Iranian artist Farghadani, who drew parliament as animals, sentenced to 12-plus years

June 2, 2015, 8:38 am

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ATENA FARGHADANI has just been sentenced for, in effect, drawing Iranian leaders as monkeys and cows. Given the absurd ruling, perhaps she should have drawn the rule of draconian law, and her legal proceedings, as a kangaroo court instead.

Farghadani, a 28-year-old Iranian artist and activist, rendered visual judgment last year, lampooning members of her nation’s parliament over their vote to restrict contraception and ban certain birth-control methods — just one of her works satirizing the government. Tehran’s Revolutionary Court has now announced that it is rendering its own brand of judgment.

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Tiny Hamster Is Back And This Time It's A GIANT MONSTER

June 2, 2015, 8:50 am

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Cue Godzilla music.

Your tiny hamster is back. After having tiny tiki parties, eating tiny burritos and even having tiny eating contests with Kobayashi, this hamster is ready to get ... not so tiny. While walking through the park, as a tiny hamster does, tiny hamster came into contact with some evil green ooze, transforming it into a giant monster.

Watch as tiny hamster lays waste to the city -- OH THE CARNAGE! Can anything be done to return this giant hamster monster back to its previously adorable tiny state?? Now, only the video creators at HelloDenizen can control this hamster menace.

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CatCon Is Coming To Los Angeles And Bringing A Whole Lot Of Cat Art With It

June 2, 2015, 8:59 am

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Jason Edward Davis, "Camping Incident"

"It's like Comic Con, but for cat people," writer and CatConLA organizer Susan Michals explained to The Huffington Post. Not that the phrase "CatCon" isn't comprehensible enough -- both cats and conventions are staple elements of nerd culture in the United States and beyond.

CatConLA is a special combination of the two fandoms, though, taking place over two days this weekend at the Reef in Los Angeles, California. It began last year, boasting not only cat adoptions, but cat-inspired poetry and lectures. "CatConLA is all about debunking the cat-lady myth," Michals continued, "that just because one digs cats doesn't make you a Grey Gardens-Miss Havisham type."


Jeff Hayne

The part expo, part symposium, as the website points out, will celebrate everything from pop culture to art and design, with a heavy dose of feline-centric merchandise sprinkled in. (Think T-shirts with "Simon's Cat" and mugs emblazoned with the iconic lazy tongue of Lil BUB.) But beyond the kitty "experts" scheduled to speak, Internet personalities ready for 15 more minutes of fame, and the general enthusiasts eager to catch a glimpse of the Cheezburger CEO, Michals and the other organizers behind CatCon have managed to recruit an impressive roster of artists supplying fans with exactly what they want -- more funny cat pictures, memed before they ever encounter a URL.

In anticipation of the blessed event, Michals -- who's previously curated a hilarious exhibition of cat art -- put us in touch with a few of the exhibiting artists, illustrators and painters who couldn't resist a cat-themed prompt. Martin Hsu, Jason Edward Davis, Roger Reger, Laura Keenados and Rachel K. Schlueter helped us to understand the ins and outs of a kitteh obsession that just won't quit.


Laura Keenados

Why take part in CatCon, besides the obvious: that you personally like cats?

"Hey, no one ever said anything about liking cats. I think, for the most part, we live in fear of them. Some of us just like to live a little closer to the edge. It’s kind of like Internet dating. You do everything you can to impress them and there’s still a 50-50 chance that you will have an amazing time or you spend the rest of your night drinking wine and trying to figure out how far back in the fridge is your self-esteem.

"I don’t want to outright say I’m a hero for painting cats. I mean, maybe I’m really brave or just really foolish, but by god, someone has to stand up to those cute, adorable, complex monsters. I’m partaking in CatCon to warn others through my paintings, share survival tactics, exchange great wine and ice cream flavor combinations, spend all of the money I make on other cat products, and maybe, just maybe, add a few people to my In Case of Emergency contact list." -Jason Edward Davis

"CatCon is the place and oportunity for the expansion of cat awareness on a myriad of levels! We obviously need to ratchet this thing up." -Rachel K. Schlueter


Rachel K. Schlueter

"My booth partner [Rachel K.] Schlueter participated in the wildly successful Cat Art Show LA last year, and inspired by that event, we created our own NorCal version called HumCats, which was also very successful, benefiting Humboldt Spay Neuter Network, a local NPO that supports TNR (trap-neuter-return) colonies and offers low-cost spay and neuter services in Humboldt County. We were ecstatic and immediately interested in vending at CatConLA when we heard Susan Michals was planning another cat-themed event." -Laura Keenados

"Personally, I'm looking forward to meeting and taking lots of selfies with cat gents and ladies from all generations." -Martin Hsu


Jason Edward Davis, "Pink Kitty Screams for Horror Movies and Cheese"

Why do you think the Internet has wholeheartedly accepted the cat as its spirit animal?

"Maybe the mysterious cat is the fifth element, i.e. Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Cat." -Schlueter

"I personally have never bought into the notion that single individuals with cats are less than normal (any more than dog or other pet owners are). That said, I think that the [reason the] Internet is filled with cats is similar to why 'America's Funniest Home Videos' loved cats so much -- they make you smile, laugh out loud, and ease the pains of life's daily trials. Cat videos are filled with cute and crazy, and always make us smile. Cats are also so easy to personify, given their range of looks and 'emotions' (at least, what seem to be emotions) which makes memes so fun." -Rob Reger

"We all know that the Internet is made of cats (and tubes). I feel this may be because cats are so approachable as an aesthetic. They are just as diverse as humans, with grumpies, sweeties, ferals, ignorers, admirers, lazies, fat, sleek -- the list goes on. They worm their way into even the most crusty, [the] most lofty and heartless people.

