marguerite_krux | 'Nothing says romance like the gift of a kidnapped, injured woman...'

Current Mood: irate
Current Music: elizabeth's lovely voice

Entry tags:

'Nothing says romance like the gift of a kidnapped, injured woman...'

I complain about petty things all the time, but at least I know they're petty. Some people are unbelievable.

Case #1.

So, Disney's releasing a movie called The Princess and the Frog [imaginative title! No, it's actually about a female astronaut on Mars, really], featuring its first black Princess, and we have groups supporting this move and saying how it promotes positive self-image amongst little black girls because they get their own special princess to idolize, the message is that you don't have to be white in order to be elegant and beautiful, you too are entitled to a prince, right? The merchandise will finally include a princess doll that matches their physical appearance! So far, so shiny. Then the wank begins.

The frakkers here and here are upset because the PRINCE isn't black. I just- wow. If there were people saying that the princess should be white, we'd be hearing cries of racism and how the dissenters should be devoured by lions or something. But they're going on about how the prince should be black and Disney is racist and prejudiced, blah blah blah. STFU. What do these guys have against interracial romance? Are they saying black people should ONLY be with people of their own race? *stabs them*

All this useless bickering... it makes me think of what EJO said on the UN panel, 'There is only one race...the human race. Period.' How much more unified would we be if people started living by that statement? I mean, well, relatively more unified, there's still things like religion to fight over, but still. I have a lot of issues with my parents, but one thing I'm proud of is that my mother's a Samoan Christian and he's an Indian Hindu, but race and religion have never been a factor in any conflicts.

---

Case #2.

Family groups outraged at former Hi-5 member Kellie Crawford posing for a men's magazine. TEH HORROR.

OMG, she doesn't even SHOW ANYTHING! Kids see people wearing less on the public beaches and at swimming pools, FFS.

I'm just pissed that these people think one job should dictate the way she lives the rest of her life, that it imposes some moral obligation to maintain this chaste, child-like image of virginal innocence lest she corrupt the youth of Australia. *eyeroll* Wait, no, the entire planet's population of children is at risk of being corrupted by her depravity!

The silly thing is that I didn't know anything about this til I read the Herald Sun- but does anyone blame the newspaper for publishing these 'scandalous' shots of Kellie? NO. I bet more kids will discover her latest look by flicking through the paper, looking for the cartoons, than by accidentally stumbling across the Ralph magazine.

I'm not saying this is a stellar career move for the woman, I'm not getting into that whole debate about whether women highlighting their sexuality is a win for feminism because they have choices or a blow for the same because they're exploiting themselves for men's benefit. [Though it's interesting that a model wearing this outfit down a catwalk wouldn't be out of place, nobody would bat an eyelash at that]

I'm just sick of people assuming that actors and other celebrities are automatic role models because of their fame. This woman was on Hi-5 because it was a paying job, she didn't sign up to be held to a higher moral standard. I'm sick of people that shirk their duty as parents and act like it's the actor's responsibility, the school's responsibility, hell, the lollipop lady's responsibility to raise their kids and teach them proper values and morals. Teach your own kids how to bloody behave and to have proper self-esteem and self-respect and all that, don't leave it up to the entertainment industry, you frakking morons. If your daughter sees Kellie's photo shoot and immediately turns into a mini stripper and schoolyard skank, that's because she made that choice and you didn't raise her to know any better. A well-adjusted kid isn't going to be turned down the path of corruption and doom just by seeing these pictures. Goddamn.
---

This one I'm a little more sympathetic on.

Australian's Next Top Model hasn't even aired yet and there is controversy! This chick was told to gain weight or be kicked off the show. Cue complaints that fashion is unhealthy for teens and encourages negative self-image, blahdy blah blah. *yawns* This isn't anything new, folks. But at least people are starting to speak out against unhealthily emaciated lookin' girls. I admit, I'm biased towards slender figures myself, but ribs poking out? Nuh-uh. Collarbones, though. *daydreams* I have a thing for collarbones, it's a little disturbing...

