Penelope’s Loom

What a collection of keystone cops.  And, we absolutely cannot forget this Cretan: Almighty Zeus, this is the face of the MAGA movement? Wow.  Just think about how these twin images contribute to our global image.  All January 6th did, however, was to make us look like this:  Alright. Once more into the breach Dear Reader, we’ll ‘let loose the dogs of war’… on our very own ringleader, Donald ‘I love my orange pancake makeup’ Trump. Yeah, I really detest this asshole, and I’m absolutely terrified he’ll be reelected in 2024.  Trump has hinted that he’ll be, let’s just say a little more forceful in using the military to quell anything he deems to be “domestic violence” if reelected. Sh&t, why doesn’t this dickhead just return to his home on Saturn? So.  What do we know about martial law, and the American president’s ability to use the army in a domestic arena? First, let’s define martial law: From the Oxford Reference Library: "A state of military control of the general populatio

Do you remember this guy?   You know, Bugs, the Roadrunner, and Porky Pig? Yeah, well, Wile's IQ never did do him much good. Perhaps he was not a "super genius" after all--the poor guy kept getting blown up by a rabbit (over, and over, and over again). Enter ridiculous world with me, Dear Reader, (just for a second) and let's see if Wile's character traits help us at all to understand a dangerous little condition: Narcissistic Personality Disorder and what it might contribute to our understanding of the current Presidential horse race. Yes, we all know what a narcissist is, but what about this psychiatric disorder? Well, let's see what the Mayo Clinic says about this condition: Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental health condition in which people have an unreasonably high sense of their own importance. They need and seek too much attention and want people to admire them. People with this disorder may lack the ability to understand or care abou

  Footbinding.  Ewwwwwwwwww.   BEFORE WE BEGIN... THIS ENTRY WILL HAVE SOME EROTIC IMAGES, SO PROCEED WITH CAUTION.  EACH OF THESE PICTURES DO HAVE A PURPOSE, BUT HAVE A CARE IF YOU DON'T LIKE FRANK DEPICTIONS OF EITHER EROS, OR SEX. Again, proceed at your own risk, Dear Reader! Alright, who would willingly do this to their child's feet? Well, the answer is culture.  If culture deems it essential that a  woman's beauty and marriageable qualities are shown in tiny feet, then ... oh dear, you know what happened next, Dear Reader. We know little about the exact beginning of foot binding in China.  What indications we do have begin ca. the 10th century (AD), among the Chinese court dancers,. a fashion that gradually spread to elites in the Song Dynasty.  And, b y the Qing dynasty (1636–1912), foot binding had spread to most social classes. Another explanation holds that foot binding was chiefly  " inspired by a tenth-century court dancer named Yao Niang who bound her feet

As the corset entered into the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, it became the essential female undergarment, until the 1960s.   Ah, Bettie Paige. Ummm, so why are you wearing it? Let me tell you, when it comes to health issues, wearing a corset is a sign of mental morbidity. The 18th Century By the 18th century, there was (as indeed 'twas ever thus) an emphasis on bust and hips:  tiny waists with emphasized breasts. About 1760? 1770?  Notice the hard line between the emphasized breasts, and the tiny waist.  And, the panniers.   Panniers?  Yup.  That was an article of clothing, tied around the waist, to emphasize and expand the hip line.  It got a little nutty in the mid-to-late 18th century: I know, wtf ????????? But the pannier was quite real, as you can see.  What was the motivation behind the evolution of this fashion? I'm no fashion historian, but who can really explain why certain mores and/or modes of dress (that defy sanity) ever became hallmarks of a particular period? F