My friend Christina ("Tina") is an amazing fashion designer and rare gem of a friend here in Hollywood. She recently had a piece in a benefit fashion show* where the theme was "Beautiful Fighter." So we decided what the hell, lets get a model and make a picture. We made a huge print of it and hung it in the gallery spot with her design. So there you go.
*aka "we need an excuse to be totally vain but not feel too guilty about it."
CAUTION: The following is a total tangent that fashion benefit shows got me thinking about. It is completely random and i had no idea this subject was going to get me going:
I'm not really sure how to explain this phenomenon that i'm noticing, but maybe some other people are noticing it too? It's a trend among twenty-somthings to make sure that every sort of social, and especially art-oriented event, has to be for something (other than just enjoying art). Does anyone else know where i'm coming from on this one? There's something that bothers me about this. I need help explaining this one because I don't want to come off as being too cynical.
I guess its similar to what i'm noticing about restaurants here in LA. I can go to Tere's mexican joint and get a really good chicken burrito for seven bucks, and they give it to me with a huge smile and know i'll be back again and they know my name. Then i can go to a really trendy restaurant (they always have one-word verb names like "crave" or "grub"), and get horribly rude service from condescending people, not to mention an over-priced bad meal, but dang it I should praise them for it because the cow that my steak came from was fed organically grown grain, and its poop was used to fertilize crops that are given to kids in Africa and it was given cow back massages.
Does anyone get what i mean? Can someone throw me a bone and put it into better words?
8 comments:
Dude, you're so right. It's a trend everywhere, not just LA. I ran into that a lot even where I lived in Texas.
Sweet print, by the way. Ninja girl at an art show - I think I'm in love :) Do you think you can hook me up?
Dave, do you mean the art show/event thing, or the restaurant thing? It's more the underlying psychology that i'm trying to get at. I think its like a compensation thing. We can't be that materialistic if it's for poor people in Africa, right?
The designer is taken and the model, well lets just say she's not your type. Though i must say I'm feeling good about your chances in San Diego young Jedi master.
I totally see what you are saying and I dont think you are being cynical. An art show should be a show of art, without a benefit to get people to come. I think any sort of place or event that brings people together is good for the world without necesarily giving money to another country.
also with restaurants, I am pro organic and proper treating of animals (but not extreme, i did scare cows for fun yesterday), but the customers need to be treated well. Its kinda ironic for people to be loving towards animals but not to their own kind. I think love going into the food nurishes the body better and that includes giving loive to the customer.
people need to see what is in front of them, and start doing good there.
Chad - YES - It's that irony.
Yeah Pete...this is part of a much larger phenomenon called "cause based marketing". You've seen this in the form of the (RED) campaign promoted by Bono and friends.
It's a hot topic in marketing because it touches peoples' desire to do good, but probably also their guilt for being consumers. A good motivator for consuming. People feel good about getting their new iPod and having a portion of the proceeds go to some community in Africa. They feel they did their part and they got a cool gadget in the process.
What you said about having art enjoyed for art's sake is probably not a popular opinion right now b/c every show sponsors something. The flipside is that maybe this makes art more approachable by people because the art community has been known for its snobbery for some time.
Hmmmm you bring up a good discussion for sure...K
I can't stand any kind of giving that's showy or self-congratulatory. The idea of wealthy people getting together and eating extravagent meals and patting each other on the back because the proceeds are going to such and such charity (or billion-dollar companies creating campaigns to bolster a positive public perception of their brand by saying a percentage of profits goes to charity) somehow feels twisted to me. Maybe the ends justify the means, but the motive bothers me.
That said, I now work at a one-word-name, over-priced, trendy restaurant, but I promise I'm never condescending. I make spill a drink on you accidentally, but I'll do it with a genuine smile.
And i think part of it for me is that it's taken to the Nth degree in hollywood. It's no secret that in this town people will absolutely destroy their own lives and bring down many with them for the sake of fame and fortune. But the coffee you buy had better help some poor soul in Guatamala (who's probably 10 times happier). I'm with Chad - see what's in front of you and start there.
I know what you mean so much that it hurts. So so true.
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