---

MEME.
Snurched from

justhere1971 .

Ask, and I will..
1. Tell you why I friended you.
2. Associate you with something - fandom, a song, a color, a photo, a word etc.
3. Tell you something I like about you.
4. Tell you a memory I have of you.
5. Ask something I've always wanted to know about you.
6. Tell you my favorite user pic of yours.
7. In return, you must post this in your Lj.

---

Vid spam:

My cousin's hooked on WoW about as much as I am on LJ, so...you know, a LOT. It's funny, she and her boyfriend will be on separate computers and messaging each other...from like, a foot away. *eyeroll* [At least they have shared interests, I'm sure couples have been torn apart by one partner's obsession and unwillingness to part from this alternate lifestyle]

Anyway, I was just acting out this scene for her the other day, but obviously, Torri does it SO MUCH BETTER. *twirls* How ridiculously cute is she? *squishes her* I love everything about this scene, the way she's reluctantly using her 'feminine wiles' [Rodney, you PIMP] and the hesitation in her voice, the uncertainty as she tries to fake!speak geek, the blinding smiles as she distracts Bill, the 'hurry it up!' desperate looks she gives McKay, and the relief as she flees once the job is done... she's literally skipping! HEE!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I... don't realyl care one way or the other if the Princes is black or white, but I'd prefer black simply so that she matches the others. Because I'm OCD like that.

But seriously... It's a Disney movie! Are the KIDS really going to care about the colour of their skin? *shakes head sadly* Some people have way too much time on their hands.

*g* OCD is more common among my flisters than I thought. :P

I guess Pocahontas is the one that broke the trend- I think that's the only movie to have an interracial couple so far. Wonder if anyone made a fuss back then that the hero of the story should also be Native American?

I really doubt kids are going to be influenced by the movie one way or another. I mean, I grew up watching all these movies and it never made me feel insecure about myself or that I didn't deserve a Prince Charming 'coz I'm not white, you know? I think all the girls care about is the romantic love story, not the window dressing. All this stuff about race is going to go over their heads.

Some people have way too much time on their hands.

I swear, there is a group out there whose main function is to find something to be offended by! It's ridiculous!

Er, I meant would prefer WHITe not black. Wow, must be more tired than I thought lol.

Kids don't care about racial issues. They're kids. Let them BE kids!

Well, I guess Pocahontas was a little different considering it was telling the story of a Native AMerican woman and white Englishman, and this Princess doesn't HAVE to be black, but... Ok, yeah I still don't really care that much lol.

Lol, off to bed with you!

But yeah, it shouldn't have become such a big issue. Bunch of idiots that want to pick a fight and get their name in the media. *eyeroll*

That's the thing, Pocahontas had a particular story to tell and you couldn't pull it off without the clash of cultures, whereas here, it's not important to the story that she be black. Except that it's set in New Orleans and there's like, voodoo magic and stuff happening, oooh, racial undertones, zomg.

I'm just really enchanted by her dress. I know it's wrong, me on the verge of 21 and still wanting to play dress up, like a little girl, but it's such a pretty dress! I love that it looks like a flower...*sighs wistfully* I think it's 'coz I didn't go to my Deb- I know it's an outdated concept [our daughters are going to parade themselves in the hopes of landing a man! Survey the selection this year!] but it's based on that whole 'making the girl feel like a princess' theme.

Pocahontas had issues in that they didn't exactly (surprise, surprise) tell her story as it ACTUALLY happened. She was far, far too young for John Smith (or whatever his name is) and in reality, she fell in love with one of HIS men, not him. She and John were friends, period.

Ah, but here in the US...some black women (especially) HATE when a black man dates a white woman. I don't know why. I honestly don't get it.

OMG. Pocahontas is based on a true story? *clutches head* Epic fail. I never realized...

