#FEMINA

[7h3g3n3r4l]

Nude, Utah, 2019 

by Dave Rudin (P) and Femina (M)

With art model Femina

[collageofnudes]

Femina by Trinity Photography

[mote-historie]

George Barbier. Cover of Femina, 1926.

[puppentanz]

[richaldis]

I've just started reading Janina Ramirez' Femina which starts with a discussion about Emily Davison, the suffragette who threw herself under the King's horse at the Derby. The section is about how she and many of her peers were medivalists who revered Joan of Arc. But Ramirez also mentions the hate mail Davison got from men on her deathbed, something I didn't know. It seems the world has changed little in the last 110 years, at least when it come to a certain type of man.

[ultrakdramamama]

To size up the impact South Korean superstars SHINee have had on music is a difficult task. With a panorama that spans both K-pop and the world’s stage, the band’s dominance has grown exponentially since their debut 15 years ago. With their latest album, it’s also clear that SHINee’s future could only get even brighter. 

When someone goes around muttering, “Hard like a criminal, hard like the beat” under their breath for about two months straight, it’s bound to attract a few stares at the workplace. Especially when you yell, “We go HARD” when your colleagues enquire about your state of mind. But that’s SHINee’s effect for you. The lyrics from the title track of the legendary band’s eighth Korean language studio album, fittingly titled HARD, tend to imprint themselves on the listener’s temporal lobe. But this isn’t a new phenomenon for SHINee. Fifteen years since the band’s debut, it’s safe to say that they have created K-pop’s (and pop in general’s) most satisfying earworms and anthems, from Replay (2008) to Ring Ding Dong (2009), and Amigo (also 2008) to View (2015), to name a nanoparticle of songs off a daunting discography. ONEW, KEY, MINHO, TAEMIN – and the late beloved JONGHYUN – together form one of the finest, most well-rounded groups to emerge from South Korea’s competitive music industry, and their longevity speaks volumes about their talent and relevance. This includes solo projects, too – each of their individual offerings is a class apart.

So, how does one even begin to dismantle SHINee’s hypnotic hold on both their Korean and global devotees? To be honest, there is no need to divide them because once a ‘SHINee WORLD’ (the name given to the band’s beloved fanbase), always a SHINee WORLD regardless of age, gender or geographic distinction. With their vocal prowess, stage mastery, and dexterity of movement, they’ve filled stadiums worldwide through the course of a 15-year-long juggernaut. ONEW possesses one of the most iconic voices known to this oeuvre, with a dominant baritone and operatic tenor. KEY’s aura and presence is impossible to translate into words. MINHO’s a towering personality in terms of both talent and charisma. It’s also not hyperbole to state that TAEMIN is the king of movement – an unparalleled dancer, and a star. Together, they’re extraordinary. Solo, their personalities jump off the screen too. They’re each lovable matrixes of sass, humour, gravitas... clumsiness (the fans will attest to this). If one were to sum them up, ‘real’ would be the word to choose. Even though they’re revered in the industry, and active in all its different aspects – variety shows, musicals, performing on OSTs, solo projects, etc – they’re as humble as the day they started.

In this email interview, three of the band members dive into their music, providing perspective on the landscape they inhabit. ONEW, the leader of the band, is currently on hiatus for health issues. (However, he did send out a message to fans to reassure them of his rest and recovery and his imminent return.) One thing is for sure – it’s SHINee’s world, and we’re happy to be living in it.

You’ve always been completely ahead of the curve when it comes to genre, often blending several sonic elements in one album. In this album, for instance, you have wobbly drum and bass and soulful vocals on The Feeling, a really fresh take on the clear drum breaks of ’90s hip-hop on HARD, and dance-pop on Identity. Yet, you can tell a SHINee track from a mile away. How do you connect so many diverse sounds to the SHINee colour, and what – in the first place – would you say is SHINee’s colour? KEY: Rather than defining SHINee with one colour, I believe SHINee’s colour consists of all the colours each one of our fans sees us as. MINHO: SHINee is quite an interesting team because we have the ability to make any song into SHINee’s own colours. It’s our biggest weapon. We’ve built up this skill since our first album, and it only strengthened as we tried out various genres and concepts. Now, all our members know how to make any track SHINee-like. TAEMIN: SHINee’s colour is a combination of the various music styles we’ve experimented with. Without being limited to a specific genre, we capture several different colours and find SHINee’s own way of uniting everything into one.

