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Including Race in a Gallery of Wedding Dresses
Sully R. drew our attention to a set of images of wedding-related dresses at brides.com. She searched through the thumbnails of brides in the entire gallery; out of 684, there were about 43 African American women, a few identified as Hispanic, and none, as far as she could tell, of Asian women. She also points out, “Of all the models that could be considered full-figured or curvy, most…were black.”
There’s something else going on here, the type of thing that just makes you wonder, given how much businesses spend on marketing and design and such, how it still made it through. Here is an image of the front page of the gallery, showing the only two thumbnails with Black women in them:
Did you catch it? The only two pictures that have Black women in them…are in the category “Maids in Heaven.” I’m sure this was referring to being a “maiden” or something of that sort (I first thought of “bridesmaid,” but then it’s a bride in one picture, so that doesn’t really make sense).
I can’t really fathom how no one noticed and thought, “maybe we should change that title, just to be safe.” It shows, at the very least, a remarkable insensitivity to part of the presumed audience — not thinking about how the language of the categories might have different meanings depending on who it referred to and that for some groups, the use of “maid,” however innocuously meant, would have unpleasant connotations.
Interestingly, the one area where Sully noticed interracial groups, including Asians, was in pictures of flower girls:
She said there were actually quite a few Asian girls in these photos. Presumably this is a safe place to show interracial mixing; it implies a childhood innocence where everybody gets along and is less likely to alienate adults who might be more uncomfortable with images of an interracial couple getting married.
(View original at http://contexts.org/socimages)
Culture and Speculation
NPR recently featured a story on Kevin Michael Connolly. Connolly is an athlete, adventurer, author, and photographer who was born without legs.
In his memoir, Double Take, he talks about travel. People around the world, he explains, tend to stare. And, with his camera, he stared back:
Curiosity, it appears, is very human. But people in different places tend to speculate differently as to the source of his lost legs and that, he discovered, is quite culturally specific.
In Sarajevo, people tended to think that he’d lost his legs in mines during the Balkan conflicts. In New Zealand he overheard a child asking his mother if he’d been attacked by a shark. In Montana, he was asked if he still wore his dog tags from Iraq.
I broke my leg five weeks ago and, for what it’s worth (not much really), my experience, also, is that people speculate based on their own experiences and their relationship to you. An avid lindy hopper (12 years now… well, not now exactly, but again real soon), many of my dance friends immediately inquire as to whether I broke my leg dancing. My raunchy friend, Fancy, asked if I broke it “doin’ it.” The second most common guess is that I broke it stepping off a curb. It turns out lots of people do that. Who knew!
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For more, see Connolly’s website or listen to the NPR Radio Story.
(View original at http://contexts.org/socimages)
By “All” We Mean Blondes, Brunettes, and Redheads
This ad for Scünci in Elle magazine, sent in by Bronwyn H., claims “A full line of hair accessories, that highlight and complement all shades of hair color.”
(View original at http://contexts.org/socimages)
Free Download: School Of Seven Bells - Windstorm
Neben Tegan and Sara schafften es auch Alejandra und Claudia Deheza, die Indie-Pop-Fraktion mit ihremSchaffen zu verzücken. Nach dem Debüt aus dem Jahr 2008 wird nun mit "Disconnect From Desire" nachgelegt. Mehr
Electro | Rock
Robyn @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg (With Kelis) & P.C. Richards Theater, NYC 7/28 & 7/29/10
Over the last two nights, I took distinct portraits of the artist. But then this is an artist with many incarnations and even more aesthetic angles. The line I constantly drop on Robyn is that she’s the increasingly rare pop star you can love without a trace of irony. But that doesn’t mean she’s not full of cheek (patiently prowling like a pugilist, peeling a banana to “Don’t Fucking Tell Me What To Do”) or chests of drawers (check the wardrobe changes both within the MHOW night and the formalwear for the next evening’s mini-set for iheartradio’s contest winners at the tiny P.C. Richards Theater on 6th Ave. in Tribeca). I live-tweeted the crap out of Wednesday’s show, not something I often do because I don’t like annoying people. But there wasn’t a choice: between the vigorous dance clinic to rearranged Robyn cuts and Body Talk’s visceral triumph (“Dancing On My Own” received the extended applause reserved for classic jams, presumably so everyone could clap off their goosebumps), she was at her most uninhibited, dancing creatively, ceaselessly, a two-drummer/two-keyboardist band at her back, full of thanks for our support in pulling off an unlikely mid-career transformation, from teenaged-pop sensation into the smart man’s pop projection. Robyn called Williamsburg her best crowd yet. With some basis for comparison, I’d agree.
Watch the Video for Brand-New Chromeo Tune "Don't Turn the Lights On"
When describing the '80s-obsessed, electro-funk of NY duo Chromeo, rarely—if ever—does the word "creepy" come to mind, but that's exactly what the video for the outfit's new song is.
Class Actress Do Two Unreleased Tracks For Daytrotter
Mirroring a post title from earlier this week (via Real Estate), here’s one angled toward the sundown new wave electro-pop of ‘Gum Bowl teamer Elizabeth Harper and her Class Actress project, and a session filed for the Daytrotter crew: Herein you’ll find two from the still-lascivious Journal Of Ardency EP (the title track and “Careful What You Say,” mislabeled “Careful What You Ask For”), along with a pair slated for its full-length followup, due this year. They have names (“LMLMLUU2″ is mislabeled “Love Me,” and “All The Saints”), analog synths, lots of promise, and in the case of “Saints,” a Raymond Carver reference. This is what we talk about when we talk about downloading them at Daytrotter.
