Le Femme Fatale: Beauty and the Brains
As I was changing the presentation of this blog (did anyone notice...the color: muted, dirty green), I was thinking about some of the women whom I have admired. All women, are unique and important, regardless of who they are or what they have done. The women I mention here were unique, and made some kind of longlasting imprint on the world through their intelligent and sensual thoughts and acts, and to some extent because of the company of intelligent men with whom they associated. Let us just say, they were noticed! Take for instance, Alma Maller. For those of you unfamiliar with this amazing women, she was a brillant and erotic seductrist, best known for her unique beauty and bevy of famous men, Gustav Mahler among them. Volumes have been written about her, seducing, deducing and ultimately making her own imprint on the world: see for yourself:http://www.scena.org/lsm/sm6-10/Mahler-en.html. Few know that she was a very good composer, and there is some speculation that she may have written some of Gustav's pieces.
Another woman who comes to mind is Anais Nin, the passionate and x-rated, but intelligent writer, known for her provocative diaries and stimulating liassons with Henry and June Miller, not to mention some forbidden contact with her own father and brother. http://www.anais-nin.de/
When I think about these women, the first and foremost quality that comes to mind is their independent spirit and beautiful minds. Often, they are both thought of in terms of their relationship to the important men in their lives., but let me tell you, that these ladies could definitely hold their own! Although controversial, both these women were remarkable in their own right. (I can make up another post on say, Madame Currie, Golda Meir or Indira Ghandi for different category of uniqueness.)
Was it a product of their times as to why they became who they did because of the men, or in spite of them? Did their successes, during those times, need the company of men to elivate them to immotality? Was it imperative that they charm these giants with their sensuality, or could they have been appreciated,understood, and accepted without it? What do you think?
As we approach mother's day, a day in which women stand out for motherhood, I was thinking about a week where we honor and think about all women, for their unique and remarkable gifts.
Who are some women you admire and how are they remarkable?
I mention these women, because, along with Collette, I have admired their free and independent spirits and abilities.
Thank you for your minds.
Another woman who comes to mind is Anais Nin, the passionate and x-rated, but intelligent writer, known for her provocative diaries and stimulating liassons with Henry and June Miller, not to mention some forbidden contact with her own father and brother. http://www.anais-nin.de/
When I think about these women, the first and foremost quality that comes to mind is their independent spirit and beautiful minds. Often, they are both thought of in terms of their relationship to the important men in their lives., but let me tell you, that these ladies could definitely hold their own! Although controversial, both these women were remarkable in their own right. (I can make up another post on say, Madame Currie, Golda Meir or Indira Ghandi for different category of uniqueness.)
Was it a product of their times as to why they became who they did because of the men, or in spite of them? Did their successes, during those times, need the company of men to elivate them to immotality? Was it imperative that they charm these giants with their sensuality, or could they have been appreciated,understood, and accepted without it? What do you think?
As we approach mother's day, a day in which women stand out for motherhood, I was thinking about a week where we honor and think about all women, for their unique and remarkable gifts.
Who are some women you admire and how are they remarkable?
I mention these women, because, along with Collette, I have admired their free and independent spirits and abilities.
Thank you for your minds.
4 Comments:
I have so much admiration for my Grandmother who passed away three years ago. She was a child during the Great Depression who was basically orphaned and sent to live with relatives in New Mexico. She was abused while she was there, was abused by her first and second husbands. But she remained strong and left those marriages and became a single parent to interracial kids at a time that it was not the norm.
She was not an educated woman, had very little money but that woman was still all class!
She was the original "Frag Hag" of my family! I am incredibly lucky to have had her in my life and I walk with the knowledge that she has provided me!
What a beautiful story, Sand, about a truly inspirational woman.
You are so lucky that she was a part of your life.
And a fragrance lover to beat!! WOW! What more could you want.
Hi B! Sneaking a post here on someone else's (undamaged) computer. I admire my maternal great grandmother. She was a nurse in BOTH world wars and when she died at 97 she was given the whole veteran's burial shebang. Sadly, I don't know much about her because my family doesn't really share stories about our ancestors (a crime, IMO). But here's what I know about another woman in my family I admire: My paternal grandmother was raised among a sect of Mennonites called the Plain People (one step on the liberal side of the Amish). She wasn't allowed to have brightly colored or patterned clothing, jewelry, perfume (can you IMAGINE???), or other "frivolous" items. Her family actually lived in a house that was part of the Underground Railroad. After she died, my aunt discovered a ton of costume jewelry that Grandma had hidden for years, and a pair of gorgeous handmade red leather child-size hook-and-eye shoes that someone had given her as a girl but that she naturally hadn't been allowed to wear. I have those shoes now and I love what they symbolize. They represent the wild, untamed, freedom-seeking side of women who haven't been constrained too much (or WISH they hadn't been constrained) by societal mores. I'll bet some of the women you listed have their own version of red shoes. :-)
Nuances:
Thank you for your kind post and story, and your suggestions.
The email feature has been added to the blog.
All best,
b
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