Having said that, can you reveal the most “SHINee” song on this album for you, and explain why that would be your pick? KEY: For me, that would be the title track Hard, because it shows best all the efforts we’ve put into the visuals, performance, and recordings to demonstrate the genre of hip-hop. MINHO: It’s hard to select just one track. Many might say The Feeling but, rather than selecting one, I’d like to say this album in itself is “SHINee”, and it opens up our new chapter. TAEMIN: I’d say Satellite, because it shows the harmonious vocals of SHINee.

SHINee has a way of tapping into a collective sense of nostalgia – whether we go back to View, Married To The Music, or 1 of 1 even. Yet, you somehow manage doing this in a future-forward way with both your look and sound. How do you access and communicate a wide spectrum of emotions for people across borders and gender? KEY: Songs and melodies are very effective in expressing emotions and conveying messages to different people and genders. Though the lyrics might be interpreted differently depending on one’s culture, I believe a melody has a relatable power for everyone. MINHO: We try to convey emotions directly instead of hiding them. One of those characteristics is being upfront about how one feels and not hiding one’s emotions. TAEMIN: Even if we do not speak the same language, it’s the energy we’ve poured into this album that makes it possible for us to connect and communicate with those who listen to it.

Often, when you’re with a group of people who end up knowing you inside out, it helps you to see yourself more clearly. How would you say the close bond that exists between all of you has affected or changed you? TAEMIN: I was able to learn a lot from my (fellow band) members since they are all very talented. The bond we’ve formed through our time and experiences together is such a valuable gift to me.

People say there is always one side of the brain that’s more dominant. The left brain vs right brain – largely the analytical vs the creative. The artistes in you must make use of the right brain, but, to navigate this industry and learn from it, the left brain has to come into play. Given your successful ongoing careers, how do you balance the two sides? KEY: Balance is something I’m constantly thinking about not only as SHINee’s KEY, but also as an entertainer on variety shows so that I can continue to better myself and grow. MINHO: This is an interesting question that I’ve never thought of before. I probably use my left brain more since I’m always thinking about things that others might not have done yet or tried before. TAEMIN: When I tested myself, I found that my right brain functions better than my left!

Is it possible, as an artiste, to be happy and satisfied at the same time? MINHO: I’m not quite sure if happiness and satisfaction can be felt at the same time, though it’s different for each person. Even if I’m happy, I might not be satisfied, but I think that’s because I’m a bit of a perfectionist [laughs].

Can you talk about how the performance aspect of music has evolved for you over the years? Does it feel more poignant being on stage together again after a break? [The members of SHINee fulfilled their mandatory military enlistment duties, staggered, over the last five years.] KEY: I’m not sure if this properly explains it, but I’d like to think of our growth as ‘still strong’. As the years add on, there is a sense of pressure from wanting to show our best selves and great performances but, through this album, SHINee was able to show persistence and strength. Whenever I step on stage, it’s an overwhelming feeling. MINHO: You can see just how much we’ve grown through our performances. Compared to before, we’re more experienced so there’s a sense of ease. Yet we do feel more nervous when we return to the stage after a long time. ‘Will I be able to perform well on this stage? What if I make a mistake?’ These are the kinds of thoughts that run through my mind but that’s what brings out a perfect performance. The most important thing in all of this is to look as if you’re not nervous! [laughs] TAEMIN: The K-pop market has grown, and we’ve also benefited from that. The lifespan of K-pop idols has also increased compared to before, but I believe it’s (everyone’s) hard work that’s made this possible.

What sort of music are you gravitating towards right now? Do you connect music and movement given how proficiently you link the two? TAEMIN: I usually listen to calm music. I also enjoy humming or dancing along to whatever I’m listening to.

Fifteen years down the line, what is something you know now that you wish you had known then? KEY: That I don’t need to have any regrets because I’ve done my best throughout. MINHO: There are many things I wish I had known but, since I didn’t know anything at that time, I’d want to keep them a secret [laughs]. TAEMIN: What we’ve learned throughout holds greater value and meaning because of the process. If I were to say one thing to my past self, it would be to travel around the world more and study English.