I just looked up The Real Pocahontas (http://pocahontas.morenus.org/) which clears up some of my confusion. Although it's not really romantic of Disney to have her go through two movies in love with John SMITH and then end up with John ROLFE, or at least, that's my understanding...Love triangles. Meh.

But it's funny because Dakota and I were just talking about the differences between The Sound of Music and RL, and now we have this movie which blatantly rewrites history.

I don't get the animosity towards interracial couples. Seriously, wtf?!

Maybe they think it's a slight on black women, like the guy's saying they're not good enough or something?

Most true stories that Disney makes into a movie get Disneized, meaning they make it all sweet and light and gloss over a great portion of the truth. *rolleyes*

As for interracial couples, people always fear what they don't understand. Not saying you fear it, but I suspect that is a big reason so many seem so against it. They themselves can not understand how two people of completely different races can fall in love. Personally, I think it's stupid to be so upset over stuff like that. As for some black women, yes they do see it as a slight and that the black man with a white woman wants to be "white". I don't get that either. Sometimes we can't help who we fall in love with.

As for the Disney black issue. for me its not that much of an issue but I do think it would have been nice, and rather important, for Disney to show a black couple in apositive light. You are sooooo right, kids eat Disney like crack, I know you didnt exactly say that but I know as a child that's where I got my first images of everything. Its not a big deal surely, but it would have been nice. Interracial is fine, and certainly becoming more common, but I have to say Disney dropped the ball on this one. Just one princess, why not a prince.....little black boys need a positive image of themselves as well, they watch Disney just as much as little girls.

*rolls eyes at the entire singer/sctor/athlete roll model thing*

I cant even get into the whole posing for these men's magazines thing. It kiinda disgusts me but not in that feminist way, its just because I never see them as sexy women.....its almost always like they are baby dolls and that's gross. And its a cheap excuse for teen celebs to do it because its not Playboy or anything so its almost like sexualizing little girls and guys getting off on that but then waving the flag of "but she's a gronup"......hard tot tell in that Catholic school uniform with a lollipop in her mouth thumbing for a ride or something. So its not the women who do it but the scenarios it often depicts that irk the hell out of me.

Chick on that model show needs a plate of cookies and a sandwich STS....nothing sexy about that, just sickening.

As usual your commentary is witty, sharp, and to the point. Loved it.

Oh, believe me, a black couple would've been fine in my books- especially with the Obamas so prominent now, extra poignancy there!- I just don't like that people are making it a racist issue when it's NOT. You don't scare people into making characters black, and over a cartoon, too! If they hadn't made the princess black, there wouldn't have been any campaigning or backlash or negative publicity, but here's Disney trying to be more inclusive and look at the response they get. They probably never want to create any black characters again, not if they're going to be tarred with the racist brush for the effort.

Just so you know, I do think it'd've been nice to have a black prince as well [although the prince is supposed to be brown, at least, voiced by a Brazilian dude, so we're having another minority represented here] but I feel bad that Disney's getting picked on when they're doing something positive.

Re: posing for men's magazines...okay, good point, it's the scenario that makes the difference. I was thinking women walking down the catwalk wear just as much- or little- as women posing in these magazines, but I guess the way they're depicted is rather different. And also, models are selling the clothes, not themselves...but still, it's a distinction that isn't always clear, for instance, I don't see anything wrong with this photo of Kellie. I don't see it as being degrading or whatever. It's a bit try-hard, she doesn't really come off as sexy, lol, but nothing worth all the fuss!

That sexualizing of little girls does squick me out, majorly. I'm still not sure what to think of Miley Cyrus's shoot with Annie Leibovitz- she wasn't nude, but yeah, the sexual implications for a girl her age...hmm.

ICK, it reminds me of this little kid I saw, a boy like maybe 5 years old? Wearing a t-shirt with the caption that went something like, 'Longer, thicker, harder' and then the image of a drill. I literally just stopped and stared at that, then wondered how his parents could've let him wear it out. SO WRONG.

