Female* sexual desire and/or beauty appreciation week: the saga continues

(archiving here)

Liya Kebede

Lauren Ambrose objectifying Mena Suvari in "Six Feet Under"

(*personally would also welcome expressions of queer/genderqueer desire by not-necessarily-female persons)

...has been informally declared and is being celebrated, among other places, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Since I'm both lazy this week and in awe of this woman's efforts to display the gorgeous, week after week, I'm going to kick this off by both paying her homage and shamelessly lifting some of my favorite images from her treasure trove (hope that's all right). Yes, she has way, way more where these came from--98 pages' worth of women alone, and a whole passel of gentlemen (almost as many as women), and art pics to boot. Thanks, skywardprodigal, you are an inspiration, truly.

You can also see my contributions to earlier versions of this celebration on my other page. Also see this recent post for teh slash, I guess.

Most of the following, then, are cribbed shamelessly from skywardprodigal, with a few additions of my own, can't be arsed to remember for positive which now alas--a Maggie Cheung, I think, Aishwarya Rai, and some Alex Kingston. (ETA: and Rachel Weisz, and Grace Park, and Kera Knightley, and...screw it, I lost track. sorry if I broke anyone's Internets).

Sunna Gottshalk

Freema Agyeman

Lauren Ambrose

Grace Park

Patricia Clarkson

Justina Machado

Eve Myles

Nichelle Nichols

Aishwarya Rai

Lucy Lawless

Sheryl Lee Ralph

Rachel Weisz

Naoko Mori

Alex Kingston

Wang Wenquin

Frances Conroy

Kiera Knightley

Lisa Nicole Carson

Mumaith Khan

Mena Suvari

Renee Cox

Sandra Oh

Heidi Klum

Gong Li

Josephine Rukia

Tina Baltzer

Aimee Mullins

Maggie Cheung

Pam Grier

Joan Chen

Michelle Rodriguez

Sophia Myles



Julie Nicol

Caroline Chikezie

Madhuri Dixit

Katee Sackhoff & Mary McDonnell

Meryl Streep & Anne Hathaway

Omahyra Mota & friend

Anna Cleveland and Pat Cleveland

Maggie Cheung & co-star

Omahyra Mota and Boyd Holbrook

Helen Mirren and Olivier Martinez

Aimee Mullins & Matthew Barney ("Cremaster")


Carmen Del'Orifice & friend

Indira Varma and Sarita Choudhury



Brandi Quinones & friends

Gena Rowlands

Female Desire/Beauty Appreciation Week: the "What About Teh Menz" edition

(archiving here)

Kwon Sang Woo

Because, hey, I am all about equal opportunity objectification, even if slightly choosier with my objects on this side of the aisle. Lots of aesthetic appreciation here for sure, though, plus, spot the fangirl (eyeroll). As with the female OOD post (AKA POST WITH LOTS AND LOTS OF WOMEN PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PERUSE AND COMMENT), many of these cribbed from the excellent skywardprodigal, with some additions of my own interspersed. Enjoy.

Kian Mitchum

Gordon Modibame

Shunei Hosimi

Renald Seme

Jo Ji Hoon

Porter Garner

Tyler Christopher

Anthony Stewart Head

Won Bin

Djimon Honsou

Nir Lavi

Daniel Henney

James Marsters

Michael C Hall in "Cabaret"

Anderson Cooper

Kevin Aviance

source

David Tennant and Billie Piper

Anthony Stewart Head, David Walliams, and a very frustrated policeman

John Barrowman & Eve Myles

Alvin Goh & friend

Michael C Hall & Matthew St. Patrick ("Six Feet Under")

Kim Sung Soo & friend

from a play called "Dorian"

Ian Somerhalder & friend

Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Leslie Cheung(?) ("Happy Together")

John Barrowman and James Marsters ("Torchwood")

David Tennant & co-stars in "Casanova"

David Tennant

Female desire "week," part XXX or something

(parking this here more permanently)

so, yeah, continuing...

This one is (very) roughly themed around "funny is HAWT," at least to start with. (theatre, performance, gender performance...you'll see).

