11.2 ~ Documentary of the Week

"America the Beautiful" (2007)



From Netflix: "Director Darryl Roberts' provocative documentary examines America's fixation with outward appearance and the unrealistic standards of beauty dictated to the public by the media, pop culture and the fashion industry. Featuring interviews with fashion experts, media personalities and celebrities such as Mena Suvari and Aisha Tyler, the film looks at everything from plastic surgery's growing popularity to widespread concerns about eating disorders."

Insane. Incredible. Eye-opening.

IMPORTANT.

You must watch this. I'm not even joking. It has it's share of things that just make you go "WOW", or make you wonder how such things are allowed for the sake of the beauty industry, but what is REALLY important is for people to see all the complications and consequences of plastic surgery and how much more PREVALENT these consequences are than people would think. So many people my age, and people I personally know, think happiness is as easy as saving up a couple grand and getting yourself "fixed", and it's remarkable how many life-long problems they're allowing themselves to succumb to, and that's IF they make it through the surgery unscathed.

Not preachy whatsoever, definitely something to watch from an educational standpoint. Very happy I watched it, and I hope others will, too.

10.3 ~ Documentary of the Week

"A Wink and a Smile: The Art of Burlesque" (2008)

From Netflix: "In this titillating documentary, filmmaker Deirdre Allen Timmons takes her camera inside Seattle's Academy of Burlesque to shadow 10 ordinary women -- among them, a taxidermist, a housewife and a doctor -- who are learning the art of the striptease. Under the tutelage of the academy's sultry schoolmarm, Miss Indigo Blue, these budding burlesque dancers are shedding their inhibitions, along with their clothing, one tassel at a time."

Yay, burlesque!

I'm all about it. The sensuality without explicit sexuality, the refined sophistication while still maintaining some level of fun and bawd, the glamour, and of course the wardrobe...I'm all for it. I can't think of any reason why a woman would NOT want to learn about burlesque, considering how much it is tied in to OWNING your sexuality and really being in power and control of yourself...

This film follows a professional burlesque performer, who teaches a workshop to help regular everyday women find their inner diva. The many performances by herself and other popular professional performers are punctuated by interviews with 10 different women of all different ages and walks of life, whose uniting thread is that they are all taking this class together to learn about burlesque.

Definitely not safe for work (LOL) but a very interesting look at a culture that is all but lost...