War/Photography at the Brooklyn Museum

Last week, A. and I visited the Brooklyn Museum to see the War/Photography exhibition. I expected to be surrounded by gory images of death, but was instead lost in the walls of photos, article clips, and book pages showing the human race at its best and worst. I found myself wondering what on earth drives us to destroy each other, what motivates people to rip others of their rights and lives. When I entered the In Memoriam room, I just stood in front of the long list of journalists and photographers we've lost in combat. Men and women who were so dedicated to sharing these stories that they risked their lives for it. Sad thing is, while many might have died due to the dangerous nature of war, recent names are those of journalists who have been targeted, silenced. I felt like such a hack in front of that black wall. These were the people who chased those stories even if it came at such a high price.

The exhibition was not only a history lesson, but also a chance to show how photographers get up close and personal during some harrowing and inspiring moments, the stories behind iconic shots, and the role photography played in the art of war. It was a display of human emotion, compassion, how military men and women deal with the stresses of combat while trying to retain some sense of normality in their lives. The walls lead you through the experiences of recruitment, training, embarkation, daily routine, battle, death and destruction, homecoming, and remembrance. Some scenes and the accompanying stories were so heart-wrenching, difficult situations I couldn't imagine having to live through, but they were all someone's reality.

War/Photography: Images of Armed Conflict and Its Aftermath is on display at the Brooklyn Museum through Feb. 2nd.

P.S. If you need a place nearby to decompress after the exhibition and grab a bite to eat, Milk Bar (620 Vanderbilt Ave.) serves super tasty toasties that'll soothe you from the inside.

Image: brooklynmusem.org

American Eagle Outfitters Campaign Gets Real

Have you seen American Eagle Outfitter's new aerie campaign? The brand's lingerie collection has launched its own "real women" movement à la Dove by featuring models without airbrushing away blemishes, stretch marks, tattoos, folds or other "imperfections. Granted, the young women they chose are still gorgeous, but at least the the company is featuring them just as they are without making them look even more unrealistic like the lingerie models we're used to seeing.

While I get that lingerie companies like Victoria's Secret and Agent Provocateur aren't just selling a product, but also an ideal sex image to go with it, when a company's target audience are teens still learning to love the skin they're in, it's important to show them the difference between what's natural and what's manufactured in ad campaigns. How powerful would it be if they could see the before and after images side by side? Even better: if society just moved past this need for perfection and the unrealistic expectations placed on women and their bodies altogether.

A few nights ago I stumbled upon Hungarian musician Boggie's music video for her latest song "Parfüm." You might not understand a word and she just sits in place through the entire piece, but watch as her video editor retouches her skin, eyes, and hair and gradually transforms the singer from what she normally looks like into a "picture perfect" star. It's crazy how retouching can make any imperfections disappear, leaving our young to believe that this is how some people wake up in the morning. And not just young women, but adults, too. According to a study conducted by cereal brand Special K for its Fight Fat Talk campaign, 93 percent of women participate in fat shaming and making negative remarks about their own bodies. Some do it because "they feel it's better to criticize themselves before others do so" while others admitted to engaging in fat talk when their friends do and not bothering to change the conversation when the shaming goes on.

So you have to think: when and how did we learn this? Why do we think it's okay to tear ourselves apart and convince ourselves we're just not pretty enough?

P.S. Dove debuts short film "Selfie."

Images: ae.com/aerie

Citi Bike Program Kicks Off in New York City

Today, New York City joins the likes of Paris, Montreal, and a growing number of cities with the launch of its first bike share program. After much anticipation, Citi Bike finally kicks off with approximately 6,000 bikes and more than 300 stations available in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Those with an annual membership ($95) who signed up by May 17 can start biking around today while daily and weekly pass holders ($9.95 and $25) and other annual members will have to wait until June 2nd. A Citi Bike App will help renters locate the nearest station, indicate how many bikes and docks are available, and offer route tips.

I won't say much about the fact that the bike stations are all located below Central Park and the program showed no love to Uptown or other boroughs, but I do hope it makes their way up there eventually and that New Yorkers are mature enough to have nice things. In other words, vandals better not mess it up for the rest of us. Or rather the rest of you because I hopped on a docked bike yesterday and at its lowest setting, the seat was still a tad too high for me. Maybe I'll try again once A. rents one for himself.

