Why Guys Shouldn't Be Afraid to Go Glam

You've gotta love Iggy Pop. He's never been one to conform to societal norms. And in the above quote, he makes a really good point. It does seem like we have a double standard when it comes to wearing whatever you want. It reminds me of the intro of this Madonna song: 

Evan Rachel Wood proved Madonna's point at this year's Golden Globes by wearing a suit instead of a dress. It didn't cause any sort of outrage. She even got praised for it. And she did look great!

But if, for instance, Ryan Gosling had shown up in a gown, or even in make-up, a wig, or jewelry, it would have been all over the news. Why is that? In nature, the males of many different species are typically the most flashy of the sexes. Take peacocks for example.

So why can't homo sapiens do the same without making a huge fuss over it? Who made these rules anyway?

I'm not saying that everyone needs to wear makeup. I say do what you want. If you don't like wearing makeup, you shouldn't have to wear it, even if you're a woman. Alicia Keys has stopped wearing makeup, and good for her! It's a personal choice, and she still looks lovely.

I prefer to wear makeup, but it's more of an artistic thing and probably related to my love of theatre and performing. I like the way I look in makeup, both soft and daring. I also like wigs! I like the option of choosing different looks for myself based on my mood, but again it's a personal choice that shouldn't be limited to one person or the other.

Also, guys who want to wear makeup don't necessarily need to go full-on drag queen, unless they want to of course! There are lots of examples of celebrities who have gone glam and have also kept it mixed with traditional masculine wear. For example, Adam Lambert.

Sexy! 

Another example of make-up looking fantastic on a man and manages to keep it masculine is America's Got Talent contestant, juggler Viktor Kee. Doesn't he look fantastic?

I love it. So guys, if you want to stick with your makeup-free faces, and your suits and your t-shirts and jeans, be my guest. But you really shouldn't be ashamed to go glam if you want to. Who knows? It might catch on. Personally, I'd love to see more men "peacocking" on the Red Carpet and in real life. But that's just my preference. You are certainly allowed to have yours. Just remember the advice that Dr. Frank N Furter gave us in The Rocky Horror Picture Show: "Don't dream it; be it!"

XoXo

Scarlett

Queen of Swords Tarot Art

Whether you believe Tarot cards are the divinely guided tools of psychics or nothing but pure entertainment, there's no denying that many decks out there are works of art. I have collected decks over the years, some purely because I loved the art on them.

One of my favorite cards, and one I currently identify with, is the Queen of Swords. Here are seven gorgeous Queen of Swords cards from different decks. (The following card meaning is quoted directly from www.biddytarot.com.)

Universal Fantasy Tarot

"The Queen of Swords represents the sternness of a mature intellect which is devoid of emotion. In mythology, the feminine is associated with emotion, yet in this card the woman is stern and composed, and without much feeling. This card therefore represents the intellect’s ability to judge and discern impartially, without the influence of emotion or sentimentality."

Art Nouveau Tarot

"She likes to know the how, what, why, where, when and who of everything to help her make sense of her environment and to better understand others. It is not that she does not care about others but she connects to other people through an intellectual understanding rather than an emotional understanding."

Love and Mystery Tarot

"The Queen of Swords is a sign that you need to be independent in thought and in judgement. You must use your unbiased intelligence in order to make a judgement of a particular situation, drawing upon every piece of information and fact that you have gathered along the way."

Manga Tarot

"Empathy or compassion towards others may distract you from the task at hand, so it is important that you think with your head and not with your heart at this particular time. Do not let emotion get in the way. Rather, use fact and logic to make your decisions."

Secret Tarot

"The Queen of Swords also has an innate ability to tell it like it is. She is a quick thinker and highly perceptive, and as such, she can cut through the noise and confusion to get straight to the point."

Paulina Tarot

"There is certainly no ‘beating about the bush’, or ‘softening’ of her comments, opinions and thoughts. She is upfront and honest about her opinions, and expects the same from others. The best way to interact with the Queen of Swords, therefore, is to remain as impartial as possible, and to present your thoughts and opinions concisely and honestly."

Yoshitaka Amano Tarot

Okay, Scarlett speaking again. I think we all reach times in our lives when we're at a crossroads. We can either continue down the path we've been going on, or we can pay attention to all the red flags and spotlights on what's wrong and choose a new route.

There are some things in my life that need to change, and over the years I've been inching toward them, not quite ready, but getting closer, and closer. This year, I'm ready. I'm thinking logically and cutting through the BS excuses I've made for myself. It is the only way I'm going to implement and stick with those changes.

This card is sort of working like a symbol for me, reminding me of what I need to do to take myself to the next level of growth and success, both with my writing and personally, with my mental and physical health. The road may be rocky at times, but I have my sights set on a clear goal.

I hope that everyone can meet their goals this year, and if not meet them at least get closer to them, and that 2017 proves to be a year of good things for everybody, no matter what that definition is for you.

Much love!

XoXo

Scarlett

Judi Dench as Titania

I started writing this post a couple of days ago when suddenly the news let us know about Carrie Fisher's passing. And then, not 48 hours later, her mother, Debbie Reynolds, went to be with her daughter. I put this post on hold to write a tribute to Carrie, but now I'm returning to this one for Throwback Thursday.

