Painting the Patriarchy Pink: This Barbie is a Blogger

Tee: Kohl's

I finally saw Barbie yesterday, and it was every bit as fabulous as I expected.  The clothes, the colors, the dance routines.  But also, the message.  Because if there's one thing that director Greta Gerwig makes clear, it's that being a woman is complicated.  To paraphrase America Ferrera's Gloria, all we really want at the end of the day is to "wear a flattering top and feel okay."  Yet sometimes the world -- and more to the point, the patriarchy -- makes that more difficult than it should be.  So it's no wonder that Barbie -- both the "stereotypical" one played to perfection by Margot Robbie and all the others who share the same name -- would rather stay in Barbie Land where women are always in power and cellulite is a myth, than venture out into the real world only to be arrested for rollerblading.

It's no surprise that it's Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) who convinces Stereotypical Barbie to hang with the humans.  After all, it doesn't get much more real than having a toddler yank your hair out by the roots and tattoo your face with Jem-style graffiti.  McKinnon kooks it up brilliantly, pouring every ounce of SNL alien abductee energy into channeling the discarded doll.  As for her aesthetic, it's excellently edgy, a kind of warped candy cute.  Her outfit and house are my favorite. 

But this isn't about Weird Barbie.  It's about Stereotypical Barbie.  And what she learns is what we all learn at some point -- that things aren't always perfect.   Also, that sometimes it's better to have an Allan (Michael Cera) than a Ken (Ryan Gosling).  Finally, not to trust men in charge. (I'm looking at you, shades-of-Mugatu Mattel CEO Will Ferrell.)  Yet however imperfect, it's still okay.  Because being human is a beautiful mess, and the only way to clean it up is to muss your hair and snag your stockings.  Authenticity is better than plastic.  

And that, Barbie girls, is nothing to toy with.

Write On: Girl Flower Power

Dazzling Daisies Necklace

Top: XOXO, Macy's

Skirt (a dress!): JCPenney

Shoes: Penny Loves Kenny, DSW

Bag: Xhilaration, Target

Belt: Wet Seal

Sunglasses: Relic, Kohl's

 Funky Flowers Necklace

Top: Rebellious One, Macy's

Skirt (another dress!): Modcloth

Shoes: Ami Clubwear

Bag: Marshalls

Sunglasses: Rampage, Boscov's

Belt: Marshalls

Crazy Daisy Necklace

Top: Wet Seal

Skirt (another dress!): Monteau, Marshalls

Shoes: Ami Clubwear

Bag: Nordstrom

Belt: Marshalls

Sunglasses: Michaels

Flowers are pretty amazing.  Despite looking delicate, they weather wind, rain, and scorching heat, many of them coming up, all by themselves, year after year.  Tough and resilient, they can withstand anything -- and also are lovely to look at.  Which is why I decided to use some retro-licious ones in my latest necklaces, two of which feature funky fresh daisies.

Flower power is also feted in the recent Amazon original series "Good Girls Revolt."  Not to be confused with the movie Youth in Revolt, in which Michael Cera plays his usual beta boy as well as an evil twin alter ego (dude, he blew stuff up.)  But this post isn't about Michael Cera's identity crisis.  It's about three young women fighting to find their way in a 1969 newsroom.  Relegated to the roles of "researchers," Patti Robinson (Genevieve Angelson), Cindy Reston (Erin Darke), and Jane Hollander (Anna Camp) do all the legwork -- and in many cases, the writing -- for the articles for "News of the Week" while the male reporters get all the bylines -- and all the credit.     

"Good Girls Revolt" is about men -- husbands, boyfriends, and bosses -- keeping women down, a sobering theme softened by its showcase of swinging 1960s style.  Minis, boots, and long hair war for attention with circle pins and bouffants.  Each of the three main characters has her own signature look: Patti goes for boots and boho pieces in flowy florals and earth tones; Cindy opts for hand-knit vests, quirky jewelry, and playful minis and overalls; and Jane favors ladylike dresses, bowtie blouses, classic jewelry, and kitten heels.  Indeed, Patti wears a simple strand of love beads in each episode, subtly reminding us that she is the rebel.  She challenges both her boss and her boyfriend (who, however informally, is her boss of sorts, too) to give her more demanding assignments and see her as more than a prospective wife or handmaiden.  Nothing changes, so she enlists the help of a civil rights lawyer (an indomitable Joy Bryant), eventually motivating the entire researcher staff to file a class action lawsuit against "News of the Week."  But as her heart is tested and alliances shift, her moxie falters, revealing her vulnerabilities and the cost of change.

