Stupid Internet, anyway.
The August editon of geekgirl is up, and describes an upcoming museum exhibit:
Lookalike. Barbie × Lolita × Lara Croft
Barbie, Lolita and Lara Croft are three female icons that recur in all sorts of ways in our contemporary society. They inspire countless photographers and artists, but also advertising and film directors. These three 'women' - one a doll, one a character from a novel, and one a 'game girl' - are at the heart of the exhibition Lookalike at the Nederlands Foto Instituut from September 8 through November 3, 2002. The exhibition examines the way in which photographers, visual artists, advertising directors, fashion designers, video artists, game makers and film directors have been inspired by these three fictional women.
September 7 November 3
NFI (www.nfi.nl)Barbie, Lolita and Lara represent three divergent archetypical images for women. Barbie is the young, successful woman, obsessed with her appearance, who conjurs up for us the norms and values of a materialistic, Americanised society. But despite the focus on her appearance, Barbie has an asexual aura. This contrasts with Lolita, the apparently innocent child-woman from Nabokov's novel of the same title. In 1999 the fashion magazine Vogue introduced the Lolita girl as the new, sensual image for women. The newest heroine has been called into being with the aid of digital techniques: the militant, well-proportioned Lara Croft. This tough gal has made short work of conquering the hearts of both men and women. Nevertheless as an ambivalent phenomenon she provokes discussion: is she a role model for feminists or a new female cliche?
Well, I think it sounds interesting, anyway. Not that I'll have a chance to see it or anything, so I'd probably be happier if I didn't know it existed.
The exhibit is curated by Flos Wildschut of the NFI and Deanna Herst of Axis, foundation for Art and Gender (Amsterdam; www.axisvm.nl)
Which is an interesting site in itself, even if my poor 'mercan brain has trouble dealing with the concept of "an organisation concentrating on initiating and developing projects in the field of art and gender. Its main objective is the renewing of concepts of masculinity and femininity" which is "financially supported by the Dutch Ministery of Education,Culture and Sciences".
Us Americans don't have no ministries.
Or education or culture, if you want to be like that.
And science funding isn't given much priority, unless it's something you can make money at. . .
We can still nuke 'em, though. We can be proud of that.
Not sure why we'd want to be, or why we'd do it, but we can, and that's enough.
I refuse to accept as a role model the subject of any game which contains a cheat code to 1) make her breasts bigger and 2) make 'em extra-bouncy. Hooray for archaeology as a career, but Tomb Raider has about as much to do with archaeology as squid does with mangoes. Hooray for militant characters. It'd be nice if we could have one of those who won people's hearts without having to have it mentioned in the same breath that she's also "well-proportioned."
Get real. There's a reason why women who actually do stunts without the aid of CGI tend to look fairly androgynous. Breasts get in the way.
Laura Croft makes me froth.
heh, I was going to mention that well-proportioned seemed like the wrong word.
Perhaps 'oddly proportion' or more 'out of proportion'
The game play is pretty good on the game though. Although I haven't played it since the 2nd edition.
What we really need is a Hothead Paisan video game. That would be a game heroine worth emulating.
Maybe she looks "well-proportioned" to guys whose only experience with women is through video games, hm? I can't stand playing the game -- the SO's best friend loves it, though, so I was subjected to it for several years.
You all took the words right out of my mouth. I'm just going to sit here looking, er, floppy.
too old to be intereted in video games, but i did see the movie. i assume angelina jolie was not proportional to the original.
also thought there'd be more outrage at the idea of lolita, an image/icon encouraging/condoning child abuse.
No one's ever brought into question whether Lolita is a "role model for feminists." That Vogue has put this forward as the 'sexy new look' is foul, but fashion magazines put forth a LOT of foul ideas. It's almost expected that they insult women with even a modicum of intelligence, at this point.
Nabokov's book is disturbing, and that it should be pandered as an image for grown women is foul. That's almost so much of a given in my world that I didn't find it as worthy of commentary as the fact that there's even a question as to whether or not Madam Cleavage is a feminist role model. It's sorta like having a frog fall out of the sky in the middle of a hailstorm. "Ah, shit, hail... hail sucks... HOLY SHIT, A FROG!"
Amendment: The quote addressed didn't put forth Lolita as a role model for feminists. I'm sure someone, somewhere, has been fucked up enough to put forth Lolita as a feminist role model.
I want a Hothead Paisan video game too. My primary objection to GTAIII was that you couldn't create a female character for yourself. I boycotted the game because of that, though my SO was addicted for a while.
Re: Lolita as Vogue mag role model. Ain't the first time and won't be the last time that the fashion/entertainment industries encourage our fetishization of youth, or that it rewards "precocious" (i.e., "underage") sexualization while simultaneously having a king-sized hemmorhage over anything remotely resembling "precocious" sexual activity. Hell's bells, why ELSE do you think Britney's so fucking popular? It isn't because she can sing.
It's a hell of a lot harder for me to keep up the "boy" routine with you lot talking about Hothead Paisan. . .
I mean, um, what is that? I have never heard of it. And certainly have never mentioned it here. So don't bother looking. Or else.
State of Emergency has playable female characters, I think.
Anyone manage to get the Zanzarah demo to work?
I mean, um, what is that? I have never heard of it. And certainly have never mentioned it here. So don't bother looking. Or else..
Um, hint, hint.