One fine celebrity I am so glad the world hasn't lost yet is Judi Dench!

When I think of Dame Judi Dench, the role that tends to come to mind is her role as M in James Bond.

So it took me a few minutes to recognize her in the 1968 version of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which I was watching on TV.

These pictures are black and white, but in the film she's an earthy shade of green, which fits her role of Titania.

It was her unique voice that I recognized first. Then I started noting her appearance, and after looking it up, sure enough, this is a young, gorgeous Judi!

She was such a pretty young woman who became a beautiful older woman. Sweet, talented Judi, I hope we still have you for years to come! <3


XoXo

SK

Carrie Fisher - More than Princess Leia

Today I have been tremendously sad about Carrie Fisher's passing. As a massive Star Wars fan, it feels like I've lost a family member since she's been a part of my happy imaginative world away from reality ever since I was a child. And I know I'm not alone in feeling this way.

But as I got older, I discovered there was more to Carrie than just being Princess Leia in Star Wars. She was also a hell of a writer and one of the funniest women on the planet. Several years ago, I read her book Wishful Drinking, and found it to be a truly hilarious and brutally honest biography in which she tells some wonderfully candid tales about working on Star Wars and also gives us a peek into who she really was as a person. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. It's one of the best books I've ever read, really, both in the bio and comedy categories.

After getting a peek at the woman behind the gold bikini, I checked out the movie Postcards from the Edge, which is based off another book of hers, also biographical, this one going more into her life as an addict and an actress, and also about her dysfunctional but still loving relationship between her and her mother. Meryl Streep plays the main character in the film, and I found it to be one of the best, and funniest movies I've ever seen.

So as we mourn yet another beloved celebrity death, I hope you'll take the opportunity, if you haven't read Wishful Drinking or seen or read Postcards from the Edge to do so, in honor of Carrie's passing. They're well worth your time and will help you understand more of who she really was, which was much more than just Princess Leia. They'll also make you smile and laugh, both of which are desperately needed during sad times like these.


-SK

I Think I Have a Mask Fetish

With Halloween coming up, I'm reminded of my life-long love of masks. I've always had a thing for them, whether as artistic pieces or because I find a lot of masked fictional characters really sexy. One of my first crushes of this variety was on Scorpion from Mortal Kombat.

No doubt it has something to do with how sexy mystery is. I've even devoted a pinterest board to my love of masks. My contemporary novel The Art House has a mask on the cover and the characters wear masks at different points in the story. I have a couple of masks in the house that serve as decor.

Part of the appeal of the band Ghost (aside from being amazing, wonderfully creative musicians with stellar stage presence) is the masks they wear. Nobody knows what they look like, and it's sexy! I almost hope they never take them off, but at some point they might.

Even Deadpool is sexy in his own hilarious way, in part because of his get-up with the mask.

Hoods are equally mysterious, which might explain my odd affection for the Grim Reaper.

Any other mask lovers out there?

XOXO

Scarlett

Spotlight on Artist Handiedan

Happy Sapphic Sunday! Today instead of just posting one image on social media, I wanted to do a short blogpost on a new artist I recently discovered.

I came across the artist Handiedan's work last week on Pinterest and am totally in love with it. She's a woman who I can call my contemporary, being around my age (mid-30s), and she's from Amsterdam. Though she works with different media, it seems like what's her most popular work is the really cool pulp/burlesque collages she does, many of which are deliciously F/F!

She takes pieces from different pin-up girls and puts them together like a sexy Frankenstein concoction. At fist glance, you can't really see it, but on closer inspection, you can see in the above piece that there are some disembodied arms on the top girl's legs!

I love the old-world/new-world vibe she's got going on. She takes the classic, almost antiquated pinup look and makes it strikingly modern. She's also done some amazing mural work, like this one below in Berlin:

Consider me a new fan! :) 

If you dig her stuff too, there's a lot more on her --> official website <--.

XoXo

Scarlett

On Pain and Inspiration

I was looking up pics of Naomi Watts for a project when I came across this quote by the fabulous actress:

I feel like there is a lot of truth to this. It made me recall a quote along the same wavelength, this time by Anne Rice and on the subject of writing in particular:

But Anne Rice also tells us this:

I see a lot of authors out there these days who embrace the whole "Tortured Writer" persona, maybe because they're hooked on that sort of drama, or maybe because they feel like it's the only way to be inspired. 

But I think it's really important to remember that as artists (particularly talking to fellow writers here), we must be willing to embrace life's pleasure along with it's pain. To me, the thing that has inspired me most as a writer, is not one thing or the other, not pain or pleasure, but both! I've gotten so much inspiration from simply allowing myself to live life, sometimes dangerously, to be vulnerable, to screw up and make mistakes, and to also make good choices that bring me joy. 

In life, we all have to go through loss, rejection, fear - all those negative emotions. But it's so important that we don't forget to allow ourselves to be happy, too. I feel like all of the best stories out there have a mixture of pleasure of pain, of laughter and tears. The point is, as artists, I believe it is our job to live life and feel every emotion so that we can properly share that emotion and have readers feel it as deeply as we did.

I'd love to know your thoughts on this subject! Leave a comment if you like :)

XOXO

Scarlett