New Michael Jackson Album Due
Rolling Stone reports that a ten-song album filled with never-before-heard Michael Jackson songs is due out in November via Sony. It is not yet known which Jackson era the songs are from-- the late singer's manager told Rolling Stone there are "more than 100 completed and unreleased songs" in existence, including relatively recent collaborations with Akon, Will.i.am and Ne-Yo as well as tracks left off classic albums like Thriller and Bad. The album is the first of 10 forthcoming projects as part of a $250 million dollar deal with Sony that includes reissues, a greatest hits, and a DVD.
Avey Tare Down There Album Info
Following in Panda Bear’s footsteps, Avey Tare has himself a lone Animal album coming out this fall. Down There, recorded by the most elusive of Animal Collective members Deakin, is Avey’s first complete solo outing. It was reportedly inspired by crocodiles (reptiles, not the San Diego band). Take a closer look at the croc cover art while you read over the tracklist.
Free EP From El-P and Camu Tao
On August 17, Definitive Jux/Fat Possum will put out King of Hearts, the debut (and final) solo album by late rapper/producer Camu Tao. To coincide with the release, the labels are offering a free download of Forever Frozen in Television Time, the 2005 EP from Central Services, Camu Tao's collaboration with Def Jux founder/producer/rapper El-P. You can grab the whole shebang here. It features a cover of "I Want a New Drug" by Huey Lewis and the News, retitled "I Need a New Drug".
Also, you can hear El-P's new instrumental album Weareallgoingtoburninhellmegamixxx3 (due out August 3 on Gold Dust) in its entirety over on his MySpace.
Clogs – “Last Song” (Feat. Matt Berninger) Video
The pretty, spare “Last Song” appears on Clogs’ The Creatures In The Garden Of Lady Walton as well as the Last Song EP, a download-only single that pairs it with two unreleased B-Sides. For those of you unfamiliar with Clogs, the band features Bryce Dessner as well as frequent National collaborator Padma Newsome. This particular track also includes Matt Berninger’s familiar baritone. In another National-esque twist, the song’s video was put together by twin brothers. We’re told Benjamin and Stefan Remirez-Perez are “studying film and animation at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne, Germany and the Vancouver School’s Digital Design program, respectively.” They’re also making elegant, ghostly videos for Clogs.
Animal Collective's Avey Tare to Release First Solo Album
The yelping member of Animal Collective, Avey Tare aka Dave Portner, is coming out with a solo album called Down There on October 26 via AnCo's own Paw Tracks imprint. The nine-song record is his first totally solo affair and was recorded by AnCo member Josh Dibb aka Deakin.
According to a press release, Avey's "favorite animals are the otter and crocodile [and] the latter has played a big role in his newest record. " I guess that explains the swampy promo pic above and the album's cover, which you can view along with the album's tracklist after the jump:
Tracey Thorn -”Kentish Town (Walls Remix)”
Tracey Thorn released her solo LP Love And Its Opposite in May, and now she’s recruited a diverse list of remixers for a digital-only companion EP. Included on the EP is a remix by WALLS — bloggers Sam Willis and Alessio Natalizia (they have an album out on Kompact, so it’s not just bloggers dabbling). (Nothing wrong with that, though). Check their minimalist, spacious version of “Kentish Town”:
Big Troubles – “Bite Yr Tongue” Video
New Jersey’s Big Troubles mention Lilys as an influence — I’d bet the house (and an ear) they’re talking about the old Slumberland/SpinART shoegaze/noise-pop Lilys, not the later throwback Kinks version. “Bite Yr Tongue” reads more like a Sonic Youth track. It’s from the forthcoming Worry LP. The video, set at various NJ fast food spots, was shot on Super 8 by Spencer Dennis. The band’s approach to eating pizza leaves a lot to be desired.
Latest Daft Punk Leaks Are Fake, Too
Perhaps you've seen this YouTube channel allegedly streaming the entire Daft Punk Tron Legacy soundtrack. Well, like several other impostors before it, this newest "leak" is also a fake, according to Daft Punk's camp.
To hear totally genuine (and bombastic) bits from the actual Daft Punk score right now, click here.
M.I.A. to Judge Vimeo Awards
Vimeo-- aka YouTube for the web-savvy set-- is holding its first ever festival and awards shindig in New York City October 8-9. To help judge which online videos are the best, the site has a group of heavy hitters including filmmakers David Lynch, Doug Pray, Morgan Spurlock, Roman Coppola, and a multi-media troublemaker you may have heard of named M.I.A. (The full list of judges is here.)
New Swans: "Eden Prison"
In their heyday, Michael Gira's NYC-based noise-punk outfit Swans were pretty fucking loud. Gira's gotten a new lineup together to restart the project, and the newly-revitalized Swans will release a new full-length, My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky, September 21 Update: the release has moved to October 5) via Gira's own Young God Records. (That's the cover pictured above.)
New Release: Gang Gang Dance: <i>Kamakura</i>
Artist: Gang Gang Dance
EP: Kamakura
Release Date: August 2
Label: Southern Records
Ra Ra Riot – “Too Dramatic”
We posted a live video of Ra Ra Riot playing “Too Dramatic” at 2009’s Noise Pop Festival in their Progress Report for upcoming LP The Orchard. Now you can hear the longtime live staple in studio form:
of Montreal & Solange Bring “Sex Karma” To Fallon
We’ve already seen them join forces to cover the Jackson 5. Last night of Montreal and Solange Knowles teamed up again, this time with a bunch of mimes to do False Priests’s “Sex Karma” on Fallon. She appears on the album version, too. She also appears to enjoy the Roots outro music.