Good morning, Monday. I have no idea why life is so much busier in New York- had the same elements of L.I.V.I.N. in Miami but somehow here there are not enough hours in the day here in the city. The weekend was busy and jam packed with chores and tedium, but I found time to catch the premiere of "Mad Men" last night and I have to say, it did not wow me. I know it's all about set up but found it odd that Betty was nowhere to be found and that the dialogue was so insanely quippy and punched up I could barely follow it all. And did anyone else catch the reference to one of my all time favorite films, "The Party"? Peter Sellers' brilliant film about a hopping sixties soiree was ghosted in last night's episode, and there was even a gal who looked just like Don's French wife singing a little ditty, albeit more sweetly and less saucily, and the swingin' sixties furniture in Don's new pad are right in step with the groovy Hollywood house in the film. I guess everything old is new again, which brings me to a bone I need to pick clean.
Here's the thing- I’m not entirely sure I want to bring these times back or canonize them- sure I know it's a TV show, but with fashion jumping onboard (Banana Republic milking their Mad Men collection to death and Estee Lauder doing cosmetics a la Betty Draper) and books like" Fifty Shades of Grey "coming out and extolling the virtues of male domination (albeit in the bedroom), I can't help but wonder- why are we so obsessed with an era where women were treated like crap?
Between the nipped in waists and full skirts and stereotypes of Stepford wives and women frustrated with their inability to get ahead, I am kind of bored with the whole retro thing. I found it interesting that a male friend of mine posted pictures of Dita VonTeese in admiration the other day on Facebook- her obvious sex appeal to men who love that old school pin up thing was not lost on me, but I simply find her style completely and wholly unappealing. I can't stand her set hair, her perpetual rep lips and tweezed brows, and her complete obsession with looking like a woman from another era. I ask you (because maybe you can tell me)- why on Earth would you want to do that?
By "that", I mean wear clothes from an era where women were not highly regarded, respected at work, or were only considered sexy if they were dressed like dolls? I simply don't understand why any woman in 2012 would want to emulate any of that. Sure I love my vintage clothes as much as the next girl, but Dita takes it to another level that feels so ummodern and so derivative. I'm not a fan. I’ve also criticized Mrs. Obama for her wardrobe and its leanings toward June Cleaver meets Jackie O- it's tough for me to understand why a woman who is married to a groundbreaking President (first African American in the White House), had a vibrant career herself and a strong, athletic body to match would dress this way. I have always thought she would look so much better wearing modern clothes for modern lives- think Donna Karan, Michael Kors, and Phillip Lim for clean minimal silhouettes that are both feminine and strong at the same time. She does manage to nail it for evening though, when her silhouettes trend toward a more modern aesthetic. And considering all the puritanical insanity coming from the right this election year when it comes to female reproductive rights and otherwise, can we afford to embrace some warped notion of idealism when so much is at stake?
And on last night's Mad Men, I found it tragic that Don's new wife, a gorgeous French vixen who, despite the pre dawn of free love, feels comfortable in her sexuality in a very modern way (she is French after all), yet allows herself to fall victim to Don's type a hypersexed masculinity. Listen, there's very few women in the world who would not want Don Draper to chase them around the house, but still. I know the show is a depiction of a different time, but I can't help but feel that many men watching this show in 2012 are looking at Don as a hero, a pimp, and a general bad ass, and not because he comes up with catchy tag lines.
I know as a society it makes perfect sense to get nostalgic for the past, especially since life these days is not exactly picture perfect. But do we really need to worship a time when women were not on equal ground? I'm not burning my bra any time soon, but can we please stop indulging this obsession with this era? Maybe I’m just more of a fan of the late 60s and 70s when it comes to icons- I do so adore that time in fashion, but it was also a time when women were enjoying a great deal of liberation, sexual freedom, and advancements outside of the home. And I'm not saying that erotic books that extol the virtues of male domination fantasies have it all wrong- I'm just more of a modern woman who is looking for positive females that propel us forward, and don't take us back. Tina Fey immediately comes to mind as one of them, but I'm always frustrated by her attempts to be high fashion, because even she feels the pressure to be girly amidst the constant scrutiny of the press and public- I would love to see Tina just be Tina and not shoot for so much high fashion- it doesn't suit her, but what does is her brilliant wit and incredible ability to survive in the male dominated world of comedy writing. I'm not saying Tina should turn her back on fashion- I just think she should make an effort to wear things that reflect her modern take.
I know this was a bit of a rant, but feeling like we have so many things going for us these days as women that dispelling some of this weird fascination with bygone notions of female roles and sexuality would be a good idea. And don't think for a minute I am saying don't be feminine or display your beautiful curves- being a woman is a blissful thing and I'm not about to give up my dresses or lipstick, I just like taking it to a modern place. Whether you agree with me or not (perhaps you find Dita's attention to vintage detail charming and not as cloying as I do), you must admit one thing- the future is here and coming faster than ever and we can't afford to take steps back, cause that's what's up this modern woman of a Monday in the 718. In terms of female role models, let the past be the past., and I for one, would like to give all of this "retrosession" a rest, because there's no time for turning back when we're all running too fast to stand still. XO