"The love that one feels for their CLP (Cat Life Partner) is so intense I feel like single individuals with cats as roommates, friends, and life partners are the ones who are really living the dream." -Keenados


Laura Keenados

"If you really think about it, the cat is like the Internet. We're bound by an invisible bandwidth that's moody and elusive, but sometimes offers much-needed entertainment and comfort when least expected. Let's face it: cloud sharing feels cozier when you've got a kitty napping on your head." -Hsu

"The Internet is made up of 60 percent cat videos, 20 percent shirtless pictures of me (sorry, mom), and the rest consists of YouTube video comments and Netflix Original series. In this world of connected isolation, something has got to give me and Claire Underwood the strength to go on. Something besides whiskey, that is. And towering above our digital screens are these beautiful celebrity cats, often odd, always unique. We praise them for their differences and identify with their indifference towards society.

"I’m pretty sure Lil BUB actually runs the prison in 'Orange Is the New Black.' Cats do what they want, I do what my cat wants. It’s a give-give situation." -Davis


Rob Reger

How do you feel about the contemporary fascination with cats overall?

"Well, according to 'Radiolab,' Toxoplasma Gondii has played a microscopic role in total human domination for cats ... I can tell you the contemporary cat craze isn't just driven by fascination, but a primal search for kindred spirits. In a world where real human interactions are becoming a rarity, perhaps we reflect much of ourselves in the cat, as self-reliant creatures seeking good company." -Hsu

"I perceive the cat as a perfect reflection of the principals of yin and yang. Cats possess an inner calm most of us admire. And from that place, all actions become effortless and beautiful. What’s not to love?" -Schlueter


Joan Wyand

"People love to have something to obsess over, and with the digital age making media so accessible and immediate for folks, I feel like the fascination was bound to happen. Dogs are so predictable, but cats ... you never know what to expect from them. Cats are more than an accessory. They're editorial by nature, always having a view and an opinion, and they aren't afraid to show it. I feel like that's an admirable trait, and humans have come to rely on the comfort of that special bond that happens between a cat and a human that is different from other animals." -Keenados

"Cats are pretty low-maintenance compared to many other animals as pets, yet you get so much love and enjoyment from them. [Most] are less needy than dogs are, and are happy to be left alone for at least part of the day ... My comic book character, Emily the Strange, prefers cats over humans as her best friends. Perhaps others also realize that cats can keep you company, and be around for you in your times of need, but come with a lot less baggage than most humans do." -Reger


The Little Friends of Printmaking


"Cats have been the cornerstone of social media since the dawn of visual communication. Society has been constantly asking our collective minds one question: how do you make a cat do something that isn’t their idea? CatCon could be the next stepping stone in this pursuit for [having] greater intelligence than a cat.



"Also, though, I think people would go to CatCon for the same reason they would go to a certain dinosaur-themed park -- for the off chance of seeing a stranger getting eaten by a really cute creature." -Davis

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This Instagram Celebrates The Amazing Diversity Of Women's Legs

June 2, 2015, 9:19 am

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Women's legs come in an incredible variety -- and one woman wants to showcase them on Instagram.



Stacey Baker, an associate photo editor at The New York Times Magazine, started uploading photos of women's legs back in March 2015 using the hashtag #CitiLegs. Baker photographs women from the waist down, celebrating different body types and style choices.



Baker, who has a book of photos coming out this fall, also said that working on the project has made her appreciate the beauty of all body types even further.

"I'd always wanted long, model thin legs, like Christy Turlington," she told HuffPost. "But my favorite photographs in this project are pictures of legs that have curves -- I think some of them look like sculptures. And that's been good for me to see."



See more images from the #CitiLegs project below, and check out Baker's Instagram account here.



















h/t Slate

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Ben Flajnik Met His Girlfriend, Stephanie Winn, On Tinder

June 2, 2015, 10:23 am

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The dust had not yet settled from Season 16 of "The Bachelor" when Ben Flajnik and his chosen winner, Courtney Robertson, admitted they were having problems, and just a few months later, they'd ended their made-for-TV engagement for good. But while Flajnik's bid at finding eternal love on "The Bachelor" failed (as most do, given the show's poor track record), he took a more normal approach to getting back in the game.

"I found [love] on a dating app," Flajnik told HuffPost's Here To Make Friends podcast, joking, "Swipe right, swipe right." To clarify, yes, Flajnik met his girlfriend of a year and a half, Stephanie Winn, on Tinder.

Tinder has gained a reputation as more of a hook-up app, but it looks like it can lead to love after all. The couple now lives together in San Francisco -- with a dog, of course. "Nice, normal life," said Flajnik. "Live in a quiet neighborhood in the city and, you know, friends all around."

The oenophile and one-time vintner is all-in on dating apps, as a matter of fact. He's left the vineyard and returned to the world of consumer tech. His current project, The Gentleman App, promises to pick up where Tinder leaves off, by ensuring modern men know how to treat their girlfriends properly.

For more, check out the new episode of HuffPost's podcast, Here To Make Friends!



This podcast is produced and edited by Katelyn Bogucki.

You can subscribe and rate Here To Make Friends on iTunes and listen to other HuffPost Podcasts on The Huffington Post's iTunes Page. Thanks to our guests Emily Warman and Ben Flajnik.

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Summer Is Here. Are You Happy Now?

June 2, 2015, 1:56 pm

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SUMMER SUMMER SUMMER SUMMER!

Okay, let's calm down. Yes, summer is here, and it is awesome -- but there's a lot left to go, so save your energy. And let's not forget the one thing that truly sucks about summer. We never think of it as we're coming out of winter and spring because LOOK, THERE'S SUMMER, HERE IT COMES! Beaches! Shorts! And then that first humid 85-degree day hits … and the one con of summer becomes apparent.



