Ah, where to begin? The April issue of French Vogue features British model Lily Donaldson in a photo spread that nearly robs me of words. With a psuedo-pregnancy going on, Donaldson is shot smoking, tossing a baby doll, and engaging in other (not so) motherly behaviors, often appearing quite childlike in the doing. More after the jump.
The Francophones among us know that douche actually means shower in the language of love. Of course, we here in the US have reappropriated it and turned it into something far creepier, but for today’s Douchebag Decree it seems only fair to keep in mind that douche can mean more than one thing. Not only is the recipient of today’s decree French himself, but he also exists in a gray area when it comes to douchebagginess. Let’s investigate:
Meet OrelSan, a 26-year old rapper from rural France who has been called "the French Eminem." He is wildly popular, due in part to his songs dealing with class struggle and the rural drug epidemic in France. However, a song he wrote two years ago, titled "Sale Pute" (Dirty Slut) is getting international attention this week, and not for its catchy backbeat. The song is about beating up a girlfriend that OrelSan caught cheating on him, and although he claims the lyrics should not be taken seriously, French feminist groups and the French government feel differently and demanded OrelSan make a public apology (which he did).
Is this a case of douchebag justice? Or should musicians be allowed to say what they want without the government intervening? Read on for more info, and to give your opinion on this douche du jour.
I'm sure that pun's been done, but Wanda Sykes is slotted to have her own late night show on Saturdays on Fox! According to the New York Times, Sykes' show may replace the wasn't-canceled-soon-enough MAD TV. I'm not a big late-night TV fan--I just can't handle watching Letterman,Jimmy Kimmel, Craig "WTF? (Why's This Funny?)" Ferguson, and especially the terrible terribleness of MAD TV, but this is getting me excited about SNL alternatives, especially since the NY Times reports it will feature panels and discussion of current events, which, given that it's Wanda, will hopefully mean something a bit smarter than the rest of late night drivel (miss you, Conan!) and a whole lot funnier than PBS. Wanda would be joining the ranks of Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O'Donnell as an openly gay woman hosting their own shows, and is one of the only female late-night host currently on television. Video after the jump...
When I was growing up, my friend's mom had a sticker on the back of her minivan that said "Happiness is Being Swedish." If The Knife, Ikea, and meatballs weren't enough to convince you of the truth of that statement, here is a new reason for you: Same-sex marriage is now officially legal in Sweden!
Peregrine Honig’s work, like her name, strikes you immediately and is hard to forget. My friend Pia would take me gallery hopping in our hometown of Kansas City, which is where I first discovered her work...
Cherrie Moraga is featured in this week's Adventures In Feministory because she is one of the most influential and visible Latina feminists of our time. Moraga revolutionized the feminist movement in 1981 with the release of This Bridge Called My Back: Writings By Radical Women of Color, a collection she co-edited with Gloria Anzaldua. She is a writer, a lesbian, an editor a poet and an activist. She's not just those things, though, and they are not mutually exclusive. That "not just" qualification is what Moraga is most known for. Read more after the jump!