Although a tale of ambition and social consciousness, "Good Girls Revolt" is also a good old-fashioned drama ripe with romance and the complexity of female friendships.  Each episode opens with a groovy montage of feminine -- and feminist -- images, and the music is always kick-ass.  If the show sometimes seems a bit earnest, then it's because it's about young people who care about something in a time when politics and passions run high.  Because youthful indignation, however entitled, can remind us of what is important.      

Sounds like more than a beehive in a bonnet to me.

At the Heart of the Batter: Conversation and Cupcakes With Christopher Walken

 Sweet Talk Brooch

Top (a dress!): Material Girl, Macy's

Skirt: Cat & Jack, Target

Shoes: Betseyville, Macy's

Bag: Princess Vera, Kohl's

Sunglasses: Mudd, Kohl's

Sweet Talk Brooch and treats you haven't met yet.

Cupid's interrupting our regularly scheduled program to deliver this pressing bulletin: it's Valentine's Day.  Yes, that sweetest and most stylish of holidays is here.  And what better way to celebrate than with a heart-to-heart with your beloved over a selection of baked goods?  What's that you say?  You don't have a beloved?  Don't despair.  TV and movies go great with baked goods, and (bonus!) you don't have to share.  Nothing with Paul Rudd or Michael Cera, though (even if Michael does make a dashing Andrew Jackson in Drunk History) because a solo V-day is no time for dreamboats, however geeky.  What you need, my friends, is a weirdo, and that weirdo is Christopher Walken.  You can probably find him headlining an IFC marathon or in a bargain bin bonanza at your local Best Buy.

Anyhoo, this look-what-I-made-looking Sweet Talk Brooch is my love letter to romance and refined sugar.  Because no one, not even Christopher Walken, loves you like kitsch and corn syrup.

Carnival Meats and (Un) Savory Treats: Food Fight or Flight on the Midway

 Fabulous Felt Cotton Candy Barrette

Dress: Modcloth

Blouse: Kohl's

Shoes: Charles Albert, Alloy

Bag: Xhilaration, Target

Sunglasses: Michaels

Carnival Candy Bag

Merry Cherry Necklace

Tee: Marshalls

Shorts: ELLE, Kohl's

Shoes: Betseyville, Macy's

Belt: Apt. 9, Kohl's

Orla Oval Necklace

Dress: Modcloth

Top: XOXO, Macy's

Belt: Marshalls

Shoes: Not Rated, DSW

Bag: Eleven Peacocks, Etsy

Sunglasses: Relic, Kohl's

 Dandy Candy Bag

Sailor's Sweetheart Necklace

Tee: Merona, Target

Shorts: ELLE, Kohl's

Shoes: Ami Clubwear

Belt: Apt. 9, Kohl's

Sunglasses: Mudd, Kohl's

Ah, the carnival.  That bastion of horror and glamour catered by corn dogs and deep-fried everything.  I was inspired by its strange, seedy splendor when I made this week's stuff, buoyed up by some leftover summer snack wagon (for this was no hallowed hipster food truck) photos.  My favorites are the two bags, castoffs from my closet that I prettied up with paint and rhinestones.  The Carnival Candy one reminds me of the Gravitron because its rows of rhinestones look like the Grav's lights against the stark white of that flying saucer-like vessel.  (Not that I'd ever ride such a beast, the Tilt-a-Whirl being far more my speed.)  To really seal in those carnival juices, this bag and its pastel twin also each sport an explosion of -- Flash Charms!  Yes, it's Flash Charms, Flash Charms, and more Flash Charms, now enough to open a shop up on Ebay.  But enough about that; time to get to the meat of the matter.