Remember this feeling next year. Have fun doing all these awesome summer things. But remember the sweating.

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Navajo Band Teaches Native American Youth How To Write Their Own Songs, Overcome Obstacles

June 2, 2015, 2:12 pm

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In the eyes of brother-and-sister duo Sihasin, music is a powerful tool with the potential to transform lives -- or that’s their hope, at least.

The Arizona band, comprised of Jeneda and Clayson Benally, plays an unusual brand of music that’s difficult to classify: it incorporates electric bass and modern drums with sounds more typical of their background, growing up as the children of a traditional medicine man in the Navajo Nation. Their father, Jones Benally, sings on some of their songs, which also harken back to their punk roots from their former band, Blackfire.

“We fuse our traditional songs into contemporary techniques,” Clayson explained to Indian County, a Native news website, earlier this year. “It's hard to describe. For us, it's a form of communication. Sihasin is Navajo for 'hope.' It's part of our philosophical foundation."

The duo played at and helped organize a Native American showcase at the SXSW music festival in Austin this year and, as reported by NPR, they have also brought their music and message to the youth of Indian County.

NPR reports the band teaches Native American youth how to write songs that help them express themselves, especially during difficult times. This is particularly meaningful as American Indian youth have disproportionately low graduation rates and are at high risk of suicide, according to the Center for Native American Youth at the Aspen Institute.

The band also recently spoke at a Navajo high school’s graduation, telling the students, according to NPR, "You carry our hope, you carry our future within you. I don't want you to feel burdened by that. I want you to feel empowered by that."

In addition to offering a message of hope to American Indian youth, the band is also optimistic that their music is helping to break down the stereotypes of what Native American music is, and what it isn't.

"I think in terms of representing our Native American heritage, we have to utilize every single modern tool possible," Jeneda told RYOT, a cause-based news website, this year. "It’s not only about allowing people to see us telling our story, but it’s also about cultural survival."

Watch Sihasin's video for "Take a Stand," released last year:




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Carnegie Mellon Students Create Interactive Graphic Novel To Teach How To Stop Sexual Assault

June 2, 2015, 3:40 pm

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A class at Carnegie Mellon University has created an interactive graphic novel aimed at helping students better understand how to spot warning signs and intervene to stop sexual assault in real social situations.

The online game, "Decisions that Matter," walks users through various scenarios on campus. Your character might experience catcalling, notice someone being groped by a friend or go to a party where a sexual assault may or may not take place, depending on the choices you make. The game is meant to provide a better way for students to understand how an approach called "bystander intervention" actually works.



The class' goal was to create something students wouldn't "roll their eyes" at, unlike some other products on the market.

"We think this is really different -- a welcome experience -- that makes people want to think harder about it," said Andy Norman, an adjunct faculty member in CMU's philosophy department.

"One of the things I first said when they came to me," said Jessica Klein, CMU's coordinator of gender programs and sexual violence prevention, "I said, 'I am so tired of these cheesy products with these standard stock photos of white people in a business setting.' It's so not relatable."

In fact, the students are so pleased with their project, they're offering it for free to other colleges to use in their freshman orientation programs. Klein said her office is discussing how they'll incorporate it into their own schoolwide efforts. One possibility is that the school will hold small group sessions, perhaps within a fraternity or led by a resident adviser, where students can play through the game and then discuss it.



The interdisciplinary project course is designed to combine social sciences with technology in ways that address actual issues in society. The class, part of CMU's Entertainment Technology Center, went through 30 revisions of the game's script and play-tested the results. Students were trying to guard against elements "that sounded corny or sounded too preachy, or [where] the point was too obvious," Norman said.

"They worked very hard to make sure the story is not predictable and the answers you are expected to give are not predictable," he explained.




Savannah Badalich, a student at the University of California, Los Angeles, noted with approval that the game includes "a diverse group of students saying things students would actually say."

"I love that it covers sexual harassment, and in a real setting off the bat," said Badalich, who founded the anti-rape group 7000 In Solidarity at UCLA. Sexual harassment is one of the hardest things to explain to students, she said -- especially certain ideas, like how catcalling is actually harassment.

Badalich added that she hopes "Decisions that Matter" will eventually also incorporate stalking, intimate partner violence and LGBTQ relationships.

If the game doesn't address those issues, then it "erases the experiences of LGBTQ survivors and male survivors," said Tracey Vitchers, chair of the nonprofit advocacy group Students Active for Ending Rape.

"Other problematic aspects of 'Decisions that Matter' have to do with the positioning of the characters themselves," Vitchers told The Huffington Post. "[Character] Natalie is positioned as having very little agency, which reinforces negative stereotypes about survivors and/or potential survivors. And Luke, her love interest, is positioned as an unintentional aggressor who simply doesn't understand that what he is doing is wrong."

Vitchers said she's not a fan of most other products on the market, usually in the form of apps, that claim to offer a way for potential victims to stop attacks. While she agrees that bystander intervention can help create a community emphasis on stopping rape, Vitchers said she's worried colleges will focus too much on these approaches at the expense of discussing consent.

But Klein hopes the game will help reach people who do not think they're capable of perpetrating this type of violence, as well as people who might intervene in a situation.

"It's so easy for people to say, 'Well, I wouldn't have gone to that place in the first place,' and that's so victim-blaming," Klein said. "You don't know what you would do unless you're actually in that situation. [In this game], you're confronting what you actually might do in that situation."

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See The Origins Of Feminism At Work In The Powerful First 'Suffragette' Trailer

June 3, 2015, 5:59 am

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"All my life I've been doing what men told me. Well, I can't have that anymore."

