Women who changed the world pt 2

"We dont know how it sprang to life, no one explanation is entirely satisfactory, certainly not the theory that it was the work of 'leaders'. It began all over the country, in silent lonely places. It was a spiritual movement and had fire, not form... It released vast stores of unconscious energy... it was not premeditated or controllable - it happened.'

Lady Constance Lytton 1925

Suffrogettes

WSPU - Women's Social & Political Union

The last couple of days my focus has been on the Suffrogettes. Ive been fascinated by the story of these ladies and what they achieved. I guess my knowledge of them was pretty sketchy and so Ive been reading up a bit and finding out more.

In this blog entry I wanted to focus on the leader of the WSPU (formed 1905), Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst. I like the fact that she is documented as a Mrs, she was afterall a lady, and most of all her party were upperclass ladies.

They were a political group that rallied together after deciding the restrictions and injustices they had seen on women's lives (particularly in the working class) had to change. They focused on winning Votes for Women in parliament, because they believed that this would provide the greatest impetus for change.

By 1907 there were 47 branches of the WSPU and these ladies were getting a bit rowdy. As I said in the last blog entry they were becoming militant (I guess influenced the by the war at the time), entertaining themselves with vandalism and rebellious acts of protest such as hunger strikes in prison. As they gained more power the resistance to their message grew stronger.

Here are several pictures of Emmeline Pankhurst being arrested.

In this picture below is an example of an arrest and imprisonment of Gertrude Bentley for 'chalking the pavement'.

She had written 'WSPU - Mass Meeting at Market Square 7.30 tonight'

Women who changed the world pt 1

Ive been reading about the suffrogettes in Great Britain. I have to say I was moved by the story of Emily Davison, and so I decided to put on the Bloom blog.

Emily Davison was an active member of the militant Suffrogettes (WSPU - Women's Social & Political Union), who sacrificed her life in 1913 for the 'Votes for Women' cause.

By 1913 the WSPU had moved into some extreme protesting - chaining themselves to political buildings & monuments, being imprisoned, going on hunger strikes, setting buildings on fire, smashing windows and even recorded as having bombs as part of their artiliary.

In the picture below you can see Emily Davison the day she died. She threw herself in front of the Kings horse at the Derby Day race in 1913 and was trampled to death. I find it hard to believe that this 'soldier' for womens rights, gave up her life in her fight for our 'freedom'.


In the second picture is the funeral procession that followed her death in the streets of London.

Kylie on Motherhood

I was getting off the train the other day when I saw this headline:

Kylie: Motherhood is not for me.

"Pop princess Kylie Minogue has admitted she may never have children.
Minogue, who is 40 next month, said that although she dreams of having a family she sometimes believes it is "not the right path" for her.

She told the German edition of Vogue: "I never had the feeling I was made for a conventional marriage with a house in the suburbs."Media interest in 'supermothers', who are simultaneously on stage and bringing up children, is understandable. But for many that is too much of a good thing.

"There are also artists such as Debbie Harry or Dolly Parton who have managed to have an unbelievable career without a family."

I guess the celebrity post-feminists are all on display, everyone peering into their personal lives, looking for dirt. And here is a woman of fame, playing out Persephone, the eternal maiden and Aphrodite, goddess of love.

Kylie's story has become a myth of this post feminist era, where her search for motherhood vs career whilst dating the unavailable rogue has been in the tabloids for years on end. And never so highlighted as when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, an illness that has crept up and become a growing concern for our age.

Persephone: the eternal maiden

evolution of an image

Power & Seduction
Today Ive chosen to look at three different sex icons from history. For some reason these three women have always been linked for me.
The first one is Mata Hari, an exotic dancer from France who was executed for espionage in the early 1900's. I remember reading once that she learnt the 'belly dance' from her grandmother, but I dont know if that was true. It was however the usual way that bellydancers founded their art.

I guess what has always fascinated me the most about sex icons like Mata Hari is their connections with high powered men. The art of seduction comes with it the social status of a high society woman. But seduction is a dangerous game to play.


The serpent from the Garden of Eden, seduced Eve with the temptations of glory, but revealed Death.


Marilyn Monroe is as Jung states 'the Eternal Maiden', will a man ever love me? was the question of this sex kitten. Marilyn, unfortunately was a victim. It was the very end of her, 'No man ever did know her'. The Art of Seduction is a fickle thing. It can hypnotise people into idolising an image but the pure forms of everyday compassionate connection & relationship stay out of reach.
Marilyn was the eternal maiden never the mother.
Marilyn, like Mata Hari was also associated with high powered men and knew the secrets of their politic games. Leading to a dark downward spiral.

And finally we have Madonna, and as I wrote yesterday this high powered seductrous is always on top. She was not the manipulated woman of Hari and she was not the victim Monroe. She has never let anyone beat her. She has taken the Art of Seduction, like a bull by the horns.

When I look at these three images of seduction I am wondering what comes next. What will the strip tease of the Goddess be like in the next wave?

Mads - Always On Top

I guess when Like a Virgin came out I didnt realise that I was a willing subject to subconscious media messages. I had the Madonna leather wrist bands and the Madonna lace to tie up my hair.

Ive read that Madonna was inspired by Elvis the Pelvis and lets face it, she has sure done a good job at some pelvis action of her own.

Madonna has balls. There is no doubt about it she has used her sexuality to always keep her on top. She has climbed and climbed all the way up and stayed there. She is a creative artist and a kick arse business woman.

And the irony is that all the world likes to expose her weakness, her inner little Catholic girl crying out for her mum, her real mum - madonna snr, who died when she was only 5. Leaving her to try and win the affections of her preaching papa.

Im wondering is there a co-incidence that Madonna came into this world, with an inner desire to be on top, 'to own New York' the commercial centre of the world, and be a figure head admist the growing politics of our post feminist world?

She certainly has taken the 'inner masculine' models of success to the extreme. A single minded aggressive, nothing will stand in my way obsession for fame. And never, ever laying down for anyone. Always on top.

Like the Virgin, for the very first time.

Salome

The Dance of the Seven Veils is most famous from the tale in the bible, known as Salome's dance.

After dancing for Herod Salome asked for St John the Baptist's head (as requested by her mother) and he was executed.

Salome was seen as an evil seductress.

The Dance of the Seven Veils goes back far further in history. In Sumeria the temple ziggurats followed the sacred number 7, based on the number of planets that were visible to the early astrologers/astronomers. The Goddess Ishtar was associated with the number 7 and each veil from the priestess dance was a Gateway to her Mysteries.



Here is the Sumerian temple of Ur.


This illustration below was created by Andrea Beardsley for Oscar Wilde's play, Salome.


The ancient art of bellydance is not just about seduction. Its not just about wiggling your boody for some booty. Its an art of storytelling. Where the core heart to the story is about 'creation' or 'procreation' wink wink, it interweaves amongst an expression of identity.

Im curious about this dance of seduction. Just how does someone dance this ancient art form, woman or man, for good. And not evil. To feel confident in oneself without making their audience, their victim.

who's in charge?

To play like a man you have to fight like one. If you have ambition, if you want success, you need to join the Art of War.
Today I am wondering if to be a career woman and be taken seriously means I must hunt like Athena, warrior woman, the weaver of intellect. What happens if I want to wear a dress? Does that make me weak?
Are the masculine and feminine languages of business coming together as one?
Im a post feminist, and I do see women around me that embrace true femininity. Can I stand up in business, ask for my booty in return, with no need to play war or play weak.
I am wondering right now how I can play like a woman.
What does that look like?