I know people go, 'Well, if that brings up dirty connotations in your mind, it's YOUR fault' but I just want to thwack his parents for using a little boy to thumb their noses at society. I admit being fond of the caption tee [I have on that says 'YES but not with you', lol] but don't associate kids with this kind of thing at that age, FFS.

Chick on that model show needs a plate of cookies and a sandwich STS....nothing sexy about that, just sickening.
I feel sorry for her if she is harming herself to look like that because she thinks it's sexy...it's not. I want to wrap her in blankets and bubble wrap, then feed her for a week.

As usual your commentary is witty, sharp, and to the point.
Aww, thank you! *huggles* You flatter me so. ♥ Soon I'm going to be insufferable with the size of my ego. :P

I cant believe how many words I spelled wrong in my comments *hides*

Seriously, your commentary is good and I agree with much of what you're saying.....I just love not only your world on the world just that you articulate it so well when writing in your journal.

Ahaha, I know it must irritate people, but if I see typos, I go back and edit them- and again, if necessary. I can't stand seeing my own errors, although it doesn't bother me with other people.

I appreciate your appreciation of my commentary. ^_^

OOOOOOOH, LOOK, LOOOOOOK IT'S LIZZIE!!!!!

I love this vid., Elizabeth is soooo ADORABLE! *squishes her*.. this scene is made of WIN.. did I mention Torri is the cutest person ever?! ((IT'S A SILENT PASSION OF MINE.. ME I AM ONLY 50.... WOOOOOOOT GO LIZ.. LMAO..))

OMG, OMG, CUTEST ICON EVAR! *snuggles it* Where be this scene from?!

We're agreed, Torri's the cutest person in the history of the universe! :D The lines she had could have been so dull, so bland, so straight-forward but the WAY she says them, zomg! I love the mixture of sarcasm and ingratiating warmth, and those lines you quoted, SQUEEEE! She's so smart for using the info he gave her to respond- *teeny voice* 'Mage?' It's so adorable seeing her squirm, like, 'Crap, is this the right answer? I think it's what he said before!'

LOLZ, THANK YOU!!! ((IT'S MY FAVORED)) - I don't think it's from a scene of Atlantis.. maybe something from behind the scenes?!.. I seriously need to REWATCH everything. AGAIN for the 100000000 time! LOL

OMG, MAAAAAAAAAGE!!!! I need an icon of that one..*is going to make one!*
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE! CAN YOU SAY TORRI-LICIOUS?!

Yeah, looks like BTS- but it's not on my dvds. *pouts* I hate how when we get dvds, it often lacks the special features in the overseas ones, so unfair!

WHEEE, ICONS! THAT ENTIRE SCENE NEEDS TO BE ICONED, IT'S MADE OF MORE CUTE THAN ALL THE PUPPIES AND RAINBOWS AND FLUFFY BUNNY WABBITS IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!

Disney princess = YAWN. I never did think people on TV (movie/cartoon) whatever to be the role model for my kids. It's my job as a parent to do that .. be that.

Skinny model = Alright a little frightening. All those ribs, the arms and legs that look twiggy. No thanks.

Dolled up girl = I agree with you that more kids will see this picture thanks to the newspaper.

Lizzie = CUTIE! I watched TS/TE the other day. I miss her and them so much!

I never did think people on TV (movie/cartoon) whatever to be the role model for my kids. It's my job as a parent to do that .. be that.

*huggles* I'm not a parent but that's what I believe responsible parenting to be. It's not telling your kids what to think or what they should do or be in life, but teaching them the skills to avoid making the wrong choices and not being so empty-headed and witless that any passing fad or vice will easily influence them.

a little frightening. All those ribs, the arms and legs that look twiggy. No thanks.

Yeah, posted another pic in a comment below. I just- it scares me when people claim they're not dieting or doing anything to look like that because I don't think it's possible to naturally look like that, without some serious starvation going on.