First off, Marga Gomez:







Dawn French:








Margaret Cho:








Eddie Izzard (yeah, i'm probably about a Kinsey 4-5, with non-standard deviations)







not a comedian, but still on pretty performers: some stills of Cillian Murphy in "Breakfast on Pluto:"









BoP costar Ruth Negga ain't bad either:





Back to standup, this time more performance art division: Staceyann Chin:








and finally, someone whose work i -haven't- yet seen, (unfortunately, it sounded really good) (via Feministing, looks like i just missed one of her performances at Nuyorican Poet's Cafe), but I'm including her anyway because I think she's rawther attrectif: Helena D. Lewis.

Why yes, I do take requests

(parking this here more permanently)

petitpoussin of Truly Outrageous has asked for more Diana Rigg, please.

Your wish is my command.












A little Julie Newmar too, as long as we're on the general subject:





While searching, i found a pic of this "sixties actress" without a name. (dropped the link alas) Does anyone know who this is?



Meanwhile, from a completely different era, but as long as we're on "old tyme beauty" anyway: Lupe Velez.

Female desire week, 4

It was dusky in the dining-room and quite chilly. But all the same Bertha threw off her coat; she could not bear the tight clasp of it another moment, and the cold air fell on her arms.

But in her bosom there was still that bright glowing place--that shower of little sparks coming from it. It was almost unbearable. She hardly dared to breathe for fear of fanning it higher, and yet she breathed deeply, deeply. She hardly dared to look into the cold mirror--but she did look, and it gave her back a woman, radiant, with smiling, trembling lips, with big, dark eyes and an air of listening, waiting for something...divine to happen...that she knew must happen...infallibly.

Mary brought in the fruit on a tray and with it a glass bowl, and a blue dish, very lovely, with a strange sheen on it as though it had been dipped in milk.

"Shall I turn on the light, M'm?"

"No, thank you. I can see quite well."

There were tangerines and apples stained with strawberry pink. Some yellow pears, smooth as silk, some white grapes covered with a silver bloom and a big cluster of purple ones...

When she had finished with them and had made two pyramids of these bright round shapes, she stood away from the table to get the effect--and it really was most curious. For the dark table seemed to melt into the dusky light and the glass dish and the blue bowl to float in the air. This, of course in her present mood, was so incredibly beautiful...She began to laugh...

...And then Miss Fulton, all in silver, with a silver fillet binding her pale blond hair, came in smiling, her head a little on one side.

"Am I late?"

"No, not at all," said Bertha. "Come along." And she took her arm and they moved into the dining room.

What was there in the touch of that cool arm that could fan--fan--start blazing--blazing--the fire of bliss that Bertha did not know what to do with?...

...At that moment Miss Fulton "gave the sign."

"Have you a garden?" said the cool, sleepy voice.

This was so exquisite on her part that all Bertha could do was to obey. She crossed the room, pulled the curtains apart, and opened those long windows.

"There!" she breathed.

And the two women stood side by side looking at the slender, flowering tree. Although it was so still it seemed, like the flame of a candle, to stretch up, to point, to quiver in the bright air, to grow taller and taller as they gazed--almost to touch the rim of the round, silver moon.

How long did they stand there? Both, as it were, caught in that circle of unearthly light, understanding each other perfectly, creatures of another world, and wondering what they were to do in this one with all this blissful treasure that burned in their bosoms and dropped, in silver flowers, from their hair and hands?

For ever--for a moment? And did Miss Fulton murmur: "Yes. Just that. Or did Bertha dream it?..."


--Katherine Mansfield, "Bliss"

Female desire week, 3

Trin made me realize that actually, I, too, would really like to capture -dynamics- at least as much as still images. It's tricksy. I don't feel like posting text right now--maybe later.

But, so okay, since I've already revealed myself to be a shameless fangirl/geek, I'll bring BTVS into it. I was trying to find stills and images, but it wasn't really what I wanted.

Then I went onto Youtube looking for clips, and found a few, but mostly I found a lot of fan-made videos. A lot of 'em are, well, fan art; but some of them are actually quite...well, I like 'em, anyway.