That's a line from the inaugural trailer for "Suffragette," the new film about the battle to secure women's voting rights in the early 1900s. The sentiment is just as resonant today, with the collective culture turning to feminism to break the patriarchal glass ceiling. It's an apt time to revisit history, and Focus Features will allow us to do just that come Oct. 23, when Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter and Meryl Streep headline this Oscar contender. In the meantime, The Huffington Post and its parent company, AOL, have the exclusive first full trailer for the film, which is directed by Sarah Gavron ("Brick Lane") and written by Abi Morgan ("The Iron Lady").

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From A Stand-Up Paddleboard, A Street Artist Brings Life To Abandoned Waterfront Buildings

June 3, 2015, 6:54 am

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On a rusted and cracked wall, at an undisclosed location, a portrait of a young woman overlooks a grim waterway. The woman, who is eerily calm in expression, is larger than life and appears to be wading in the calm water, as if half-submerged in a bath.

Sean Yoro, the New York-based artist known as Hula, has created a series of such haunting portraits using oil paint and similarly abandoned or lifeless concrete walls, creating, as he told CNN, "a mysterious surreal combination."

"I chose the locations because they reminded me of ghost towns needing to breathe life again," he told The Huffington Post. "[These] figures seemed lost in these structures, almost out of place."

Yoro, who was born in Hawaii and surfs, uses a stand-up paddleboard to reach the walls, then uses anchors and rope to keep himself steady as he paints. Each portrait can take anywhere from a couple of hours to an entire day to complete. He was inspired, he says, by an underwater photoshoot he did where he realized he could fulfill his creativity as an artist while still having fun in the water.

"Thus the idea sparked to paint walls in the water," he said. "From there, everything else came together beautifully, from the paddleboard to locations."



Yoro's hyperrealistic portraits typically feature a simple pattern of stripes on the women's neck, arm or face. The tattoos were inspired by some of Yoro's older portraits, which showed women with their hands covered in paint and marked with stripes, "like patterns from their fingers dragging," he said.

"I loved the look, so I combined traditional Hawaiian tribal patterns with the same playful paint-like texture to make tattoos on the figures," he added. "They represented the unique scars from life we all have and carry with us. I wanted to show how people interact to their scars and, more importantly, the beauty and importance of them."



While Yoro's wall portraits are haunting, they're also only temporary. Because he uses oil paints -- as opposed to longer-lasting acrylic paints -- the images will decay over time. But he doesn't mind.

"I love the aging process and what nature does to the paintings," he told HuffPost. "It feels natural to create these paintings and let them go."

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There's Less To This Belgian Church Than Meets The Eye

June 3, 2015, 6:56 am

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From far away, this church looks like any of the other Christian houses of worship that dot the Belgian region of Haspengouw. But step closer and the building slowly dissolves into the landscape.

“Reading Between the Lines” is a see-through church, the project of young Belgian architects Pieterjan Gijs and Arnout Van Vaerenbergh, who say the 33-foot structure is meant to be a statement about the way Belgians see religion today. Nearly one-third of Belgians don’t identify with a specific religion, according to the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs at Georgetown University.

Belgium has many little parish churches, but because of declining attendance, the architects say these churches are falling into disuse. They wanted to highlight this "emptying-out" of churches, and the possibilities of reusing these buildings for art.

“Our ambition was to create construction as a memory: sometimes concrete, sometimes vague,” the architects, who work collectively as Gijs Van Vaerenbergh, told The Huffington Post in an email.

Check out more of the team's work here.

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Here's The Taye Diggs Fatherhood Rap You've Been Missing Your Whole Life

June 3, 2015, 7:12 am

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Actor Taye Diggs has already proved he's triple threat onstage. And in this new commercial, he shows that he knows a thing or two about fatherhood as well.

In honor of Father's Day, the dad to 5-year-old Walker teamed up with Dockers to create "#DadJam," an original rap video about what it takes to be a good parent. In the video, Diggs tells the story of one man's journey through fatherhood, with lines like "high roller with a stroller giving cheeks a squeeze," "from pep talk to carpool his dadness never stops," and "homework and little league, it doesn't slow his flow."

Get down with your dad self, indeed.

H/T New York Daily News



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After Retirement, Esther Ritz Became A Full-Time Painter At 55 And Never Looked Back

June 3, 2015, 7:15 am

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Esther Ritz, "Furry Man"



The art world has an alluring, if somewhat illusory, exterior. It gives off the impression of being progressive, fluid, experimental -- a space for outsiders of all kinds to converge and create. In reality, however, the art world is as guilty of many of the prejudices that skew contemporary culture surrounding issues of gender, race and age.

Ageism has a special bond with the mainstream artistic establishment. Dealers, galleries, museums and curators are often criticized for sniffing out young artists. Often referred to as emerging artists, like villainous cartoon characters, they're hungry for unripened and unmediated artistic genius, the next big thing. The sentiment echoes persistent myths regarding creativity, such as psychologist Harvey Lehman's 1953 conclusion that "the genius does not function equally well throughout the years of adulthood. Superior creativity rises relatively rapidly to a maximum which occurs usually in the 30s and then falls off slowly."

Although the art world gatekeepers have long been notorious for their youth-centric fetish, that's only one narrative. For one, French sculptor Louise Bourgeois experienced her artistic pinnacle far later in life, creating the iconic sculpture "Maman" in 1999 at 88 years old. "I am a long-distance runner," the artist said. "It takes me years and years and years to produce what I do." And then there's sculptor Alice Mackler, who was praised for her first solo exhibition when it debuted in 2013; Mackler was 81 years old.