Does the desire to experiment and the ability to actually be able to follow through with ideas become easier with time? KEY: It becomes harder with time but that’s why I make sure to put in more thought and effort to bring out the best I can.

As the world evolves at an almost breakneck speed, music evolves with it; you’ve also been witness to the shift in the influence of K-pop. How would you say the K-pop industry has also changed over these years as it has become a global phenomenon? KEY: From training to performing, everything has become very systemised and specialised. There’s also a wider variety of messages that can be delivered through performances. MINHO: K-pop has changed rapidly and, as a part of the generation that has seen that process of change, it is quite fast. The best development is the fact that the whole world can see what I’ve uploaded in seconds! TAEMIN: As a person who has been in this field for quite some time, I am amazed by K-pop. There have been a lot of changes through the years, changes that I did not realize at the time!

Looking back to when you started, would you say you are where you want to be as an artiste at this stage of your life? MINHO: I’m getting closer to where I dreamed I’d be when I debuted, but there’s still quite a way to go to get there.

How does the future look? KEY: SHINee will always remain the same. MINHO: The future will always be SHINee. TAEMIN: I’d like to live a happier life by giving back to our fans with good music and maintaining the precious relationships we have together. And I hope to perform overseas more often.

Would you please send a message to SHINee WORLD in India – any thoughts you’d like to share? KEY: I’m very much looking forward to the day we’ll get to meet our fans in person. Thank you for always showering us with love. MINHO: I’ve been to India before, but have not had the opportunity to perform. I hope that chance will come sometime soon, so please wait for us! TAEMIN: I really want to meet our fans in India and I’m sorry we haven’t been able to visit. I promise you we will create precious memories together!

[artdecoandmodernist]

1923 George Barbier, Art Deco Illustration. 

Sur l’Herbe: A Group of Elegant Figures in a Landscape.  

To jusge from the inscriptions on the verso, the present sheet may be a proposed cover design for the July 1925 issue of Femina, a publication to which Barbier frequently contributed. (x)

[eternal--returned]

Alexandria Coe ֍ Untitled (2023)

[bookymcbookface]

“Femina, A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of it” by Dr Janina Ramirez

[ilovetheideaofu]

My Skarsgård: This is why alcohol addiction is increasing among women

Women and alcohol is an issue that should receive more attention.

Doctor and alcohol therapist My Skarsgård believes so.

- It is really tough to be a woman and have these problems. It is much more stigmatizing, she says.

The guilt and shame have the consequence that women both seek and receive help later than men.

IQ's Alcohol Index is an overall measure of the Swedes' attitude to alcohol, which is created based on the answers to a number of questions about drinking in different situations. The latest survey from 2022 stood out in particular on a few points:

Fewer think it's wrong to drink to memory gaps (49 percent vs. 68 percent in 2010), fewer think it's wrong to get drunk when children are around (50 percent vs. 62 percent in 2010).

And: while young people over time drink less alcohol, today's elderly have the most permissive attitudes. Women's attitude to alcohol has never been so positive since the measurements began more than 20 years ago.

Women's alcohol consumption is increasing

It is an image that My Skarsgård, who runs Myggebo treatment and retreats with preventive courses on alcohol and drugs, recognizes.

- In the past it was very unusual for women to drink, today the gap between men and women has narrowed. That slightly older women over 60 are the group that increases the most is something that I also see. There are many people of that age who make contact, notes My Skarsgård. One of the reasons for the increased alcohol consumption among older women, she believes, could be that people are retiring or downsizing their jobs.

- As long as you work, you may limit your consumption "I don't drink on Sunday, only on Saturday and not on weekdays", in order to do your job. When you suddenly don't have work to go to, it can become a crisis in itself and you let go of your own regulations.

- If you have already established a relationship with alcohol and, above all, the effect of alcohol, it can go quickly, very quickly. I have experienced that during these years that I have worked.

Women don't drink for "party-party"

But it can also take time. According to My Skarsgård, women wait longer than men to seek help for their addiction problems. Partly because you stick to the belief "I have to fix this myself", and partly because the way of drinking generally differs between the sexes.