Female desire week, 2

I know it makes me a total fucking cliche, but what the hell: Lucy Lawless, goddamit:













annnnd as long as we're going all the way into SF fangirl territory: more Gabi:



more BSG:




Gina Torres, in "Firefly" mode and otherwise:







AND as long as I'm in total fucking cliche mode anyway:







More Tilly:




Michelle Rodriguez:



Mira Sorvino:






and a little ear candy to wind up with:

Female desire week

Just housing these here for more permanent storage.

***

Because Cassandra says it's Celebration of Female Desire Week.

then well clearly i have to celebrate.

i will start with a pointer to a few earlier impromptu celebrations.

I'm not totally satisfied with the stills I'm finding for her, but: Katharine Ross.







And--I'm in old-school mode for this one, I think--another Kate: Hepburn:








Going way way old-school, because why not: Clara Bow.

Pop! Bam! Poooooooooowww!!!

(just parking this one over here for more permanent display)




This website: Dan-O-Rama productions.

I wanted to post direct links to my favorite bits, with images, but i can't seem to do that, somehow. So instead, an invitation to go there and look around, with a few recommendations:

make sure you mouse over "hits" before clicking "enter."

Go to the Club Room: my personal favorites are Joan Crawford megamix, Blue Moon/Anne Heche, and "I'd rather be burned as a witch."

and i confess that his Ann-Margret homages have me absolutely smitten. They don't make 'em like that anymore...




you kind of really need to see the moving image for the full effect, though






aged well, too, i think.






she kind of -is- the sixties, though, you know? Besides everything else. Pop! Bam! Poooooowwww!!!

I really love the sheer vitality. Besides everything else.

and you know what else i really love about the Dan-O-Rama site? -There's- someone who truly raised obsession to an art form. And it paid off.

anyway, check it out: fun times.

Eye candy

(Just parking this one over here for more permanent display)


Inspired by Renegade's gorgeous tribute(s)



(thank you!)

as well as by a comment by Cassandra Says at the end of this post


First of all, the baby Diana Rigg from "Tipping the Velvet," aka Rachel Stirling: (on the right)







Then I started thinking about pretty let's say genderfuck candy from some other movies.

Here's a still from an obscure movie called Journey to Kafiristan:



Another movie I'm awfully fond of, Stage Beauty, with Billy Crudup as the last of the male "actresses" and Clare Danes as the first woman to take the stage, during the Restoration:






To wrap up, a bit more Rachel Stirling:





and, what the hell, some Diana herself:

Awesome.

A handy-dandy illustrated quick-and-dirty (!) guide to What Lesbians Really Do In Bed:
Girlfuck 2005.

Vulvas are like snowflakes, no two are identical, and when it gets really cold they flutter down from the sky, getting stuck in your eyelashes.

Tip of the labia to a commenter at BitchPhD.

ETA '09: Sadly, in the wake of this bullshit, I am going to have to retract my endorsement of this artist as a whole, although I really did like the strip originally posted here and a lot of her other work. Cissexist objectification = v. uncool. Lack of a responsible response, even more so. Suckage. :(

Want

...just about everything in this UK shop. I am so in a dress-up mood lately. FairyGothMother.

god only knows what shipping and the rate of exchange would add to the already not-cheapness. and it's not exactly as though I have many many occasions for this sort of thing, at least in my current lifestyle. someday when I win the lottery. or get an actual fairygothmother. boo hoo.

The Queen of Wands

And I am the Queen of Wands.

Okay.

Here is how the world works:

It is all like nets.
ever golden, evergreen
the fruits fall
into hands-like-nets
the fish are hauled
into jaws-like-nets
the insects crawl
into claws-like-nets

and the thoughts fall
into minds-like-nets
it is all like nets.


On the other hand
a spider lives in the topmost branches of a pine,
her house a god's eye gleaming among the needles.
On hot days
she pays out her line and
twirls on down
to the surface of the lake or pond
to get a little drink of water
and to wash her face. She's such an
ordinary person.