Left: Louise Bourgeois, "Spider," 2003. Collection The Easton Foundation. Photo: Christopher Burke. Right: Alice Mackler, untitled 2014, glazed ceramic, 9 x 4 x 5 inches

Not every story of late-blooming artistic potency garners so much attention. Born in New York City, Esther Ritz spent most of her life in Dallas. She married, had children, finished law school, worked in real estate and, at the age of 55, became an artist.

Ritz grew up amid the rise of Expressionism, and recalls regarding Picasso as one of her favorite artists. Both influences are discernible in her vibrant, acrylic-on-paper paintings, which take root in the depths of the imagination and grow outward in all directions like a mutant weed. Ritz's work echoes a variety of eras and movements, depending on your vantage point.

From one angle, her canvases recall the blaring colors and confrontational passion of Dorothy Iannone; from another, the spiritual storytelling of Marc Chagall. Look closer still and you'll see a contemporary glare, reminiscent of the trending "slacker aesthetic" embodied by artists like Misaki Kawai.

Esther Ritz, "The Wedding"

Ritz's work occupies many different styles and spaces, which isn't surprising -- she's consumed a lot of images. The humble revolutionary told The Huffington Post more about her artistic journey.

Let's start at the beginning. Tell me about your childhood and, if you remember, your earliest experiences with either making or seeing art.
Well, I was born in New York City and lived in New York for a couple of years as a baby. Then I lived in Newark, New Jersey, where my Dad was from, in a middle class Jewish neighborhood until I was about 12. Then we moved south. First we moved to Charleston, South Carolina, for a few years and in the ninth grade I moved to Dallas, where I live now.

In terms of my interest in art, I give my parents a whole lot of credit. They always encouraged me and gave me lessons. One of my earliest memories -- I must have been maybe 10 years old. My parents bought me this real artist set with a wooden box and all these paints and brushes. I felt very grown up. As a child and even as a teenager I was always encouraged. In my later teenage years I let the whole thing go. I dropped it for quite a long time, got married, had children. I went back to school and got a law degree. There were 25 years where I didn't do anything.

You didn't do any art whatsoever?
Every once and a while I'd do Sunday painting type of thing, but nothing serious. I retired from the business world in about 1996. In between I had gotten a law degree and after that gone into commercial real estate. I finally retired in the mid-'90s and that's when I really began focusing on my art. I've been at it now around 18 years.

Growing up did you ever think you would work as a full-time artist?
I did have these fantasies! When I became a teenager, and started dating and becoming social, the whole thing kind of went away. I was in my mid-twenties I would occasionally take painting classes at the community center and would have these fantasies about being a big famous artist. But they were just fantasies.

Do you remember being inspired by any female artists in particular growing up, either that you knew personally or from afar?
When I was young, I don't think I was aware of any female artists, quite frankly. We'd go into New York sometimes and go to the museums, and it was important for my parents to expose their children to art and culture. But I honestly don't think as a child I knew of any female artists. Of course, as an adult, it's a whole different story. But not when I was little.

Do you remember being disturbed by the lack of female representation in the art world?
I have to say, the women's movement didn't really kick in until the late '60s, and the awareness of their being no women didn't even really begin until then, I think. Then women began asking, "Where are all the women artists?" When I was a child in the 1950s -- I was born in '42 -- nobody was wondering where the women artists were at that point.

But I would say my parents never said to me you can't do this because you're a woman. I have to hand it to them, they were amazing.

Esther Ritz, "Diamond Lady"

Did you ever take steps to become a working artist earlier in life?
Before I went to law school I wanted to go to architecture school, but at that point I was married with kids, so that wasn't a possibility. I think things like visual art and color have always interested me, but it wasn't until I didn't have to worry about making a living that I could throw myself into the art completely and really get going.

It seems pretty rare to discover this immense artistic power in yourself after so many years, especially in a field that's often seen as youth-centric. What would you say to others out there who may not realize that beginning an art career later in life is an option?
I wouldn't discourage anyone from being an artist starting out younger! But I would certainly say don't not try it at a certain age because you think you're too old. If you want a second career, start it whenever you are ready. I would definitely encourage that.

Are there any major benefits in particular from delving into your art career now as opposed to earlier in life?
One of the biggest advantages of doing it at this time in my life is that I don't need to show the art. I don't have the financial pressure there or the pressure of needing a day job. Creatively, it frees you up tremendously.

I would never have done the kind of work I'm making now if I thought, "I have to sell this thing." It was very much an emotional, internal kind of thing. From that point of view I think it's a good thing, not to put yourself into the financial pressure of needing to make art sell.

Your paintings began more abstract and veered deeper into more recognizable figurative images over time. What spurred that shift?
I had been doing abstract works for a long time and began to go to these workshops which introduced me to an idea of a spontaneous, intuitive way of painting. The more I did it, the more it spoke to me. I got much deeper into my subconscious, whereas the abstract images are more about capturing the surface of the moment. For the figurative images, I have to really ask myself: "What I'm really seeing? What am I resisting?" Especially the latter question. If I notice I'm resisting something that's usually a sign that I should be going in that direction.

Esther Ritz, "Tulip Monster"

One piece you mentioned to me early on as significant to you is "The Tulip Monster." Would you mind talking about the painting a bit and explaining what it is we're looking at?
First of all, all of my paintings are done on sheets of paper that I tape together, so I never know how big they're going to get, how many pieces I'm going to tape together. "The Tulip Monster" began with these three little tulips, just a sweet little painting. But the plant just kept growing. I kept seeing more and more, it was very expansive feeling.

When I decided to put the arms on either side, the image became more frightening. I allowed myself to go to a place where it was not okay. It's not just a plant anymore, it's this monster. And we don't know who it is or what it is and what's going to happen. The piece is about allowing myself to imagine the worst. What would happen if something like this shows up in my imagination? It's a way not to censor where my imagination might lead.