Last week, I referenced the classic and dignified novels of Agatha Christie.  This week . . . I'm going to talk about Sausage Party.  An animated raunch-fest from the minds of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, it's about what happens when anthropomorphic supermarket items discover their fate when someone buys them -- which is to say, that instead of going to paradise as they've been told, they get eaten.  As premises go, it's kind of a jarring one, so much so that I was thankful not to be chomping on popcorn or Junior Mints at the time.  Luckily, the voice-over cast is entertaining and helps to take the edge off.  It includes Jonah Hill, James Franco, Micheal Cera, Bill Hader, Danny McBride, Craig Robertson, Paul Rudd, and . . . Ed Norton?  What's he doing slumming it here?  Apparently, playing the Hulk back in 2008 was his gateway drug to more lowbrow fare.  Also puzzling, Selma Hayek.

No, this ain't no Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, a title, incidentally, I find much more offensive than Sausage Party, what with its balls of sauce-covered meat falling out of the sky and ruining everyone's outfits.  This one's not for the kiddies, a message my local theater sought to drive home with hand-written signs just in case the movie poster of a hot dog grinning under the words "a hero will rise" didn't send the message.  That having been said, there's a good, old-fashioned boy-meets-girl story sandwiched somewhere deep in here.  Seth Rogen and Kristen Wiig reprise their roles as star-crossed lovers in yet another bizarre what's-the-meaning-of-life-anyway movie (I refer, of course, to Paul, which was headlined by an extraterrestrial instead of foul-mouthed food).  Rogen is Frank, the aforementioned hot dog, and Wiig is Brenda -- what else? -- a hot dog bun.  Now, this movie is weird.  Like, weirder than Vanilla Sky weird, and that starred Tom Cruise.  For one thing, it employs a strange juxtaposition of cute and grotesque imagery.  Like Garbage Pail kids or Inside Out Boy from "PeeWee's Playhouse" -- only X-rated.  Also, you know how we all sometimes wonder if aliens will take over the world and eat us?  Well, this is like that, only with cartoons and cursing.  

As ever, a high point for me was Michael Cera.  (Sorry Paul Rudd, but your mean geek grocery store cashier just didn't do it for me.)  Ever the self-deprecating beta in a crowd of crude alphas, he plays Barry, the runty and misshapen hot dog who -- spoiler alert -- not only defies death, but gets the girl -- or, in this case, the smushed hot dog bun.  

Gross-outs and nihilistic worldview aside, it cannot be denied that Sausage Party asks some of life's most probing questions: What happens when we die?  Is anarchy ever the answer?  Will my Twinkies ever talk to me?  And, of course, is Sausage Party a trenchant social satire or just the by-product of a hallucinogenic spree?  

The movie plays at answering this by sending Frank and friends through a magic portal at the end, making us think, wait, maybe there is something out there after all.  Then, before we can start reading too much into it, Frank cheerfully reminds us, hey, it's just a cartoon!

I've heard they say the same about SpongeBob.      

Book Report (sort of): Geeky Dreamboats: A Celebration by Sarah O'Brien and Lacey Soslow

When I saw this Geeky Dreamboats: A Celebration book on Fred Flare, I knew I had to have it.  So when I opened it on my birthday last weekend, I was pleased as punch.  Once I started leafing through it I found it was - gasp - even funnier than I could have imagined.  Chock-full of favorites such as Michael Cera, Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, Topher Grace, Adam Brody, Conan O'Brien, John Krasinski, and Paul Rudd (my personal favorite), this nearly pocket-sized who's who of nerdy knights in shining armor delivers a refreshingly quirky perspective on what makes a dude drool-worthy. 

Of course, some of the selections may raise an eyebrow.  But as O'Brien and Soslow explain, "Some of these cuties may appear a little dreamier than geeky or a little geekier than dreamy, but remember, the prevailing theme here is the beautiful and poetic combination that makes up the sexy nerd.  Not everyone strikes that perfect balance, but we've found a slew of cuties who come pretty close, and we've ranked their appeal with our trusty Geekboat Meter." (Introduction)  Well put, ladies. 

