Oh, Broadsheet

Broadsheet, if you're going to keep bringing me cool stuff like this, how can I feel justified in continuing to mock Salon.com*? Both Rachel and Ivy were talking about the Dove commercial for promoting self-esteem among young girls. Rachel says, "I say, it's nice to see images of non-diet-obsessed women in the media, no matter what they're selling. " Ivy says "It is sooooooo important for our little girls to feel comfortable in their own skin and to know that what they are worth, is not at all tied to their appearance." And, since I read those things first, and then saw the pictures of the Teddy Girls, it really struck me how amazing these girls look. Let's take it from another perspective. In talking about naked men, one of the things I kept coming back to was how weird it was to see men being framed by the camera in such a way that we, as viewers, were supposed to be aware, first and foremost that they were men. What's striking to me about the Teddy Girls is that they're framed in such a way that it's clear that we're supposed to be aware, first and foremost, that they're cool. Not sexy or "available" or on display, but cool. That's what, I think, is so amazing about them and so weird about the photos. So often, when you see artsy photos of women, it seems as if the women are posed in a way that says "Look at me." These girls seem to ask you to really see them. And I think that's one of the things so striking, and frankly moving, about the Dove commercials. They invite you to really see the women in them. Of course that's powerful. How could it not be? *Oh, ha, ha, that was rich! As if Salon.com is ever going to stop putting out stories about upper middle class women and treating them like their problems are universal!