Honoring Ourselves as Women

I titled my last art show Devina - which means heavenly, divine, beloved.  I felt this name reflected what my intention is whenever I paint a woman - to show the beauty of the female form, by honoring the lines, and the curves that create her.  I feel strongly about the need to honor the beauty of a woman's body because for so long, women in many cultures, in many times, have not been so honored.  They were (and still are in some parts of the world) told to cover up, to hid, to not even look upward and be counted.

And even when a woman in our culture is "appropriately" clothed some people feel the need to attack the beauty of a woman, and highlight their idea of perceived "flaws."  When Jessica Simpson made a fashion misstep, amplified by an unflattering camera angel, it made headlines for weeks.  And now we have this whole Kim Kardashian "incident" because someone accidentally posted a pre-touched up version of her photo shoot.  Which was in my opinion so minorly touched up, it should not have even been reported on. 

It feels like at times that between the media and our own negative voices, we as women sometimes forget how beautiful women really are.  And forget to honor our bodies and ourselves. My point is that the female body in itself is a work of art.  And I hope in my art to bring that out, so women recognize it, in the piece AND in themselves. So next time you pass a mirror, be kind to yourself, and honor the heavenly, the divine and the beloved in you.

For another female inspired post, see Love Yourself Gorgeous!

Love and Risk

Out here in Cali people can't seem to stop talking about ABC's The Bachelor's Jason Mesnick and his decision to leave his first pick, Melissa, for his original second choice, Molly.

I guess I'm not sure what people are upset about. He didn't really break up with Melissa on national television. (He had broken things off with her a week earlier, without cameras present.)  And Jason could have easily had Molly - the girl he then asked out for coffee and to "try again" - slap his face on national television.  Because he did after all dump her earlier and ask another woman to marry him.

But he risked his own possible rejection for another attempt at love.  Will they make it?  I have no idea.  But I do know that Melissa at some point, if not already, will be happy Jason decided against marrying her.  Because she had to know he wasn't 100% present with her.  That Jason was looking back, comparing her to Molly and wondering....  When a guy isn't 100% present with the girl they are currently in a relationship with, it sucks.  And there really isn't anything the girl can do, except hope at some point she can pull focus back to her.  But generally just exhausts herself trying to keep him interested.

Yes - there is almost always at some point in any relationship, a little peering over the fence to see how green that grass over there looks.  But if someone is constantly looking backwards, instead of forwards, it won't work.  Almost a self-fulfilling prophecy that.

So I think Jason actually isn't a rat.  I think he was a bit courageous in deciding to stop a relationship now instead of later - when he would "look" better.  And also smart for realizing that time is precious.  And that if he had waited longer, maybe Molly wouldn't have been around when he finally did make the split from Melissa.

For another post about dating, see Musings of A Single Gal