Damned If We Do, Damned If We Don’t

The average American woman is a size 14. But according to Hollywood, most of the Fashion industry and Madison Avenue, the ideal woman is no bigger than a size 4.

Recently, Kelly Clarkson has received some very public criticism about her weight.

Lily James, star of the newest film adaptation of Cinderella, has received her own fair share of criticism. Some have accused the actress and the filmmakers of perpetuating the idea that only skinny girls can have a happily ever after.

Damned if we do, damned if we don’t.

If a women puts on a little weight or is naturally curvy, she is told in more ways than one that she need to loose weight. If she is naturally skinny or loses too much weight, there is concern that she has gone too far in the other direction.

The media and Hollywood have been telling us for decades the size of the clothes that you wear dictates your happiness and how your life will turn out.

For once, I would like to hear that every woman, regardless of her size and shape, told that she is beautiful, just as she is.

The people at Lane Bryant have the right idea. If only the rest of the world could catch up.

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Pride And Prejudice And Zombies Book Review

With the news that a film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies in production, I think it is appropriate to review it’s literary origins.

Seth Grahame- Smith’s 2009 zombie mishmash of Jane Austen’s classic novel starts with the following quote “It is truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains”.  A mysterious plague has come over England and Meryton. The dead are returning to life and are hungry for new brains to eat. Elizabeth Bennet is determined to destroy the zombie horde. When she meets Mr. Darcy, she is fighting two battles. One with the undead and the other with a man she is determined to dislike.

This book is clever. While paying homage and respectful of the original novel, the insertions of the zombies fit in well into the narrative. It makes sense that Elizabeth would be as quick with a weapon as she would be with her tongue.  While other writers and publishers jumped on the bandwagon with supernatural mishmashs of other classic novels, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies stands out as the first and best of this new genre.

I recommend this book.

 

The Times Are a Changing-Hollywood is Not

Bob Dylan once wrote that the times are changing.

While the times are constantly changing, Hollywood seems stuck in the film stone age.

A new film adaptation of the Exodus will be premiering in December. Exodus: Gods and Kings star Christian Bale as Moses and Joel Edgerton as Ramses.

Am I the only one who thinks Hollywood is still colorblind? Joel Edgerton and Christian Bale are good actors, but they are Caucasian. Personally, I don’t think it would have hurt to have a more diversified cast. Prince of Egypt, even though it was an animated film, the characters were not all Caucasian.

I think we can give some allowances for Cleopatra and The Ten Commandments.

But that was then and this is now. It’s time to expand Hollywood’s horizons and let us see more diverse actors on screen.