And what about "The Wedding"?
When I started this one I thought it was going to be about a couple in love. But it turned out so different. People have told me it reminds them of the Tree of Life, or Adam and Eve, but I had none of that in mind when I began. The piece was just kind of a crazy progression of "well, what would happen next?"

If you can, how would you summarize what you hope to communicate through your work?
I've showed my work to a lot of people, and, I feel kind of embarrassed to say it, but some of these things really touch people, really move them. I think because I'm able to get to a very deep emotional place, people can touch things in themselves they may not be able to feel otherwise. It's not my purpose necessarily, but I'm so so happy when people are moved and ask me questions and want to talk about it.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

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A Brief History Of 'F**kboy,' The Internet's Favorite New Man-Bashing Slur

June 3, 2015, 7:31 am

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In 1979, "Saturday Night Live's" Jane Curtin and Dan Aykroyd faced off to parody a "60 Minutes" debate.

"Jane, you ignorant slut," Aykroyd began, playing the offensive traditionalist. "Dan, you pompous ass," Curtin would counter. The sketch is a classic, but there's an odd imbalance between the insults each comedian uses. Aykroyd is able to attack Curtin's sexual history, intellect and moral code, while Curtin's response only cuts so deep as to imply that he's unpleasant.

It's only a joke, but one that shows how our language makes it much easier to insult women, often based on their sexuality. Luckily, the Internet is here to plug that gender gap, and there's another biting term for men picking up speed: "fuckboy."

It doesn't mean what you (might) think it means.

http://adotjam.tumblr.com/post/64843107289/once-a-fuckboy-always-a-fuckboy

In essence, a fuckboy (sometimes stylized "fuckboi" or "fuccboi") is a (usually straight, white) dude embodying something akin to the "man whore" label, mashed up with some "basic" qualities and a light-to-heavy sprinkling of misogyny. But consensus on a singular definition is a work in progress.

In its original context, the word was used to insult a man for lack of traditional masculinity. On Urban Dictionary -- the respected authority on such matters -- the first definition of a fuckboy, from December 2004, is "a person who is a weak ass pussy." Nothing new. But in the second entry, written nearly ten years later, fuckboys take on a different set of traits, like "relies on his mom but doesn't respect women" and "can't find the clitoris."

Connor who won't calm down with his axe spray tryna infect ya lungs cause he's a fuckboy, reads one example sentence. And another: Timothy over here asking' for nudes when all u did was say hello so he's a fuckboy.

Here the term changes meaning, dismissing the subject's ego and going so far as to call out his inappropriate sexual advances. Insults like that are few and far between. Sure, we can use "man whore" or a "male slut," but the necessity of those modifiers drives home the fact that whores and sluts are, inherently, women. (Plus, terms like "man whore" attack a man based on his presumed number of sexual partners -- "fuckboy" speaks much more to his character.)



The more recent Urban Dictionary entry has 4,000 fewer upvotes than the "weak ass" definition above it -- though the first had a decade to accrue those votes of approval -- but, after getting reposted to Tumblr, got over 400,000 likes and reblogs. A few months later, a blog on the site called Fuckboy Files popped up, which is essentially a screenshot chronicle of the cringeworthy pickup lines sent to one 25-year-old woman via online dating sites. Now, a simple search now returns a nearly endless stream of Tumblr text posts despairing fuckboys in the dating scene.

It's not hard to see why "fuckboy" is suddenly so popular. It's immensely satisfying to say -- a harsh consonant kicks off a cutting expletive attached to a word that feels comically small. The target is a "boy." Not a "man." It's both wonderfully vulgar and emasculating.

A Google search shows the term being used as far back as 2002, when it appeared in a Cam'ron song called "Boy, Boy." More recently, it's been used in a growing number of rap and hip-hop songs, as its definition evolves from weakness to something more like douchebaggery.

http://hollypolygon.tumblr.com/post/120450868786/fuckboys-are-such-hypocrites-i-urge-you-all-to

http://deidarastar.tumblr.com/post/120356012015/the-fuckboys-are-evolving-acgym

Yes, it's a mean word. But forgive us for withholding sympathy for dudes who try to walk all over women in the name of sex and personal favors -- and then get called out pointedly for doing so.

A February 2015 Thought Catalog post described fuckboys as a band of unfaithful, attention-craving bros, while over on BuzzFeed, signs you're dealing with a fuckboy include misspelled tattoos and two or more mirror selfies on Instagram. A guy's appearance, however tasteless, doesn't seem to make a fuckboy on its own -- it's when those traits are paired with shitty behavior, the more serious offense, that a fuckboy really shines.

That shitty behavior, of course, isn't limited to average bro territory. Writer and comedian Gaby Dunn has called out celebrity men allegedly using their fame to manipulate non-famous women as "fuckboys." (Let's stop giving Josh Groban our numbers, yeah?)

#straightwhiteboysslidingintoDMs pic.twitter.com/WLPDVpaSf1

— Gaby Dunn (@gabydunn) May 21, 2015

There will always be jerks out there, but at least now we have one more (kinda hilarious) word to describe them -- with no female equivalent. While it isn't exactly equality, it does give us another way to call out the bad behavior that accompanies unchecked male privilege in the romance department.

Feel free to join us as we chill out in this nirvana:

http://krikri-rose.tumblr.com/post/119345102783

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Cameron Crowe Apologizes For Emma Stone's Casting In 'Aloha'

June 3, 2015, 7:58 am

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After widespread criticism over the casting of Emma Stone as a quarter-Hawaiian, quarter-Chinese woman in his new film "Aloha," Cameron Crowe issued an apology on Tuesday for the casting.

