Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Being Sexy

This is sexy right? These young women are dressed for exposure at the VMA. I'm just wondering when we're gonna see men similarly dressed--well, not dressed like this. But you get the picture. How about it ladies? Can a muscular straight man pull off showing a little nipple every now and then at a VMA? Probably not. I'm having images of Fabio who never excited me. Being sexy has acceptable gender and cultural bounds, eh?

6 comments:

Marion said...

I was just telling someone yesterday that I'd love to see a man tottering around in 5" heels just once. Those expensive designer shoes for women are horrendous, like torture tools made by men----which, by the way, have you ever seen a man wearing uncomfortable shoes? NO! I think of the book, "The Good Earth" where they bound those poor women's feet when I see a woman teetering on those stilts. And the sad part is that girls and women are made to believe that ultra-high heels are not only fashionable and to be desired, but preferable to a comfortable shoe!! (A pet peeve of mine....LOL!) Great post, Judith!! Blessings!

Judith Ellis said...

Uh...I guess I asked for it with this one. One pet peeve can be another's sexy item. :-) I happen to own quite a lot of 3, even some 4, inch heels and I happen to really like them. I guess a some point or another I will not wear them, but for now I'm fine.

I could probably sprint in many of them as I'm so used to them. I am also not into tights shoes or belts that pinch I don't care how sexy. I do not wear my everyday and on most days I can be found in more simple shoes and often in flats. I own Borns, Keens Clarkes and every kind of sports shoe. But I most certainly have my high-end-designer-sexy stilletos too!

I wonder if the the fact that many men who design such clothes and shoes for women are gay matters. I have a beautiful nephew who's gay who designs women's clothes in Las Angeles. I'm not sure if gay men come suited for this industry or if the industry is "designed" for them. He has always liked women's clothes: material, cut, flow, color etc.

Regarding designers, gay and straight, I wonder which came first the chicken or the egg. Are women suggesting such clothing and shoes or are subliminal cultural messages being sent to them. I guess lesbians by and large are not into designing clothes for women or would they be designing clothes for me? Most stereotypical ones seem more suited for suits for men. Who designs these? Young gay girls just buy males clothes off the rack. We have all seen this look: baggy, draggy and decidedly male.

While there have always been this modesty debate with regards to women, there has never to my knowledge been discussions of any real significance historically with regards to men's clothes. Even in biblical times there are scriptures about modest appearl for women, but I have not read one word there about the same for men. I wonder if men designed the clothes for women then or if women were born with such procilvities. I guess that's the nature or nuture question. It probably has to do with both.

septembermom said...

I wish many of today's female celebrities would show more modesty when out on the town. All those little girls are watching and taking notes. Young girls are jumping on this "show some skin" bandwagon all over the country. Women have a lot more to contribute than a cleavage display. The fashion industry and the media still want to prioritize women's bodies over women's spirit.

Judith Ellis said...

Kelly - I agree with your statement and your point about the media is particularly well received. When I saw this photo with all of the cleavage on another blog and with a caption which read something like which star wore their breasts the best, I was more than a little peeved.

Marion said...

Judith, I, too loved my high heels and wore them for many years. But after I hurt my back, I found out through research how bad high heels are for our feet and back. Both of my feet have bunions and calluses from heels. Oh, but I miss my sexy heels like crazy! I have a closet full of beautiful shoes I'll never be able to wear again due to my back injury.

I read this online a while back and it really made me stop and think about the high heels:

"If Barbie were a real woman, she'd have a (pardon the pun) standing appointment with a podiatrist or orthopedist. Picture Barbie's little plastic feet, forever arched and ready for a high-heeled shoe to be placed on her foot, like an 11.5 inch-tall Cinderella. Her Achilles tendon would be contracted beyond repair, and she'd likely suffer joint pain in the ball of her foot. You see, your body weight should equally distribute across the whole plain of your foot. What high-heeled shoes do is shift a lot of the body's weight onto the ball of the foot and keep the heels and Achilles tendons from properly functioning."

I didn't mean to change the subject from the body image topic, but it just came out when I read your post. LOL! I appreciate you, Judith, and hope you never, ever have foot or back pain. Love & Blessings!

Judith Ellis said...

Oh, Marion, you may interject whatever you'd like here. This space is for everyone and various thoughts. I appreciate you. Thanks for the Barbie story. It gives reason for pause.