Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette is a figure who shows great beauty and is often regarded as a fashion icon. Her extravagant dresses and hats and hair top all the rest.

Caroline Webber talks about how Marie Antoinette's fashion choices relate to her rule over france. The stereotypical people of france are unreasonably fancy and snooty. Perhaps Marie Antoinette's obsession with fashion contributed to this stereotype. She continued to buy clothes and did not do anything about her country's deteriorating economic status. Although, she also became a fashion icon of the time. People looked at her and were incredibly jealous of her. She used this as a means for power over her subjects. She dressed like no other monarch before her. She sometimes would cross dress when she went on hunts, binding her chest to look like a man. She used clothing to make herself look more powerful. "In Truth, Marie Antoinette's Clothing expenditures accounted for a negligible portion of the overall budget outlined in Necker's report, but her ostentatious image belied the economic reality." This infuriated her subjects, but as we have talked about in class, this is one of the ways one can gain power. Not only did Marie Antoinette wear extravagant clothing, she also was famous for her extremely complicated hairdos. She didn't care about what her people needed, she used materials life flour to adorn her hair, even when the peasants had a limited supply of bread and were starving in the streets. She became a celebrity of the time, and although she was not doing the best job of running the country, people were very excited to see what she was wearing and what kind of interesting things she would comment on with her fashion. Ultimately the unhappiness of her people caught up with her, and she was beheaded, but she was still concerned with her image, even on her final days.

There is also a large power struggle depicted between Marie Antoinette and her palace. She was controlled from day one. ""in this way, Marie Antoinette and her adversaries engaged in a fierce tug-of-war to control her sartorial body : a struggle she had been waging in some form or other since her first day on French Soil.This power struggle represents the life of many kings and queens. This eventually got her into trouble.

Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth is certainly an icon. When people think of power, Queen Elizabeth comes to mind. This is not only because the visual aspects of her period costume are very memorable, but also because she is one of the few female monarchs who ruled a kingdom because of her brains. Apart from her relation to King Henry and the rest, she made a name for herself through smarts and by not giving into the opposite sex. She did not want to be dragged down by men who only wanted to steal her power, she wanted the power to rule her own kingdom, and she wanted people to believe she was competent enough to do so. But ruling a kingdom is not easy. Elizabeth had to watch out for danger at every corner. People were constantly trying to poison her, to steal her throne. Queen Elizabeth was generally liked by her citizens, and Elizabeth also tried to keep on good terms with other countries. She was also revered by the protestants, for she supported the church of england. Religion often caused many conflicts. Elizabeth is a perfect example of royalty. She was loved, and hated by many, and she is still known by almost everyone today. (I was partly named after Queen Elizabeth I). The struggles she went through and her extreme intelligence make her a queen who went down in history.

Orlando

The story of Orlando takes a deep look into the differences between Gender in society. It also is a commentary on biographies. Orlando begins the story as a man, a writer, and a young child. The book spans many years (far longer than any one person could ever live). As a man, Orlando is overcome by desires for women, and there is much talk about how men become fools in front of women. They want them so much, and yet they sacrifice they're own minds to do so. Women on the other hand, have large responsibilities to be who society wishes them to be. They need to wear fancy clothes and remain innocent and chaste, yet be likable. Orlando studies both sexes, as he experiences life as both, and concludes mostly that there are few core differences. "It is a strange fact, but a true one, that up to this moment she had scarcely given her sex a thought."Orlando is the same person, as a man, and as a woman. Though the way society views him/her is quite different. This poses interesting questions regarding gender in today's society. Woman politicians are still rare these days, and men continue to dominate the work force and political world. This story relates to our kings and queens thesis mainly because we are creating a biography, and because the dynamic between the sexes has been an ongoing and ever changing phenomenon. Like Virginia Woolf, I find most biographies dry and dull, the do not peak my interest the way an exciting work of fiction would. But as an illustrator, it is my job to tell a story through pictures, perhaps more interesting than it might be had it been told in photographs. It will be interesting to see how the thesis topics differ when told by a man or a woman, and how the male and female monarchs have been portrayed through each.

Venus in Furs

Venus in Furs was in interesting tale of men's desire. The display of mental and physical power is an intriguing thought. Because men are usually in power, Venus in Furs was different. It portrayed Venus and Wendy as the powerful icons. Venus, being a goddess has always had an amount of power. She is the goddess of futility and beauty. The story opens with a dream that the narrator has of Venus herself, dominating him and telling him what to do. He enjoys this attitude and is completely devoted to her. We see the same thing in Severin's story. He worships Wendy, and although she does not want to be involved in this kind of relationship at first, she begins to realize it is to her advantage. The text states, "Man is the one who desires, woman the one who is desired." This is a clear way of saying that a woman is a man's weakness. Even though the woman is put on a high pedestal in this story, the underlying thoughts that women try to take over men's roles is still there. Women are still "the bad guy". " Woman's power lies in man's passion, and she knows how to use it, if man doesn't understand himself. He has only one choice: to be the tyrant over or the slave of woman. As soon as he gives in, his neck is under the yoke, and the lash will soon fall upon him." It is encouraged to try and dominate the woman, but because the woman is just so darn sexy, it is hard for men to take over. And if they do not take action fast, women will surely beat them down.

Hurricane Sandy

I don't know if Sandy was the 'Queen of Hurricanes', but she sure took over New York City and New Jersey quickly. Her powerful winds, and high storm surges destroyed many homes and businesses, knocking out power for thousands. It beat New York City into they're houses, and beat some out.

My family and pets were evacuated from lower manhattan right before the storm hit. When we returned to our house, a massive mess met us.

The damage to New York was similar to the violent takeover of any king or queen. As my house was only 3 blocks away from the east river, the water came into our lobby and flooded our elevators. The building is still not fit to inhabit, and my family and dogs are staying with my grandmother in New Jersey. We are not sure when we will be allowed into our house again. 

Durring Sandy's siege, pictures flooded televisions and the internet, which horrified people all over the states. 

Presidents

The Presidential Candidates : As our modern monarchs

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 The presidential election is a time of fighting and conflict. Candidates are constantly trying to pull the other down. They lie, and make promises they plan to break, all to get elected in the end. I know in my family, there is a large amount of talk about politics, both within my immediate family, and with my relatives. Luckily I don't have any who fear Obama simply because he is black. This country is so preoccupied with race it is scary. it may be hard not to see race in this day in age, but it is easy to not let it matter.

It is easy to complain about the way our election system works as well. A bunch of old, white guys making decisions in a large room is not exactly the most settling thought. The lying and cheating that goes on is also not appealing. The electoral college is an old and long-standing way of voting, and America doesn't look like it is going to change any time soon.

A lot of creativity comes out of the campaign. Graphic design, political cartoons, comedy sketches, and video adds. They say politics brings out the worst in people, but sometimes it is just the opposite.

Macbeth

Perhaps popular among shakespeare fanatics (I couldn't say), the version of Macbeth we viewed in class was certainly a different way of looking at the play (compared to the main stream version we looked at in high school). The play harbors themes of power, guilt, and the supernatural. Perhaps visually unique, the play still didn't do it for me. The 'world war II-ish' costume was a choice I found random instead of helpful or intriguing. The movie 'Looked' like a play, with it's scene changes, and low-key sets, but was staged like a film. The witches (nurses) who open the film, although quite scary, did not convey the same message that the witches in the play. The witches in the movie were simply creepy, but did not strike me as 'Magical'.