Iran Appointed to UN's Commission on the Status of Women

While the lack of information on the subject is at first disheartening, as FOXnews has been largely the only major news source reporting on the event, a press release from the United Nations indeed confirms that Iran, historically known for its religious-based discrimination (if so weak a word can be used) has been elected to the United Nations' Economic and Social Council's Commission on the Status of Women. This committee branch of the United Nations' dedicates itself to gender equality and the advancement of women.

The United States, one of the original members of the committee, is eerily silent in this, while organizations such as the American Jewish Committee are already condemning the choice, as is the nation of Canada.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad went on the record in defense of his nation's appointment to the Committee, responding to challenges of Iran's fitness to such a role with indignant cries of 'no dignity' for women in the West. He went on to call woman "a symbol of the beauty of God on Earth", an inflammatory statement coming from a spokesperson of a nation that respects that beauty with stones and lashings.

ECOSOC

American Jewish Committee

Indian Express

Wikipedia: United Nations Commission on the Status of Women

Vintage and eco-friendly crafty things by Sassytrash!

I can't really in good conscience ask people to promote my blog if I'm not going to promote someone else's, so please go check out Sassytrash, a fellow blogger who uses foraged vintage treasures, repurposing them into decor and picture frames and the like. One of my very favorites is the wind chimes made from a teapot and what looks like two dozen metal tops from salt and pepper shakers. She is very clever, crafty, and ultra-creative. Check her out, and tell her The Modern Jane sent you over! (To the right is a lampshade decorated with faeries. Very clever. Image is the absolute property of Sassytrash, NOT me.)

The Oscars: Real Women on the Red Carpet, Winning Awards and Generally Being Awesome

I'd like to get the fashion stuff out of the way, because I do want to talk about it, but I want to save the most important thing for last.

The performers of Hollywood are basically charged with two responsibilities. First, they perform. Whatever arena in which those performances take place, it has to happen. (Unless you're lucky enough to have the title of "socialite"-- wtf?) And their other responsibility is to get dressed up lookin' all shmancy-pants. Typically, with the help of designers and stylists, they all look singularly lovely on the red carpet. But certain ladies outshine the others inside and out.

Anna Kendrick, nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her work in Up in the Air, wasn't even wearing the dress she chose. Due to some wardrobe mishap the actress ended up having to choose a dress at the last minute; she didn't seem to be a huge fan of the choice, but I disagree. While the color is a bit light for her skin, it is lovely with her dark hair; the drapes, the off-the-shoulder sleeves, the pooling below her feet, the cinching in at the waist-- the whole package seemed very grecian-goddess-meets-sweet-and-romantic. She pulled it off beautifully.

My favorite thing about this year is that it seems to be all about Old Hollywood Glamour. I was hearing those words everywhere. In the photo to the left, Kate Winslet seems to be channeling the sultriness of the legendary Marlene Dietrich, while Charlize Theron, shown at the right, stuns as always in glamorous purple satin with color gradation as a modern twist; she seals the deal with red lips. I'm absolutely hooked.

Carey Mulligan, shown to the left, was a Best Actress in a Leading Role nominee for her performance in An Education. Everyone's fluttering this year over her feminine pixie haircut (which she claimed on the red carpet to hate, saying she's been trying to grow it out, blah-blah-blah--Hey Carey, do you know how many women would KILL to be able to pull off a pixie?! Love your heart-shaped face! LOVE IT!) She wore a black dress, fitted at the waist with an a-line skirt-- definitely a nod to some very similar vintage styles, notably ones worn by Audrey Hepburn-- but the dress was given a modern edge with some dark, sort of goth-y sparkle and an asymmetrical hemline.

Can we all just pause for a moment to talk about the awesome that is Tina Fey? Girl was hot, looking all 50's glam meets grecian goddess with that one shoulder thing going on. And then she presented, and she just radiates personality. She's funny, she's smart, and she has good taste. She revived Alec Baldwin's career-- she must be a genius. And the fact that she is such a great representative of a truly talented and genuine performer makes her the perfect segue into the heart of the matter, the reason I am doing this blog-- not just this post, but this blog. Tonight was a good night for some of the most deserving and most personable women in the business.