- Many women use alcohol as a sedative. You don't drink to party and for the kicks, but to reduce stress and anxiety, which means that a woman's drinking does not have as many external consequences as a man's. Men can thereby, which may seem a little unfair, more easily be noticed by those around them and thus be offered help earlier. The fact that women's abuse occurs more under the surface means, My Skarsgård further points out, that women can often have more health problems than men, both physical and psychological. If the feeling is that the wine reduces stress and calms the body, science shows that anxiety and depression are two of the diseases that alcohol abuse causes. Which often means even more stigma.

- What you often see with women who have destructive drinking is that they increasingly begin to isolate themselves. They sit at home drinking and start avoiding their friends, it's really sad. But this is because the shame and guilt are often far greater in women than in men.

- The shame gives an extremely low self-esteem and self-loathing in the end, says My Skarsgård.

"Knew I would die if I continued"

She talks about all the women she has met in her professional role but also from her own experience. My Skarsgård, who for many years was married to the actor Stellan Skarsgård, has previously publicly told how she became addicted to alcohol after a cancer diagnosis.

- I was one of those who had an enormous amount of shame when I drank. I was never out and about and never drank to experience the high, and it also managed to go very far for me. I had started vomiting blood and was almost dying. I'm a doctor and thought I had cirrhosis of the liver (cirrhosis), says My.

Still, she continued to drink, eventually a bottle of vodka a day. Because that's how the brain works when abstinence takes hold, she states:

- I knew that I had developed alcoholism and that I would die if I continued, but when you have such abstinence, the brain does not work as it should. It is a cruel disease in that way.

- The feeling that the alcohol makes me survive is enormously stronger than the realization that I am drinking myself to death. says My Skarsgård.

The turning point came one morning around Christmas 2006 when she had no booze at home. It was a crisis and she had severe withdrawal.

- I went to my brother who lived upstairs to see if he had any alcohol, sneaked around and had found a bottle of punch when I heard someone enter the apartment.

She hid in a closet and that's where her brother found her, clutching the bottle of punch.

- Then he said something that hit home for the first time: "you need help". There were many occasions before that could have been a turning point, but right then I was receptive.

After a couple of years of sobriety, she decided she wanted to devote her professional life to working with alcohol problems. At Myggebo in the Stockholm archipelago, she has developed a research-based method in three steps. The MyLife method is adapted to different target groups, with the same result: Through knowledge, people get the tools to find a joyful life, where alcohol is no longer allowed to rule.

The Skarsgård children have taken a course with their mother

The fact that she has more women than men on her courses is unusual, but perhaps that has something to do with her choosing to come out and talk about her addiction as well.

- The fact that I chose to talk publicly about my alcoholism may have contributed to so many women coming, that makes me happy. It is much more stigmatized for women and reading about others can give hope and courage. It is important that we dare to talk about the problems, also to show that there is a solution. It is possible to get out of even a developed alcoholism.

Some of those who also took a course with My Skarsgård to learn more about addiction are her six children that she had with Stellan Skarsgård, something that Valter Skarsgård told about in a previous interview with Femina. (https://www.femina.se/intervju/valter-skarsgard-beck-borje-salming/8941107)

- Everyone has taken the course, which is fantastic. For Gustaf, it came to mean an enormous amount to get the knowledge, compared to whether it comes from me as a mother whom he also experienced as ill. Then you don't have much to offer if you have views...

- It was an eye-opener for Gustaf and I'm very happy about that. He has been sober for ten years now, says My Skarsgård. She concludes by dispelling some of the myths surrounding alcohol. It's not just about screwing up if you've developed alcoholism, but it's possible to have a fun life even without alcohol.

- There are many people who have been with me who get in touch after a few years and tell me about what the new life has given them. No, it will not turn out as you have thought or feared. It gets so much better.

Five myths about alcohol to be aware of according to My Skarsgård

1. "I need the wine to de-stress"

"Even if you haven't developed alcoholism, you can develop a psychological dependence and start using alcohol to change different emotions or to relax: 'Oh how nice, Friday night, the work week is over, then I can relax with wine', which is very counterproductive. It is a common experience that you drink because you feel bad, when you usually feel bad because you drink."

2. “I sleep better after drinking”

"The experience can certainly be that you fall asleep more easily when you drink, but many people find it difficult to see that the sleep is bad. It is extremely common to have sleep problems if you have an overconsumption. You fall asleep but wake up when the alcohol leaves your body, often with stress that makes it difficult to fall asleep again."