The trees line the earth, great and small,
dogwood, plane, maple, rubber,
the elegant palm. The scrubby oak. The elm.
We're ordinary persons, too. We have our
long time friends across the distances,
our urgent messages and our differences.

And we have our parties.
We sugar up our petals just to get the probes of bees in us.
Most green ladies love everything the whipping wind can give them.
The avocado tree hung with her long green breasts,
she aches for fingers pulling at her;
the cherry, peach and nut trees with swollen balls
long for hands and mouths and claws;
the fig tree with her black jewels tucked between her
hand-shaped emerald leaves, is happily
fondled by the dancing birds, wild and raucous and drunk on
natural fig wine.

almost any summer morning
sun beams fall into my arms like lovers
giving me everything they've got
and they're so hot oh honey
I take it all

give it to me, baby
is my song

And I am the Queen of Wands.
The people honor me.
I am the torch they hold over their own heads
as they march like insects
by the billions
into the bloody modern world,
over discarded corpses of their ages past,
always holding me, aloft or in their arms,
a flame in the hand of the statue,
a bundle of coals
in their inflammatory doctrines, calling me
a chalice of fire,
essential light,
the Flama
and the stuff of which their new world will be made.

Sophia (Helen) they call me, enlightenment,
"God's light," wisdom, romance, beauty, being saved,
"Freedom" and the age of reason.
Progress, they call me, industrial revolution,
"People's rule," the future, the age of
electronics, of Aquarius, of the common man and woman,
evolution,
solar energy and self-reliance. Sexual self-expression.
Atomic fission, they call me, physics, relativity,
the laser computations in an endless sky of mind,
"science," they call me and also emotion, the aura of
telepathy and social responsibility, they call me
consciousness, "health," and love
they call me, bloom of Helen.
Blush upon her face, and grace.

And here I am a simple golden shower
and here I am only a spider
webbing their minds
with pictures, words, impulses
feelings translated into moral imperatives
and rules for living, like leaves
upon a tree, to catch the sun's attention.

The (the billions of people)
dance like Fairies on my smallest
twiggiest branches
whistling in each other's ears,
collecting and dispensing
seeds, wearing gold and
pretty clothing, worrying and not
really noticing all the other worlds
around them
how the sun center of my eye sews them
how the silver dream filaments direct them,
how their own thoughts connect them, how
the baton smacks their knees to make them
move their feet, that baton
at the end of the claw
of the Queen of Wands

And I am the tree
with candles
in its fingers
Menorah
Yule-flame
tree of life

the tree-shaped candle-holder
on the mantle
on the altar
on the flag of being.

And I am the Queen of Wands
who never went away
where would I go?

the flame is central
to any civilization
any household

any bag of bones. Any motley mote
you've got, of
little mustard seed can grow
into a yellow spicy flame
as you must know.

The sun is a weaver
and the rock earth her instrument.
Slender-fingered threads of light
and heat, dance like birds
shuttling.
Winds and the rain,
seeds and feet and feathers
knit the knot
making the great coat,
the coat of all colors.

The coat of all color;
over the whole earth, a caught fire
of living logs, brown and red,
tan and white, black and yellow
bobbing like a forest;
each a magic stick with
green flame at its tip

a green web
my leaves, my green filaments
like fingers spread
to catch the sun's attention, spread
to catch the sun like thread,
like sexual feelings, like
the gleam from an eye, or an idea.

and I am the Queen of Wands
I am who stands
who always will
and I am who remembers
the connections woven, little eggs
along the message line.

I remember giving dinosaurs
to the tall unfolded ferns to entertain them.
and immortality to the cockroach.
I remember the birthday of the first
flower, and the death of so many furry
animals and kinds of people, and a star
that fell. I remember a continent
of green
green wands of grass
burning into the knees of
buffalo queens, a landlocked
ocean of fire. Replaced by the
picket fence. Almost equally complex.
Sky scrapers like spikes.
But that's another song.
And I am the Queen of Wands
who burns, who glows, who webs
the message strands,
who stands, who always will.

--Judy Grahn, "The Queen of Wands"