Whether you're thirteen or thirty, Geeky Dreamboats: A Celebration is sure to earn a top spot on your list of guilty pleasures.             

Movie Moment: Rockin' Out with Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

With a free movie coupon burning a hole in my wallet (courtesy of the free and fabulous Regal rewards club), I decided to see Scott Pilgrim vs. the World this past Sunday. I went solo, as everyone on my movie companion list was otherwise engaged. There was a sprinkling of other moviegoers at the matinee, all of whom grunted in disgust as the previews rolled on soundlessly against a "Thanks for silencing your cell phones" watermark. Thankfully, whatever was broken was fixed in time for the feature presentation.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is based on a Canadian graphic novel series. Not being a comic book kind of girl, I came more for the kookiness factor and for the Michael Cera. And although the story was an odd one, strangely told, I wasn't disappointed. Cera stars as the title character, a hapless twenty-two-year-old bass guitarist for an obscure rock band in Toronto. He has no job and is dating a seventeen-year-old Asian girl named Knives, much to the amusement of his friends and family (including his sarcastic and gossipy sister, played by Up in the Air's Anna Kendrick). Indeed, their relationship is pretty flimsy. Never-been-kissed Knives is the most naive seventeen-year-old on the planet and shadows Scott with pathetic puppy dog eagerness. Scott is just going through the motions, still hung up on Natalie - now superstar rocker Envy, the girl who broke his heart. At least he is until he meets Ramona, the girl of his literal and figurative dreams. The quintessential badass indie chick with a past, Ramona moved to Toronto from New York to start a quieter life. An enigma to everyone, she dyes her hair a different day-glo shade every other week and trails a string of broken-hearted suitors in her wake. Although I appreciated her edgy independence, I found her a little morose. But Scott was instantly smitten, summoning all of his courage in Cera's signature delightfully dorky way to fend off her seven evil exes.

So far, this may sound like every romantic comedy about young, misunderstood people ever written. And in some ways it is. But in other ways, not so much. Take the presentation. As each character is introduced at the movie's beginning, a little box pops up on the screen offering up said character's stats, kind of like in VH1's Pop Up Video. When Scott and Ramona go to Ramona's house on their first date, they fly there ("there" being a single door suspended in space). And, as Scott defeats each evil ex, a shower of tokens explodes onto the screen. Watching it all, I felt like I was inside a video game, as I'm sure the director intended. Although this sometimes made concentrating difficult, I give full points for originality.

As always, Cera is perfect as the endearingly dry and witty David-type guy going up against the proverbial Goliath. After battling Ramona's seven evil exes (the final and most evil of which is a record deal-wielding Jason Schwartzman), Ramona proclaims him to be "the nicest guy she ever dated." Knives (who's been lurking in the background sporting Ramona's hairstyle since being dumped early in the movie) bows out gracefully, and Scott and Ramona enter an enchanted and otherworldly realm of happily-ever-after. Little pink cartoon hearts abound.

Being a girl and all, I wasn't impressed by the many and special effects-laden fight scenes. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the edgy humor of this off-kilter little tale almost as much as I enjoyed its celebration of that timeless and much-hearted theme, misfits in love.

Movie Moment: Youth in Revolt

The Thursday before last we had an earth-shattering hail storm in South Jersey. I even wrote up a little post about it but decided not to publish it because it sounded too melodramatic (I assure you it was a scary time). Anyhow, that night the bf and I rented Youth in Revolt (my pick). Let me begin by saying, who doesn't love Michael Cera? He always plays the same delightfully nerdy yet witty would-be writer/musician/intellectual, a paradoxically nonconformist soul who's always loath to break the rules. Well, he changes that as the lovesick Nick in Youth in Revolt. Or, rather, his bad-boy, mustachioed French alter-ego Francois does. Yep, this is one of those stories where the main character's subconscious is personified, and it's hilarious. The impetus for such madness is, of course, a girl, Sheeni (a stripper name if I ever heard one), who seems to keep him dangling in the friend zone. Francois even goes as far as to "burn down Berkeley" (his words) for her. After much drama, Nick does get the girl. Is it unrealistic? Heck yes. But in a way, that made it all the more enjoyable.