3. "I can tolerate a lot, therefore I am not in the risk zone"

"It's exactly the opposite. The risk of developing alcoholism is greater if you drink large amounts at the same time. We get an increase in tolerance when we drink which makes us tolerate more and more and need an even larger amount to get the effect we are looking for. Physiologically, it is also the case that women endure less than men. We have smaller bodies and a little more subcutaneous fat, while men have more body fluid, which means that the alcohol becomes more diluted in the fluid in the blood.”

4. "You can't have fun as a sober alcoholic"

"It's also a common misconception, that you think drinking makes you so much fun. Because that's how you experience it. But it's enough to be sober and look at people who think they're funny when they're drunk. The sad thing about alcohol is that you lose all your interests and that alcohol eventually takes precedence over human relationships. You can both experience and be afraid of 'getting boring', I often hear that, but you can find an enormous amount of joy in a sober life, And that joy is genuine, unlike the joy of alcohol. Personally, I have never had as much fun as when I got sober.”

5. "I can stop myself"

"If you've only been drinking more than is good for you for a short period of time, you can stop abruptly, but if you've developed an addiction, it doesn't work physiologically. It's not just about screwing on the cork. You really need help and the brain needs time to function normally again. If you get help, you often have support for a year and then hopefully you have established a network of people who are also sober, which is a big advantage."

[yours-stevie]

A woman 😍

[7h3g3n3r4l]

Nude, Utah, 2021 

by Dave Rudin (P) and Femina (M)

With art model Femina.

[schibborasso]

Driving Garb, 1906

[mote-historie]

Léon Benigni, Cover Illustration for Femina Magazine, Modes d'hiver, circa 1929.

Biography

A leading fashion illustrator, draughtsman and lithographr, Léon Benigni worked with such designers and couturiers as Jeanne Lanvin, Marcel Rochas, Elsa Schiaparelli, Lucien Lelong, Jacques Fath, Jean Patou, Nina Ricci and Cristôbal Balenciaga. He produced drawings and cover designs for such magazines as Harper’s Bazaar, Femina, La Donna, Art Goût Beauté, The Bystander and Modes et Travaux, and also designed a number of travel posters in the 1920s and 1930s (notably one for the spa and ski resort of Brides-les-Bains in the Savoie region) and advertisements for Cadillac and LaSalle cars. In an appreciation of Léon Benigni, published in an English magazine article in 1933, it was noted that ‘M. Benigni is known to thousands through the medium of the leading fashion magazines. This young Frenchman has brought himself to the front rank of modern fashion artists. He has developed a style which fits perfectly with present ideas of fashion. Modern fashions contain an element of caricature, though they never lose their delicacy and charm. These qualities are apparent in Bénigni’s work. In avoiding heaviness and an exact representation, he works in line, and his line work is light and suggestive enough in its simplicity to hold all the attraction so necessary in publicity. The female face is depicted almost as a formula of design. The thin lines in which it is traced are not an accurate representation, but it is impossible to deny the conviction of reality carried by the design…an addition or alteration to any of these drawings of Bénigni’s, in the form of a few extra lines or corrections, would ruin the effect. They are, for their purpose, complete as they stand.’ (x)

[puppentanz]

[gogmstuff]

Some Femina magazine art work in 1911 -

“Silhouette de 1911 (I)”. Femina-Noël. París, 1er Année (01/12/1911). From Museu d'Art Jaume Morera's photostream on flickr 1211X1792. Fixed spots with Photoshop.

“Silhouette de 1911 (II)”. Femina-Noël. París, 1er Année (01/12/1911). From Museu d'Art Jaume Morera's photostream on flickr 1349X1805. Fixed spots with Photoshop.

1911 (October issue) Femina cover art. From eBay 1009X1228.

1911 Femina cover art by Drian. From eBay. Fixed spots and flaws with Photoshop 838X1187.

1911 Femina cover art by Drian. From rubylane.com/item/1236696-AD145/Matted-1911-French-Fashion-Print; fixed spots & flaws w Pshop 1099X1396.

1911 Isadora Duncan cover of Femina. From researchgate.net/figure/Figura-2-Isadora-Duncan-em-capa-da-revista-Femina-de-1911_fig1_329436277 842X1096.