Monday, March 23, 2009

Self Image

When I was growing up, I can remember entering my best friend's bedroom. Not my first best friend, but my best friend in my middle school years.

The first time I entered the room, I saw the famous picture of Farrah Fawcett, taken before she was Farrah Fawcett Majors. Whether I realized it or not, I was probably subconsciously thinking, "This is what boys want, a woman who looks good in a bathing suit and has way big hair." I don't remember much about Charlie's Angels, which is weird because it was such a huge show. But what I remember is inconsistent with small clips I have seen of the show since I have . . . matured.

What I remember is three beautiful women take orders from a man on a speakerphone, and the women have mad skills and are respected. What I have seen from the clips, though, tell another story. That the women are beautiful, yes, but they are less agile than the crooks and sometimes win by pure luck. They never are stronger than the people they catch, but they manage to do so by teamwork or dumb luck.

I don't know about you, but I would sort of like to catch bad guys because I was smarter and had mad skills. I just don't really like what I see in the clips of the show. Perhaps the clips are the worst parts of the show, or the funniest, but if they are representative, my perception of the show through a child's eyes seems to distort what the show was really about.

But you know, when I was growing up, I remember thinking a lot about weight and body image. I thought of myself as rather flawed, but in pictures, I looked good. Again, the image I had as a girl and young woman were not consistent with what I think now. I don't know if it has to do with me lowering my standards or that I did not have the experience to realize that every 4 ounces was not the end of the world. Perhaps the lenses at the time did not capture the true picture. Cheap Kodak cameras take away ten pounds? Could be. Film cameras add weight.

Actually, I wonder if film cameras really do add ten pounds. I mean, how many of us have ever been on camera and have seen the difference. Most of the people routinely on camera are a bit vain and may have a perception that they are skinnier than they actually are. Then, when faced with the facts, they have to adjust them as to not have their world view change. Either that, or there is some sort of physics in the camera lens that makes it such that it stretches the view a bit (wide angle?) in order to work.

Changing one's world view can be fairly traumatic, or it can be a bit healthy, or both.



How are your brackets holding up?

19 comments:

Cliff said...

As far as college hoops, you were right. Akron lost to Gonzaga in the first round, and despite Cleveland State and their upset special against Wake Forest, they exited yesterday.

As far as Farrah and Charlie's Angels, the late seventies had plenty of "jiggle" shows. I think "Three's Company" had at least one scene per show that had Suzanne Somers jumping braless.

Xmichra said...

I still maintain that poster of Farrah is freaky looking... those teeth!! She looks like she is crazy, and about to eat your arm off.

you have a good grasp of the show though, that's pretty much the jist. Even the newer version is pretty bubble headed with luck thrown in.

I know I had body issues when I was younger. But I would love to be what I thought was fat then, now. lol...

Leesa said...

WIXY: Thanks for the Sue Wilson recommendation. I never knew they had Suzanne Sommers jumping braless.

Xmichra: I love the sentence: "I am not going to talk about it, because I don’t want to." Thanks for the confirmation on the Charlie's Angels memories.

Deb said...

The levels of "attractiveness" varies so much, doesn't it? I've always been attracted to curvier woman - those who had meat on their bones and not someone too skinny. But then, a close friend asked if it was because of my own insecurities because I'm "curvy" myself. ;) I have dated thin woman and now married to one, however, in the past, I've always thought that a woman with more meat on her bones (healthy, not huge), was more attractive.

I also remember not worrying about my weight, since I fluctuate up and down - and this was right before my wedding. I thought everything was fine, until I saw the photos and realized how big I got. I was like, "WHAT?" Was it the camera? Was it ME? So, it was then I decided to kick the alcohol habit and lost 10lbs, however I still have waysssss to go. The camera is pretty truthful

*sigh*

Grant said...

The "plot" of Charlie's Angles was just an excuse for the women to run around looking sexy. I always wondered how you could battle crime in spiked heels. But I still thought Jaclyn Smith was hot (my favorite of the three).

Advizor54 said...