Gabourey Sidibe, a newcomer to Hollywood, attended her first Academy Awards ceremony last night as a nominee-- up for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her work in Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire. The girl is more than just a representation of the fact that a young woman can be recognized for the sheer force of her talent rather than by the shape of her body or the color of her skin. In her (also arguably vintage-looking) blue dress with off-the-shoulder sleeves and floral crystal embellishments, she is a truly radiant and beautiful woman who gives renewed vigor to the dormant confidences of full-figured women who were fortunate enough to see her. Her confidence is as infectious as her personality. And to be nominated for the biggest award in Hollywood during the first year of your career? Nothing less than a triumph.

As a nod to the first Black woman to win an Oscar, Hattie McDaniel, Mo'Nique wore an ensemble of the same royal blue dress paired with a gardenia in her hair. Mo'Nique is taking home an Oscar tonight for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire. She, too, along with Sidibe, is an example of a beautiful personality shining inside and out of a full-figured woman, thanking her husband in her acceptance speech for reminding her that "sometimes you have to forgo doing what's popular in order to do what's right." Good advice. Mo'Nique is only one of several talented people who took home their first Oscars last night.

Sandra Bullock, who has said that she never thought she would win an Oscar, also left the Academy Awards with a statuette this evening. Peppering her acceptance speech with her signature humor, she was the picture of personality and grace. She is one of the classiest ladies in Hollywood and for all of the performances she's done, all the work she's given to the industry and everyone else to prove that women are funny too, she certainly deserves an Oscar. I love Meryl Streep any day, but Julie and Julia? I mean, come on. I couldn't say whether I could make the Best Actress decision, but I'm certainly glad Bullock walked away with it this year.

And finally, without any more ado whatsoever since it is nearing the 3 a.m. mark, I want to talk about the real star of the show tonight, the one who became almost instantly legendary. Of course, I am talking about Kathryn Bigelow. Responsible for directing the film that swept up-- six?-- Oscars last night, Bigelow's win for Best Director was announced by Barbra Streisand, preceded by the words "Well, the time has come."

It certainly has. Last night, Kathryn Bigelow competed for the title of Best Director with her ex-husband, James Cameron, for his film, Avatar, the highest-grossing film in history. And she won. She became the first female in the 82 years of Oscar history to win that title. By using her acceptance speeches, both for Best Director and Best Picture, to thank those who serve in uniform every day, she transformed herself, in my eyes, into what all artists want to be: people who believe in and spread the message of truth. She epitomizes what it means to be an artist and a woman in a society that has made women commodities for B movies.

(All photos were borrowed from Film.com)

The Oscars are Tomorrow!

I'm pretty darn excited about the Oscars being tomorrow, partly because I miss them due to work /lack of cable almost EVERY year. Whether I'm at my mom's house talking about wedding details or already back at home unwinding from that fun with a whiskey on the rocks, I guarantee you that the TV will be trained toward ABC. Hosting this year will be arguably two of the funniest guys in the business: Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.

There are a lot of different things to like about the Oscars. I get to see how the movies that I have seen perform (usually one or two-- this time it's Avatar, Inglourious Basterds, and District 9.) I also get to see lots of good preview footage of the movies I haven't gotten a chance to see yet, like The Hurt Locker and Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, both of which have earned wide acclaim. I've been a fan of Jeremy Renner (nominated for Best Leading Actor for his performance in The Hurt Locker) for a long time and am really glad that such a great actor is finally getting some recognition on the big screen and on the red carpet. Is he nominated? *pause while I check the website* Sure enough, he is. Good for you, Jeremy Renner! Good for Gabourey Sidibe, a newcomer, nominated for Best Leading Actress for her performance in Precious, too. Also, we see Sandra Bullock receiving her first Oscar nod for her performance in The Blind Side. Another relative newcomer, Carey Mulligan, for An Education, is in the pack. Top that already impressive list off with Hollywood legends Meryl Streep and Helen Mirren, and we've got some heavy, suspenseful competition! Tomorrow night's show should prove to be fabulous!