In a blog posted on his website, Crowe wrote, "I have heard your words and your disappointment, and I offer you a heart-felt apology to all who felt this was an odd or misguided casting choice."

Crowe also offered more background behind the choice of light-haired Stone, who is half-Swedish, and, according to IMDB, also of Scottish, Irish and English descent. "Captain Allison Ng was written to be a super-proud ¼ Hawaiian who was frustrated that, by all outward appearances, she looked nothing like one," he wrote, explaining that the character was based on a real red-haired Hawaiian, who also felt burdened by an outward lack of resemblance to other locals.

Crowe emphasized that the fault did not lie with Stone, writing, "if any part of her fine characterization has caused consternation and controversy, I am the one to blame."

While Crowe's apology, if qualified, is a welcome acknowledgement of critics' concerns with Stone's casting, his essay seems to elide other important racial critiques of "Aloha." "I am so proud that in the same movie, we employed many Asian-American, Native-Hawaiian and Pacific-Islanders, both before and behind the camera," he wrote, pointing to Bumpy Kanahele, a real activist who plays himself in the film. He also takes pains to explain the real-life backstory behind the Caucasian-appearing Hawaiian local, Ng.

Critics argue the problems go far deeper, however. As Jen Yamato pointed out on The Daily Beast, "Crowe might’ve even gotten away with it if he’d cast any of his supporting characters with minorities, more accurately repping the ethnic makeup of the islands."

Aside from Kanahele, the primary cast is entirely white; the issue of Hawaiian independence and the lives of Hawaiian locals act as a backdrop for Bradley Cooper's military mission and love triangle.

"Beyond Bumpy Kanahele, most of these [Hawaiian local characters] don't even have names!" Guy Aoki of the Media Action Network for Asian Americans told The Huffington Post. "You see spiritual elder number one, spiritual elder number two, cashier, hula instructor, hula girl one, hula girl two to hula girl 12. How substantial are those parts going to be?"

H/T Time

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Beautiful Pregnancy Time-Lapse Shows New Mom And New Nursery Transform

June 3, 2015, 9:00 am

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When graphic designer Byron Louie's wife Monique was pregnant with their first child, the excited dad-to-be decided to document their nine-month journey to parenthood. He took a photo of the expectant mama each day and turned the series into a beautiful time-lapse video.

"It was a nice creative outlet to help calm the nerves that came with all of this, being that it's my first child," Byron told The Huffington Post. The video also shows the transformation of their guest room into a nursery and the growing excitement of their dogs, Munster and Dunder (who had his own viral moment with another awesome time-lapse video of his first year).

Byron and Monique welcomed their son Dylan into the world in May, and so far, the dad says parenthood is "amazing." Gushing about his wife, he added, "Everyday is a learning experience, and though not easy, she seems to be a natural. She loves every minute of it even the late night feedings."

The family dogs are also thrilled to have a new little brother. "They will not leave his side," Byron said. "Dunder just wants to lick him all the time and Munster will just stare at him almost as if he is a proud parent. It's really cute to see."

The new father said he hopes the video helps other parents learn that while pregnancy is not easy, it can still "be an enjoyable experience." He continued, "Staying positive and having fun is the best thing you can do during this time. Also, take lots of pictures because these days will fly by."

They sure do.

H/T BuzzFeed



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How Smartphones Have Changed Photography, In One Image

June 3, 2015, 9:24 am

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Remember cameras? They could zoom and flash and focus ... cameras were great. There were even disposable cameras that you could buy pretty inexpensively.


And remember photographs? They used to be physical things. You put them in a book or in a frame or even carried them around in your wallet! Good times.

Now ... we have smartphones. We're taking more photos than ever, but what happens to them? We forget about the pictures we take so quickly that there are even apps that bring old photos to our attention. Thanks, TimeHop!

Thankfully, the site Kind Of Normal has broken it all down for us.

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Seth Sikes Will Honor Judy Garland's 93rd Birthday With A Return Cabaret Engagement In New York

June 3, 2015, 11:02 am

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Over the past year, Seth Sikes has channeled Judy Garland in three memorable, sold out performances focused exclusively on the Hollywood legend's fabled songbook.

The 31-year-old Texas native, who is best known in New York theatrical circles for his work behind the scenes, will celebrate what would have been Garland's 93rd birthday on June 10 with a return engagement of “Seth Sikes Sings Judy Garland” at Manhattan nightspot 54 Below.


Sikes will perform the Garland songbook June 10 at New York's 54 Below.

The show, which Sikes co-conceived with Tony Award winner Lisa Lambert and is directed by Eric Gilliland, is not an impersonation or novelty act, but rather a heartfelt homage to a beloved icon that's an absolute joy to experience. Like many gay men, Sikes has an affinity for Garland that runs deep, and he puts a time-honored, yet contemporary, spin on classics like “The Man that Got Away,” “The Trolley Song” and “Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart.” Meanwhile, he performs several tunes in Garland’s original key while sharing quirky anecdotes about his Judy-worshipping adolescence in Texas.



Sikes performed "I Got Rhythm/Everybody Sing" in April.

“If anybody had told me a year ago that I'd be doing the show for the fourth time, I'd have told them they were insane,” he told The Huffington Post. “But I'm so glad I get to help keep her songs and spirit alive.”

Following the 54 Below performance, Sikes will hit the road, and is currently slated to play the Provincetown Theater in Provincetown, Massachusetts Aug. 18.

“Sometimes I think, ‘Seth, you’re doing the most stereotypically gay show in the world,’” he told HuffPost in an April interview. “But then I go the other way, and I ask, ‘What else would I do?’ And I think about how I get an opportunity to keep these songs alive. I do them as me, and people seem to react.”