Love seeing Lizzeh out of uniform! Yeah, so she's wearing red still, but whee! *snuggles her* Bit more effort with the hair and the jewelry, there. Nice to see her dress up for the boys [even if I wish it was an intimate dinner for two, but oh well]. And she's just so funny in this scene! I know people go on about how McKay or O'Neill or whoever being the comedians, but just her delivery, every line was priceless! 'What's your race?'/'...mage...?' HA. :D

Ew ew ew, that really skinny girl.....AAAAH! But WTF about the other two...I mean, seriously? I think having an interracial romance is a great idea. Maybe they'll have a white princess and a black (or insert two other ethnicities) prince...that would be great. Because seriously, who cares what color a person's skin is at all, and especially if you love them?

I have no idea how the judges missed how scarily skeletal she was! I mean, don't they audition in bathing suits? I know they do for the American Top Model- addict speaking here *waves sheepishly*- but the judges are trying to claim they didn't know til this photoshoot. *eyeroll* I wonder if maybe they did know and just wanted to exploit her for the publicity? I do love these shows but I understand how a lot of things- situations and people- are manipulated for maximum attention. This was in all the newspapers and magazines, probably on the news as well...what a coup for the show.

I think the message of the Disney movie was tolerance and loving people no matter what culture or race they're from, and I take offense at these frakwits who want to use 'political correctness' to push their agenda. I can't stand all this PC crap these days, I feel bad for minorities that have been discriminated against and all, but don't ruin your cause by picking fights over non-issues, FFS!

oh.my.god.

..........

that girl/model/skeleton gave me shivers..... it is good that they told her to gain some weight or will be kicked out.... this is scary.... poor kids who watch this and think it is ok.....

It is a little sickening, huh? This is the other pic:

Skeletal, indeed. I want to be slender and gorgeous as much as the next girl but this is just too far. And from what I've heard on the show, she apparently did gain some weight- 6 kg/ 13 pounds/1 stone- so at least people watching it will see there is a line drawn at this point.

Skinny girl is just scary! You should be thin, to be healthy, but not thin to be good looking on TV!
I think that it doesn't matter if the Princess is black or white, because she will still be a remodel for the kids.

Oh, Man, I miss SGA soo much! And did you see Liz almost sagging to the floor in relief when Rodney finally help her out of the situation?

I would like you to do the meme for me!:P

I want to be fair and say that maybe it's just her natural body type, because I feel bad for some naturally thin girls that get bullied about their weight. It's not just fat kids that get picked on, you know? It's kinda ironic that harassing thin people is almost acceptable because of the health issues and awareness of eating disorders these days, while everyone tip-toes around overweight people. But with this chick? No, she definitely needs help. And I think the article mentioned she put on 6 kg [about 13 pounds or nearly a stone] during the course of the show, so at least it's achieved something positive.

I miss SGA soo much! And did you see Liz almost sagging to the floor in relief when Rodney finally help her out of the situation?

Dude, same here! I miss the good ol' days. *sighs* And lol, Lizzeh is a terrible actor, if it weren't for the thrill of talking to a beautiful woman, I'm sure Bill would've realized she was stringing him along! But it was ADORABLE seeing her squirm, then skip out of the room when she was let off the hook. 'Bye, Bill!' :D

HA, you're the only person that asked! My poor meme was feeling so neglected...
1. I friended you because you asked so sweetly. *squishes* I am a comment whore, so your appreciation for my picspam softened me up, plus, HELLO, Mentalist fan FTW. I can love a show in isolation but it is so much more fun to squee over it with friends.
2. So of course I associate you with Mentalist, lol, no surprises there!
3. I like your thoughtfulness. I mean, yeah, haven't know you that long but I enjoy reading about your perspective on things. And the subtle humor, too, I'm don't know if it's intentional or natural, but I get a kick out of the way you express yourself, I have to smile.
4. A memory I have of you...I was looking at your last picspam and just about combusted with glee when I saw that Jello reference, lol. I was just all kinds of 'AWW' about that. *huggles*
5. Well, tell me whatever you're comfortable with telling someone on the internet, I don't want to push you to reveal anything private. I'm always curious to know which country my flisters come from, what they're doing in life- studying or working or whatever, what they hope to achieve...
6. Love this userpic.