And let's not forget the clothes. Boy, do I love to look at dresses. Lace and chiffon and satin, crystals and beads and ribbons, accessories, shoes, sleek hair in elegant chignons and pinned up in curls. Makeup. Sigh. To attend the Oscars, just once, just to dress up one time the way the stars do every year would be a dream come true for me. Alas, I usually spend the next few weeks perusing the raunchiest rags for the best and worst dressed lists (though I don't always agree with their decisions). This time, I will see them in real time!

Just for kicks, pass the time until tomorrow night with this hilarious list of Honest Movie Titles from collegehumor.com.

And in the comments, feel free to leave your thoughts/predictions on who the Oscar favorites will be tomorrow! What were your favorite movies this year? Who gave your favorite performances? Inquiring minds want to know!

On Lady Gaga, or Taking the Guilt out of Guilty Pleasures

It’s almost irresistible.

When that song inevitably comes on the radio you will find it impossible to stop yourself from enjoying it, and you can’t keep from hating yourself just a little. And if, for you (as is sometimes the case with me), that song just so happens to be Ke$ha’s “TiKToK”, I won’t stop you from feeling guilty.

Personally, I start to develop the but-it-hurts-so-good sense of self-loathing when I find myself mouthing the words, “Wish I could shut my playboy mouth... how’d I turn my shirt inside out...? Oh-oh-oh-oh...” (This is from Just Dance, which once sold over 400,000 downloads in a single week.)

Let’s not kid ourselves here. Lady Gaga is INFECTIOUS. But don’t you dare be ashamed! I’ll tell you why.

It’s been a long and tedious road for the artist/fashionista formerly known as Stefani Germanotta, who swiped her moniker from the Queen song, “Radio Gaga”. She has gone to war with those in the industry who told her she was too theater, too pop, and she has come out far ahead.

How has the megapopstar managed to evade worst-dressed list in every piece of garbage journalism, somehow placing her over-the-top outfits on a level that escapes judgment? Her-- to say the very least-- avante-garde sense of fashion, combined with music that exudes sexuality earns her a title previously held by iconic one-namers like Elvis and Madonna. She is a performer that defines a generation. And I don’t know about any of you, but she completely reversed my disdain for mainstream pop. I never saw myself rockin’ out to aforementioned guilty pleasure “TiKToK”, but that’s what happened. What can I say? It’s catchy.

While the sensual nature of most popular music is nothing new, Lady Gaga seems to do it in a way that is unique to her among her pop-genre cohorts. Her choice to wear such wild, creative outfits without apparent concern over how she will be perceived demonstrates that her sense of show is merely for her own benefit. The fact that she spends every penny she earns on more show for her concerts with the fact that she never parties because she’s always working and the fact that she gets a great deal of her material from sex shops all combine to show a devotion to the art and craft of showbusiness that is unprecedented by her contemporaries.

The fact is, Lady Gaga does what she wants and doesn’t give a shit what anyone has to say about it.

Her talent has allowed her to revolutionize the pop music industry. The Lady set out with a goal, and it was to bring visual artistry and fashion back into harmony with pop, and she succeeded because she refused to allow anyone to tell her it wasn’t possible.

No doubt about it, Lady Gaga is fearless. I hope sometime she gets a chance to read this and know how much I respect her as a feminist and simply as a girl who also doesn’t always fit the mold. From here on in, I am on Team Gaga.

I am an emotional creature!

The following is a video of a TedTalk given by famous playwright Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina Monologues, in which she discusses why being a girl is so important, why we have been taught to suppress our girlhood, and how we can learn to embrace the parts of us that we have shunned: our compassion, our vulnerability, our unruly, wild, truly wonderful emotions.

Ribbon Cutting

Here goes! The first post... I can feel the creativity in me just getting all excited and rambunctious. I've wanted to start a project of some sort for a while and I am really excited that the internet offers such boundless opportunities to flex creative muscles.

My name is Nessa. I am a 22 year old college graduate living in Denver with my handsome fiance Adam. I have a degree in writing, a love of all that is vintage, and a strong set of feminist beliefs-- the perfect recipe for a blog that I hope will reach young women like myself.