New Yorkers, will you be taking a Citi Bike out for a spin this summer?

P.S. Never mind. The NY Post reports that the first Citi Bike was stolen yesterday evening before the program even begun!

Four More Years

"I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting." -President Barack Obama, Nov. 6, 2012

I stayed up late Tuesday night watching Election Day coverage all the way up to President Barack Obama's victory speech. At our friend's house, we had a nice view of the Empire State Building as it marked each candidate's race to 270 electoral votes and were so happy when the whole thing went Obama blue. While everyone says Mitt Romney's concession speech was a gracious one, I can't help but shudder when I think what it would've been like for me as a woman if he and Paul Ryan had been elected instead.

It took me about 45 minutes to vote and much, much longer for others, but I'm glad that we pushed through and made our mark no matter what side we stood for. Here's hoping the next four years bring job growth, health care improvements, equal rights no matter whom we choose to love, and that these politicians stop trying to tell me what I can and can't do to my own body.

Now, anybody else elated that this never-ending campaign is finally over?

Image: crabbygolightly.com

Show Me Your Plate and I'll Tell You Who You Are

A recent study commissioned by the British Egg Industry Council came out claiming to predict a person's personality, job, and sex drive based on the way she liked to eat her eggs. Using "sophisticated maths" and just straight up asking 1,010 people about their lives and egg preferences, researchers discovered that if you like yours boiled, you're probably a disorganized mess, careless, and impulsive. And don't lie, you're also divorced aren't you? Because if you're not, it's only a matter of time.

Omelette lovers are self-disciplined with tidy homes. Like your eggs fried? Well then you're probably a young man with a sex drive that's through the roof. Scrambled egg eaters are guarded home-owners with senior-level jobs while those who prefer theirs poached are more often outgoing, happier, and female with two kids and no more than one sibling.

I'm sorry, but come again?

What if I like my eggs scrambled, fried, hard boiled, and omelettized depending on which way the wind's blowing that day. Does that mean I have multiple personality issues? I like them all! Well except that I don't do poached eggs (clearly because I'm too busy crying to partake in such a happy meal), but I'm sure I'd like that, too.

It's not the first time a study linking food and personality has been conducted. In 2009, Alan R. Hirsch, M.D., published an entire book that looked into the food cravings of almost 20,000 people over the course of 25 years. I've read before that chocoholics are assumed to be fun-loving social butterflies, but did you know that this trait to attributed to dark chocolate consumers? If you prefer milk chocolate, like I do, then you're more likely to be on the quieter side.

Salt cravers tend to be easy going and, as Hirsch said, "believe that outside forces determine their fate." A draw to spicy foods supposedly correlates with a dislike for "order and wasting time," which quite naturally makes absolutely no sense to me. If you have a sweet tooth, you're wild and carefree, and if you like sugar as much as salt then you're probably a "loner" with a creative side who sometimes comes off as "standoffish."

All this seems about as legit as predicting a person's day to day happenings based solely on the planets' alignment on his birthdate. A horoscope might be on point for some that fall under one zodiac sign and then be completely off-base for others. Even then, do these predictions hold true every single day of the year? Those blurbs are written with such vagueness that more often than not you can glean some truth or inspiration from them because no matter which sign you read - go on, read them all - you'll probably find affirmations for whatever it is you're looking for.

Take, for example, today's horoscopes from two different signs and tell me if either one speaks to you in some way:

"Are things getting a little bit crazy? Too many tasks and too many people vying for your attention could have your nerves stretched as taut as violin strings. Try to get outside for a while. Treat yourself to a nice lunch or do a little shopping. Take a good long nap. Whatever seems so urgent isn't worth sacrificing your peace of mind. Try to stay focused!"

"A rush of creative inspiration could take you temporarily away from your social life today. At some point you could be working as if there were no tomorrow, perhaps worrying that you will forget it if you don't get it all down now. It's no use telling you to slow down. Be sure to keep sufficient snacks on hand, and do take occasional breaks. Work hard and good luck!"

Neither of these fell under my zodiac sign and yet they both ring true for me today. So I ask, what's the use in making such generalizations using something that might not mean anything other than I'm hungry and like to eat food?

Images: bhg.com and call-me-cupcake.blogspot.se