - Joan Rivers

So here is my first in a long row of "I watch it, so should you!" Basically I will show you what i watch and what I like on the scale o television. But actually i'm just watching what is on YouTube since I don't have television, and actually I don't miss it. I got my internet connection, and yes: We are in a serious relationship! 

Like I probably mentioned I just love comedy icon, QVC jewellery seller, author, plastic surgery fanatic and lovely old bitch: Joan Rivers. And she has this show called "Joan and Melissa - Joan knows best (?), with her daughter Melissa Rivers. And basically it is all about following the around in their live. And I think it is very lovely and actually its not that trashy reality. It is  more likely very good and comparable to Bravos Kathy Griffin - My live on the D-List. And that was pretty good, and so is Joan and Melissa. So I just like for you to watch and make up your mind! (And your mind should be widely open!) Here you can watch my favorite episode of "Joan and Melissa - Joan knows best (?)" of season 2. Its called "High Times". During the episode the parents of Melissa Rivers boyfriend come to visit and Joan has to host for them since everyone else is working. And she gets very annoyed.. What follow is some prescription and Joan getting "Princess High". But watch for yourself!