“Seth Sikes Sings Judy Garland” plays New York's 54 Below on June 10. Head here for more details.

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Actor Slams American Ballet Theater's 'Jim Crow' Production Of 'Othello'

June 3, 2015, 11:54 am

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A professional actor who attended the American Ballet Theater's production of "Othello" sent a fiery letter to the company decrying its use of dark makeup on the dancer in the title role.

The New-York based ballet company staged four performances of "Othello" at Manhattan's Metropolitan Opera House in May. Marcelo Gomes, a principal dancer with the company, played the lead for two of those shows, according to the ABT's website.

Robert Manning Jr., an actor who attended the May 19 performance starring Gomes, wrote to the ABT two days later to express his "disgust" at the use of dark brown makeup by the ballet's "light-skinned" star. The performance is based on Shakespeare's tragedy of a black general in an Italian army.

"Being African-American and living in this country, I am often confronted with racial insensitivity in my every day life. I have even come to expect it in certain situations which is an unfortunate feeling to experience every day. But I never, and I mean never, thought I would experience this feeling at the ABT production of Othello at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City," Manning wrote in a letter published Tuesday on the website Broadway Black.

"I hope you will sit down with me and attempt to explain to me, in person, why you believed it was a remotely good idea to not only cast Othello with a light-skinned Brazilian ballet dancer, BUT to also paint his face BROWN," Manning wrote. "I was not looking forward to being insulted. I was not looking forward to a Jim Crow production of Othello in 2015. I left after the first act and I will never attend another ABT production for the rest of my life and I will encourage anyone I know to follow suit."

Manning elaborated Wednesday in an interview with The Huffington Post.

“I don’t have a problem with Mr. Gomes playing Othello, but don’t paint him," he said. "I’ve performed in Othello as Cassio [a light-skinned character] but they didn’t paint me white."

Manning, who’s had roles on television shows like "The Good Wife" and "The Blacklist," said he specifically didn’t call it “blackface” because that evokes images of white actors mocking African-Americans with stereotypes.

“The tradition of what blackface is, that’s not what this was. They weren’t trying to make fun of the way black people acted,” Manning said. “But the ignorance of it is unbelievable.”

Gomes had previously posted a photo on his Instagram account showing him getting into character with the help of ABT's makeup team.

Becoming #othello was so much fun with our makeup team and a little help from our friend the #airbrush ! Thanks to Valentina and Rena and her team !! #instanttan #bronzed #behindthescene at #abtmetseason15

A photo posted by Marcelo Gomes (@marcelua) on May 21, 2015 at 5:56am PDT

Manning said ABT has not yet responded to his letter. Kelly Ryan, a spokeswoman for ABT, told HuffPost the company would issue a response in one to two days.

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George R.R. Martin Addresses Violence Against Women On 'Game Of Thrones' And In His Books

June 3, 2015, 12:54 pm

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One of the biggest criticisms against "Game of Thrones," especially in Season 5, is the show's depiction of violence against women. Multiple times over the course of the show, female characters have been raped, brutally murdered and subjected to continual sexual violence at the hands of men.

Spoiler alert for Season 5 of "Game of Thrones."

Earlier this season, Sansa Stark was violently raped by the sadistic Ramsay Snow, an episode which caused so much controversy that multiple critics and viewers announced they were quitting the show. On top of this, Sansa was almost raped earlier in the series, her pregnant sister-in-law, Talisa Stark, was stabbed in the stomach and killed during the Red Wedding, Cersei Lannister was raped by her brother Jaime in a hotly debated episode last year, and Daenerys Targaryen was raped by husband Khal Drogo before falling in love with him.

Entertainment Weekly caught up with author George R.R. Martin to ask him about the violence against women in his books and on the show -- the latter of which often deviates from the books. Martin has said before how his book series is a reflection of medieval Europe and patriarchal society at the time. "The Middle Ages were not a time of sexual egalitarianism," Martin told EW. He mentioned that while his books do include strong female characters like Sansa and Brienne, Westeros is still a place where the roles and treatment of women are much like they were in the Middle Ages.

But if an author creates a fantasy world, why should he stick to the immoral treatment of women in history? Martin knows this is an argument many critics have, but he says his books are grounded in history, which doesn't leave much room to portray an egalitarian society. "That’s not in our history," Martin said. "It’s something for science fiction. And 21st century America isn’t egalitarian, either. There are still barriers against women. It’s better than what it was. It’s not 'Mad Men' anymore, which was in my lifetime."



Martin also said it would be "fundamentally dishonest" for him to exclude any sexual violence against women in his stories that are so embedded in times of war. "Rape, unfortunately, is still a part of war today," Martin told EW. "It’s not a strong testament to the human race, but I don’t think we should pretend it doesn’t exist."

Following the controversy that stemmed from Sansa's rape scene on "Game of Thrones" this season, Martin took to his blog to remind fans how the show and books are two different entities. One cause of contention for viewers was that a minor character is raped in the books, instead of Sansa on the show. Martin seemed to not be bothered by the major plot change, writing that "prose and television have different strengths, different weaknesses, different requirements," but that he hopes fans can still enjoy both.

While many have spoken out against the scene, one writer came to Martin and the show's defense. "Hannibal" creator Bryan Fuller recently said that he thought the Sansa scene was "handled tastefully, all things considered." Fuller also reiterated how Sansa's traumatic storyline was something common to the time period "GoT" is inspired by.

"Game of Thrones" airs on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET on HBO.

For more, head to Entertainment Weekly.

Need help? In the U.S., visit the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline operated by RAINN. For more resources, visit the National Sexual Violence Resource Center's website.

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