As a child of the 80's Farah Fawcett was THE glamor girl. I can remember overhearing two of the older guys talking about her poster, "Dude! you can see her nipple..."

Ah, what innocent days. I remember being much more turned on by Kate Jackson than Farah, she seemed smarter and I love me the brunettes...

My body image issues all revolved around my skin, it was horrible until my Sr. year in high school, but, until I heard a dermatologist speak in my health class, i didn't know I could do anything about it. He, and heavy doses of tetracycline, was a lifesaver.

And my bracket? It's a disaster. My two alma mater's are out with embarrassing loses, my sentimental favorites bombed, my home-town school is out, my wife's school is out, my GF's school is out, and I've already lost one of my final four. So i guess I won't be winning the naked picture of Leesa this year. That was the prize for winning, right?

SheenV said...

My bracket's toast - just like my Buckeyes :(

kathi said...

Oh, I remember Charlie's Angels, and every girl I knew tried to have Farrah hair...LOL, I'm in Texas and I can say most women STILL try to have Farrah hair. But back then, we curled and we teased, we were all Farrah wannabe's. Except, I remember liking the brainy one more, can't remember her name. I was so skinny and scrawny back then, I was like a 2x4 with breasts. But we all wanted to look like one of Charlie's Angels OR Peggy Lipton from The Mod Squad.

Tim said...

I read a marketing story the other day that when they came out with a commercial showing Farrah running along the beach with her hair everywhere is when Americans began washing their hair at least once a day.... I'm glad that the image of strong women on TV and movies has changes. There are some very strong, smart sexy women now, not the weaker sex like in the 70's and 80's

My bracket.... close, but you are kicking butt Leesa ha ha

Leesa said...

Deb: Yeah, levels of attractiveness do vary, but so does self-attractiveness.

Grant: There was a super-hero called The Tick. Ms. America was on that show, and she would throw a spiked heel. I thought it might be a nod to Charlie's Angels.

Advizor: Yeah, I think everyone was looking at that nipple.

Sheen: Someone has to have a busted bracket.

Kathi: The Mod Squad is a bit before my time.

Tim: You noticed my brackets?

Anonymous said...

Oh how I wanted her hair!!!!!

And I'm still going with North Carolina!

rachaelgking said...

Oh, I love me some Farrah.

And HELL YEAH Tar Heels! Sing it Jules!

Leesa said...

Jules: Oh, I wanted her hair.

LiLu: Tar Heels? Who are they? No. Carolina.

Tim said...

Yep. I think you are at the top of the summary list.

Anonymous said...

I used to think that poster was the hottest thing going. Looking back on it now (after, oh god, a span of twenty years?) I don't see a single thing attractive about her. Rail thin, eerily smiling and no curves? *snort* Give me a real woman any day.

Anonymous said...

I've seen that poster before too...! I think a lot of people tried to copy her. The guys liked Farrah, the girls liked Shaun Cassidy. I remember my sister's Tiger Beat magazines.

Advizor54 said...

With all due respect to those with bad eyesight and a lack of historical accuracy, Farah Fawcett was, and still is, the original poster girl of a generation. She was amazingly hot, surprisingly sexual, and personified the hot blonde california girl of the 70's.

Don't be knocking my Farah.


(Granted, she went a bit bonkers a few years ago, enough to make me feel guilty for seeing her naked in Playboy, but when she was an "Angel" she ruled TV!!!)

Leesa said...

Tim: Not to brag or anything . . .

Irrelephant: Funny how your impressions change over time.

btsea: A lot of people did copy her.

Advizor: "She was amazingly hot, surprisingly sexual, and personified the hot blonde california girl of the 70's." She was from Texas, not California. I think she got her big hair from the girls in Texas.

Advizor54 said...

I agree that Ms. Fawcett was from Texas (Born: 2 February 1947, Corpus Christi, Texas), but she became THE "hot girl in the bikini" for a long time.

She was Pamela Anderson before there was Baywatch.

And, having worked and lived in Texas for a while, they still hold ownership of big hair. In Texas, the 70's never die.