The cuteness, the body language...*sighs dreamily*

But they're going on about how the prince should be black and Disney is racist and prejudiced, blah blah blah. STFU. What do these guys have against interracial romance? Are they saying black people should ONLY be with people of their own race?

What kind of fuckery is that? Though, I DO know people who think that interracial romance is weird but this is taking it a bit too far. Secondly, children are the primary obvious -- I doubt they will give a care or even a notice the princess is black. Gee.

This chick was told to gain weight or be kicked off the show.

Go them. They shouldn't let that level of unhealthiness on the show. (And I'll say it's not even attractive.)

The fact that they don't think it's wrong has me worried. They're going on about the message that Disney is sending to kids and I want to ask, 'WTF kind of message are YOU sending them?' Disney's not making an issue of the color of the couple's skin, the theme seems to be that love isn't skin deep, it can cross race and culture, which I thought was a lovely idea, especially since my parents are in an interracial marriage.

I just want someone to thwack these frakkers over the head and point out that THEY'RE the ones making the fuss about race when we should be trying to be color-blind and accepting people for who they are, not what they look like. If a white person said this kind of thing about a black character, oh, boy, I bet they'd be getting lawsuits slapping them silly. Political correctness gone mad. *sighs with disgust*

And ITA re: the model. I am biased towards slender=pretty [despite the diversity of my favorite characters, that is one basic similarity between them all] but I feel sickened seeing her ribs push out of her torso like that.

The sad thing is, I wouldn't put it past the ANTM PTB to have accepted her into the show in order to create this publicity and get the show some attention. I enjoy watching it, it's good fun, but I am pretty cynical these days about their motives. They want to claim they had no idea she was so skinny, hello, I'm pretty sure girls audition in bathing suits and even if not...come on. Unless she came wearing a bulky sack, you can't miss how fragile she looks.

Torri totally carried that scene. It could have been a total loss for the Weir character and a train wreck of M&M's sexism, but she totally pulled it off and saved it. Torri knows more about Weir than all the TPTB put together.

Secondly, as someone who had a high-school buddy marry a black man against the wishes of her entire family because they were scared it would make both her and her intended a target (no joke -- one of her wedding gifts was pocket mace): yeah, they can bite me about the white prince. BITE. ME.

DragonLady

You know...I never really considered how that scene could've bombed. I mean, she's so brilliant it totally didn't even hit me how inexcusably lame and sexist it could've played out. This is how she's awesome, she saves it without being obvious. Although it's a shame that they always underestimate her because she's so subtle about her performance. *sighs* Her scene here reminds me, in a way, of Irresistible- horrible horrible ep, but she was utterly lovely and bubbly and wonderful. And hey, SPEAKING OF SEXISM. *coughcough*

*eyebrows shoot up* I honestly didn't realize it was still a big deal. Back in the 1960s, maybe, but- well, when did your friend marry, though? In this day and age, I might understand trepidation about a Muslim groom- not that I'm saying *I* think it's a problem, but with the current climate of paranoia about terrorists, I could see how people might freak out for no good reason- but a black man? Well, at least she got such thoughtful wedding gifts. Damn.

but- well, when did your friend marry, though?

Last month. It is absolutely still a big deal in a lot of places to a lot of people. My landlady's brother threw a shitfit because Obama was elected not because he's a Democrat, but because he was black.

DragonLady

Last MONTH?! I- feel very naive now, that I'm so shocked at that. I guess because with Obama as president I kinda think that people in general are more progressive and less narrow-minded about things, but apparently not. Wow.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

'Nothing says romance like the gift of a kidnapped, injured woman...'

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject