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The Post - Official Trailer [HD] -  20th Century FOX - YouTube.MP4

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New York Times V. United States, June 30, 1971.docx

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Amendment I - The United States Constitution.pdf

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vietnam-war-summary - The Vietnam War.pdf

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What Are the Pentagon Papers? The True Story Behind the New Movie 'The Post'.pdf

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capture écran The Espionage Act 1917.tiff

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Justice Black concurring NY Times V. United States.pdf

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How Vietnam Changed Journalism - The New York Times.pdf

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Here is the assignment to be done before Monday, May 7th. Watch the short video about the Vietnam War. Take notes and get ready to speak in class.

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Here is the assignment to be done before Monday, May 7th. Watch the short video about the Vietnam War. Take notes and get ready to speak in class.

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Make any video your lesson. Pick a video, add your magical touch and track your students' understanding.

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Breaking News! Here are the instructions and the class code to have access to the online classroom I created for you to help you improve your skills! Enjoy!

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Breaking News! Here are the instructions and the class code to have access to the online classroom I created for you to help you improve your skills! Enjoy!

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capture ecran instructions and code 1LVA.tiff

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You can also join the online classroom by clicking on the link below!

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You can also join the online classroom by clicking on the link below!

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Make any video your lesson. Pick a video, add your magical touch and track your students' understanding.

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Watch the video clip and answer the quizz. Have fun!

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Edpuzzle assignment. Make video delivery an interactive experience. Students watch the lesson while answering the quizzes. The teacher gets the powerful hassle-free analytics.

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How the Fashion Industry is killing women

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How the Fashion Industry is killing women

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Press article written by Libby Rodenbough, and posted on April 13th 2011.

posted by Mrs. B.

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On Nov. 17, 2010, anorexia nervosa claimed the life of 28-year-old French model Isabelle Caro, who had spent the last years of her life publicizing the horrors of the disease. Her mother, devastated by grief and guilt, committed suicide several weeks later. In 2007, Caro had appeared in "No Anorexia," an ad campaign by provocative fashion photographer Oliviero Toscani, shown above on a billboard in Rome. The images of her naked, grotesquely emaciated body shocked and revolted. The campaign, intended to disassociate unhealthy thinness with connotations of glamour, sparked controversy, in part because some pro-anorexia and -bulimia websites used its ads as "thinspiration" (collections of images or videos of slim to skeletal women used by those suffering from eating disorders for weight-loss motivation). Despite her commitment to heightening awareness of anorexia, Caro could not escape its demons.

Caro's unsettling death recalled a string of fatalities in 2006 and 2007 of fashion models who suffered from eating disorders, which, while highly publicized at the time, had since largely faded from the public's-and the fashion industry's-memory.

On Aug. 2, 2006, moments after stepping off a catwalk in Montevideo, Uruguay, 22-year-old fashion model Luisel Ramos collapsed and died from heart failure believed to have been triggered by self-imposed starvation. Ramos' father reported that she had been subsisting on a diet of lettuce and Diet Coke in anticipation of the show. On Nov. 15, 2006, 21-year-old Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston died in a São Paulo hospital from generalized infection. Her body had been rendered powerless to fight it by an extended battle with anorexia and bulimia. And on Feb. 13, 2007, Ramos' sister, Eliana, also a model and only 18 years old, was found dead at her grandparents' home, apparently having suffered a heart attack linked to malnutrition.

This rapid succession of casualties provided a wake-up call for the international fashion industry. One detail in particular made it impossible to ignore: All three women, even on the brink of death, were taking home paychecks as working models. The industry responded with regulations varying by country in substance and severity. But the effects of voluntary measures adopted in the United States are unknown, thanks in no small part to the continuing silence of industry leaders and insiders in New York City.

The industry's reaction

Within months, the fashion capitals of Madrid, Milan and São Paulo introduced new procedures for their runway shows, such as requiring that participating models pass a doctor's examination or meet a minimum Body Mass Index (BMI) of 18. (BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight; the World Health Organization classifies someone with a BMI of less than 18.5 as "underweight.")

Other industry leaders, however, shied away from such specificity. The fashion establishments in London and New York did take steps to address model health, but both opted for conspicuously less explicit regulations. London's British Fashion Council forwent minimum BMI requirements and doctors' assessments, but did produce an action plan of concrete steps to shift the international culture of fashion in a healthier direction. New York's industry leaders, on the other hand, elected only to frame a set of vague guidelines known as the Health Initiative.

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), a trade association, issued the initiative in January 2007. It recommends creating a healthy backstage environment at runway shows and referring models with eating disorders to professional help. It also advises that models participating in runway shows should be 16 or older. As in London, missing from the guidelines are minimum BMIs and medical evaluations for models. Also absent: any means to ensure the implementation of the recommendations, which are voluntary.

An inadequate response?

Advocacy groups cried foul. Weeks before the release of the Health Initiative, in an unprecedented joint effort, three of the most prominent organizations of their kind in the United States, the Eating Disorders Coalition (EDC), the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) and the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED) had formulated their own set of guidelines for the industry.

Their guidelines included a minimum BMI requirement of 18.5 for models over 18 and a graduated system of BMI requirements for younger models. They called for the development of "action steps to identify models in need of intervention." And they proposed an outright ban on airbrushing photos of models to create unrealistically thin images. Furthermore, the AED urged the industry "to institute regular, yearly medical evaluations and developmentally-appropriate medical and psychological screening and assessments for all models."

These nonprofit advocacy groups volunteered their own resources to assist the fashion industry in implementing the above proposals. While they have scant financial resources, these groups do serve to network physicians and other eating disorder experts. Conversely, what the multi-billion dollar fashion industry lacks in medical expertise, it compensates for in revenue. In an e-mail to In These Times, Cynthia M. Bulik, director of the University of North Carolina Eating Disorders Program and former president of the AED, wrote: "We have the advocates, we have the brainpower, we have the ability to help build and evaluate programs, but our meager dollars couldn't come close to the depth of their pockets!"

That seemingly fortuitous partnership has yet to become a reality. The CFDA Health Initiative fails to include some of the bolder recommendations of the eating disorder activists. Indeed, preemptively addressing any such criticism, the Initiative reads: "The CFDA Health Initiative is about awareness and education, not policing. Therefore, the committee does not recommend that models get a doctor's physical examination to assess their health or body-mass index to be permitted to work. Eating disorders are emotional disorders that have psychological, behavioral, social, and physical manifestations, of which body weight is only one."

Eating disorders are complex psychiatric disorders, but some experts worry that without concrete screening methods the Health Initiative will be ineffectual. "You can't tell someone's health by the BMI. It is not a perfect indicator. But the American fashion industry did not refuse to use BMI because they don't think it is a good indicator. They basically tried to take the teeth out of any real standards," says Jennifer L. Pozner, founder and executive director of Women in Media and News (WIMN). "Anything that would change the industry and hold them accountable in ways they could not deal with, they rejected."

In These Times asked CDFA if it has taken any specific measures to ensure the effectiveness of the Health Initiative and why it was not requiring a doctor's evaluation to ensure that models are in good physical health. Christine Olsen, CDFA's manager for public relations and special events, refused to answer, saying only, "We do not have a statement to add at this time."

Doctors' evaluations and screening models based on BMI are not foolproof ways to detect eating disorders, but they do have potential benefits. "[The screening methods] can definitely reduce the pressure on models to engage in unhealthy weight control behaviors," says Bulik. "They also help protect the consumers of the fashion industry from constantly being barraged by images of unusually thin women."

High standards of beauty

The pressure on models, both female and male, to be thin-and the resultant pressure on girls, boys, women and men to conform to an unattainable ideal-is immense. Because a model's professional success depends almost entirely on appearance, models obsess about their bodies. Yet the physical standards that models feel pressured to meet are unrealistic. A 2002 Centers for Disease Control report found that the average American woman is 5'4" and weighs 163 pounds; in 2006, it was estimated that the average female fashion model is 5'9" and 110 pounds.

The day-to-day stress of modeling is considerable, chiefly because all but the most famous are easily disposable. If a model doesn't fit into designers' samples, an agency can simply bring in a thinner replacement, and the ousted model has no channel for redress. Dutch model Marvy Rieder, 31, explains, "If you want to work, you have to fit into the clothes. That's not something your agent has to tell you; you come up with it very quickly yourself."

Though modeling has often been cast as a glamorous occupation epitomized by jet-setting socialites like Kate Moss and Gisele Bündchen, very few models are able to achieve such a degree of celebrity or financial security. "You have to realize that modeling is like a pyramid," says Rieder. "The majority of the models are at the bottom of the pyramid. It is a huge layer of really nice, really beautiful girls who cannot make a good living. I compare it to top athletes. They have a period of time when they peak, and then it's over."

Rieder, whose marVie Foundation provides health guidance for models through workshops and trainings, points out that in this survival-of-the-thinnest vocation, runway models in their twenties must compete with 15- and 16-year-old girls. "When I was 15 years old," she says, "I was just thin, and I could eat anything. But every girl...develops a female figure. From then on, the pressure increases. You have to stop the natural growth of your body to stay the same."

Rieder's long tenure in the profession has emboldened her to defy the compulsion to sacrifice health for work. She recognizes that her adult body no longer meets the strict expectations for models who walk the glitziest international runways.

Struggling against nature, some models turn to decidedly unnatural weight control methods like laxatives, self-induced vomiting and fasting. When those weight control methods metastasize into a full spectrum eating disorder, models face more serious risks than unemployment. Eating disorders are mental illnesses, and often deadly ones. Anorexia has the highest rate of mortality of any mental illness, at around 20 percent. Eating disorders are more than two times more prevalent in the United States than Alzheimer's disease, although funding for anorexia research is less than one-fiftieth of that for Alzheimer's research.

The causes of eating disorders are not entirely understood, but models are exposed to a conflagration of risk factors. Harriet Brown, a professor at S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, is the author of Brave Girl Eating, a memoir about her daughter's struggle with an eating disorder. "You're often triggered by a perfect storm of things, genetics, puberty, hormones and cultural factors among them," she says. "In fact, it's less about triggers and more about aggregation."

Models are often discovered at age 14 or younger, at a time when their bodies-and their feelings about their bodies-are in a state of flux. In 86 percent of reported cases, the onset of an eating disorder occurs before age 20. Compound the susceptibility of youth with a profession that entails continual-and competitive-monitoring of body measurements, and it's no wonder so many models fall victim to eating disorders. "Every model is afraid of being measured," says Rieder. "Every model is afraid of the centimeter."

From runway to living room

That fear is not confined to the world of sample sizes and catwalks. According to The Journal of Adolescent Health, 81 percent of American 10-year-olds are afraid of being fat. Of course, very few 10-year-olds attend runway fashion shows. Instead, they-and Americans of all ages-get their "thinspiration" from a variety of media, among them ads for all manner of consumer goods that invariably feature tall, stick-thin models.

The physical ideal established by models on the runway, in ads and on reality TV does not translate directly to eating disorders, but it affects us, both as emotionally vulnerable beings and as consumers. Dr. David B. Herzog, director of the Harris Center for Education and Advocacy in Eating Disorders at the Massachusetts General Hospital, has advised the CFDA on matters of model health. "Most people who look at pictures of high fashion models do not develop eating disorders," he says. "In the people who develop eating disorders, there's a sizeable percentage that have little interest in fashion. It is not at all a direct correlation, but the thin ideal that the industry has had a role in developing ... has a big impact on how people feel about themselves."

As part of a wider trend, the fashion industry's perceived endorsement of thinness at any cost promotes unhealthy eating practices that, in individuals with existing risk factors, may manifest themselves as anorexia, bulimia, binge eating or other partial- or full-spectrum eating disorders. Some types of disordered eating may progress to obesity; others may lead to severe malnutrition or death.

Where responsibility lies

So, who's to blame? The problem can't be fixed until the culprit is determined. Therein lies the roadblock. No one component of the fashion industry seems poised to instigate change.

Modeling agencies are most profitable when they provide the thin models that are popular with designers. Often those designers are gay men whose standard for physical beauty eschews feminine curves. Designers contend that they aren't to blame because all the models are so thin that they are forced to tailor clothing to skeletal frames. Advertisers and manufacturers of a vast spectrum of products profit from existing standards.

Models fear they will be easily replaced by a thinner alternative if they do not conform to the sample size, which is sometimes an American size 00, which is, incomprehensibly, one size less than 0.

The CFDA's tight-lipped response to questions from In These Times was echoed by fashion magazine editors, designers and modeling agency representatives. All declined request to comment.

The CFDA has received flak for not ensuring model health with stricter regulations, but it is not properly equipped to resolve the issue on its own. Claire Mysko, former director of the American Anorexia Bulimia Association, puts it this way: "The CFDA is not a union. They don't have the resources to enforce guidelines, and it would take a system to be in place for that to happen." Even if the CFDA were to address model health in a meaningful and specific way, as several organizations devoted to eating disorder awareness already have, it has no regulatory authority to implement such directives. The AED, EDC and other advocacy organizations have offered the CFDA their help, but have received no response from the industry.

Herzog cautions against demonizing the industry. "The question I always get asked is, do I really believe these fashion leaders are serious about change, or do I think I'm being used? I would suggest that they actually are interested in making changes. It's just that it's hard to get all the various parties on board, especially in such a competitive industry," he says. "I do believe, though, that this industry has a responsibility to create healthy images for the public at large."

For the fashion industry to fulfill that responsibility, both to its models and to the public that consumes its products, it will have to undertake comprehensive changes, and in the process go up against entrenched beliefs about the role and purpose of fashion models. Mysko and model Magali Amadei, authors of Does This Pregnancy Make Me Look Fat?, suggest that models form a union that could empower them to negotiate the terms of their contracts without fear of losing jobs to an endless stream of ever-thinner-and more desperate-hopefuls.

Direct government regulation is another option. Fashion images do not cause eating disorders or other health conditions, in the same way that cigarette ads do not cause lung cancer nor liquor ads cause alcoholism. Nevertheless, governments have deemed their influence detrimental enough to public health to merit regulation. In the United Kingdom, Britain's Royal College of Psychiatrists suggests that warning symbols be placed on airbrushed images of models alerting viewers to their deceptiveness. And in 2007, Bronx Assemblyman José Rivera proposed legislation that would create a state advisory board to establish standards for the employment of models under the age of 18, in part to help prevent the development of eating disorders.

Until government acts-an unlikely prospect in the laissez-faire United States-America's fashion industry ought to act to quell our dangerous obsession with thinness, or acknowledge its central role in perpetuating it.

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How the Fashion Industry Is Killing Women

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The pressure on models to be thin-and the resultant pressure on girls, boys, women and men to conform to an unattainable ideal-is immense. On Nov. 17, 2010, anorexia nervosa claimed the life of 28-year-old French model Isabelle Caro, who had spent the last years of her life publicizing the horrors of the disease.

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The French Parliament approved measure to ban ultra-thin models

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The French Parliament approved measure to ban ultra-thin models

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Vocabulary used in the video extract studied in class, and dating back to 2015)

posted by Mrs. B.

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France considers Ban on Ultra-Thin Models (2015)

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France considers Ban on Ultra-Thin Models (2015)

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Vocabulary used in the video extract studied in class, and dating back to 2015)

posted by Mrs. B.

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Behind the Beauty Counter, abc GMA (Good Morning America), December 8, 2016

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Behind the Beauty Counter, abc GMA (Good Morning America), December 8, 2016

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The cosmetic industry could face more scrutiny from the government

posted by Mrs. B.

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Behind the Beauty Counter: What's Really in Your Makeup?

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ABC News' congressional correspondent Mary Bruce discusses a new bill that could make the U.S. government regulate the chemicals in cosmetics.

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Noxious, even deadly ingredients in skincare!

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Noxious, even deadly ingredients in skincare!

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posted by Mrs. B.

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Julie Chen, a famous host on ABC admits to having had plastic surgery to secure a job on TV

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Julie Chen, a famous host on ABC admits to having had plastic surgery to secure a job on TV

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posted by Mrs. B.

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Julie Chen Admits to Secret Plastic Surgery to Change 'Asian Eye' Shape

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Co-Host of "The Talk" and "Big Brother" says she had surgery to change the shape of her eyes.

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The New York Times, Matthew Shneier, April 9th, 2014

posted by Mrs. B.

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"In some sense, every single person in the audience is their own media outlet," said Keith Baptista, the managing partner of Prodject, the creative agency that produces runway shows for clients like Mr. Wang, Giorgio Armani and Ralph Lauren. "They're all capturing these moments in this live experience to tell their own stories." (Consider that Ms. Chen, for instance, currently has more followers on Instagram than her magazine does.)

Creating a unique - and, by extension, shareable - experience for jaded showgoers has become part of a designer's mandate. Shows are designed to wow not only those in attendance, but also all of their followers. (That could be considered a necessary return on investment because, according to Julie Mannion, the president for creative services at the public relations and production firm KCD, a major show can cost $2 million to $8 million, in some cases reaching as much as $10 million, and last fewer than 10 minutes.)

Few shows can compete with Chanel's for over-the-top theatrics. But the company set a higher bar for itself in February, when it erected a Costco-size supermarket stocked with some 100,000 Chanel-customized faux products. (The hams in the meat case, for example, had labels printed Jambon Cambon, a nod to the street on which Chanel maintains offices and a store.)

Before the show, spectators goggled through the aisles, taking supermarket selfies before the models, pushing shopping carts down the runway, filled their baskets. It was the show that launched 1,000 Instagrams, with "likes" in similar proportion: a photo from Susanna Lau, a.k.a. the blogger Susie Bubble, received more than 2,670, more than double that of many of the other shows she snapped; one by Ms. Chen had 2,330, several hundred more than the several others in close Insta-proximity.

The fervor was such that the collection itself was somewhat eclipsed. (Perhaps aware of the attention the mise-en-scène garnered at the expense of its fashion, Chanel declined to speak about its sets.)

It is not only the richest labels that think big. Mr. Wang has earned a reputation for social-media-friendly spectacles. In February, his show closed with robotic-looking models rotating on a platform as blasts of heat changed the color of their thermo-sensitive garments, a moment tailor-made for Instagram. "We try to think of the pictures that are going to come out online," he said, "what the photographer pit takes versus what the audience sees."

The picture, Mr. Wang added, is "something we always take into deep consideration, even developing a collection. Sometimes, I have to admit, as a designer, you get into this trap of thinking about clothes for a picture rather than what's going to go into the market or showroom."

The attention now paid to digital extends beyond scenography and staging. It has crept in, say designers and critics, to the design of many collections. Tiziana Cardini, the fashion director of the Milanese department store chain La Rinascente and a contributing editor at Italian Vogue, has noticed the change.

"Fashion has become bi-dimensional," she said. "It's just flat. I see that designers, especially young designers, are considering the shapes and volumes in a totally different way; the colors, also. I think they pay much more attention to the photogenic value of an outfit." Asked why, she replied, "It's the web, definitely, that has changed the language."

Young editors, too, have been conditioned to think of fashion in the flat plane of the digital screen.

"What concerns me is the generational shift," said Ed Filipowski, the president for media relations at KCD. "So much of the younger generation does not look at the clothes for the first time with their eyes. They're trained to see clothes for the first time through photographs, two-dimensional as opposed to three-dimensional."

(Was it this tendency that Rei Kawakubo, the Delphic savant of Comme des Garçons, was satirizing - or celebrating - in her fall 2012 collection, which consisted of felt garments flattened like paper dolls' clothes? "The future is two dimensions," was her explanation of the show.)

Both Mr. Filipowski and Ms. Cardini noted that the shift they have described is not necessarily a negative one. KCD, in fact, has implemented video "digital fashion shows" that exist only online, though Mr. Filipowski said that these are not meant to replace the traditional show.

The changes wrought by the flat screen do come with potential downsides. Though several designers mentioned the ability of Instagrammers to capture a garment at more angles than before, intricacies of cut and construction can vanish when reduced to two dimensions. Shows that may be gripping live may be done little justice on-screen. Junya Watanabe's fall collection, all in black (notoriously hard to photograph), was composed of pieces of many fabrics sewn together to create a patchwork. On-screen, the nuances often failed to come through. Couture, relying as it does on minute handwork, may suffer even more. "People can't see what couture is very well on a computer screen," Raf Simons of Dior complained to Interview.

Online ubiquity can also result in overexposure and copycatting. Phoebe Philo of Céline restricts photography, refusing to allow attendees to shoot smartphone pictures at some of her presentations and supplying news media outlets with her own photos only when the collections arrive in stores. In 2010, Tom Ford took a similar tack by barring photographers and cellphones - the news media protested - when he showed his first runway collection in years.

Tellingly, Mr. Ford eventually gave in. His recent shows during London Fashion Week were seen online as most shows are - which is to say, in their entirety, nearly instantaneously.

While some labels still attempt to curb access - "There are brands that actually will block cellphone and data signals during shows," said Mr. Baptista, the producer, declining to name names - most willingly accept that the genie is out of the bottle, digitally speaking.

There are, after all, positive gains as well as potential drawbacks.

The London designer Mary Katrantzou has been aware of the possibilities of showing work online since her student days at Central Saint Martins. After she made a collection that included several bustles, she recalled Louise Wilson, the outspoken director of the school's master's program, bellowing: "The front, Mary! You only see the front on Style.com!"

Her brilliant prints and color palette, like that of many in her generation, may have been affected by the digital space, as Ms. Cardini suggests, but Ms. Katrantzou credits it for making her work stand out from the crowd on the web, effectively giving her an advantage over those designers who aren't attuned to the online palatability of their wares.

The digital world can also open a more direct line of communication between designers and their fans than was previously possible. "I want to share with people," said the dedicated Instagrammer Riccardo Tisci, the creative director of Givenchy, during a recent visit to New York. Mr. Tisci prefers to use the medium to share not necessarily his clothes, but the inspirations behind them, like the Giò Ponti architecture and design that influenced a recent pre-fall collection. "In Ukraine, a girl who doesn't know who is Giò Ponti" likes the collection "and doesn't know how I get to that," he said. "To see the beginning of the story is quite beautiful. I think Instagram, if you use it in the right way, it's a positive."

Designers are not the only ones embracing the freedom offered digitally. The stylist Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele, a fixture in the industry, now hosts a YouTube show and is Instagramming merrily. Though she has worked with photographers like Peter Lindbergh and Steven Meisel, she recently took matters into her own hands for a fashion story in System magazine. Every photo was, as the opening page made clear, "Shot with my iPhone."

Her prefatory note enthused: "New World / No Retouching, No Assistant / No Budget, No Brainstorming, No Moodboard / Heaven!!!"

And crucially for designers, in the new world, any phone can be an instant till. When Ms. Katrantzou introduced e-commerce on her website, she Instagrammed a photo of an embellished minidress called the Midnight Chrysa to her followers. It is "an imposing dress," she said, which costs $8,680. She sold three that day.

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"In some sense, every single person in the audience is their own media outlet," said Keith Baptista, the managing partner of Prodject, the creative agency that produces runway shows for clients like Mr. Wang, Giorgio Armani and Ralph Lauren. "They're all capturing these moments in this live experience to tell their own stories."

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The Telegraph, Sam Leith, August 9th, 2008

posted by Mrs. B.

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The more important question is: does that sort of behaviour in the industry reflect and respond to something in the wider culture?

When anti-Obama propagandists in America were accused of darkening his skin tone in photographs in order to make him look "blacker", they were doing so not only - and not even necessarily - because they were racist reptiles, but because they were cheerfully convinced that a large segment of America's electorate are racist reptiles. And there wouldn't have been such a fuss about it had Obama's camp not suspected they were right.

You could put the question in different ways. Is it OK for a cosmetics company to promote the idea that a white person would look better a shade darker, thanks to a tanning lotion, or pinker, thanks to rouge? That's not a problem. Is it OK for a cosmetics company to promote the idea that a black person would look better a shade lighter? This question is inflammatory.

The reason this question provokes such anxiety - and why such anger is directed at the cosmetics industry when the subject comes up - is that the public is trying to disown the monster it created. We're complaining about the weather-vane, not about the weather.

All cosmetics companies exploit - and have the effect of reinforcing - prejudice. Prejudice is their bread and butter. Cosmetics companies, as I'm sure even their chief executives would cheerfully admit, prey on human shallowness.

If we didn't, as a society, subscribe to all sorts of norms - many of which are at some level racial and at every level genetic - they wouldn't get anywhere flogging their pills and potions. Full lips attractive; thin lips ugly. Pale brown skin attractive; dark brown skin or pale white skin less so. Large breasts attractive; small breasts less so. Blonde hair attractive; grey hair less so.

Many peddle questionably scientific claims to the credulous and the insecure. Last year, L'Oréal was one of several companies forced to withdraw misleading adverts in Australia for anti-wrinkle creams; it was the same year rebuked by the ASA here for neglecting to inform viewers of its mascara ads that the model concerned was, um, wearing false lashes.

They associate their products with airbrushed photographs of the rich and famous, seeded in semi-advertorial glossy magazines for gawping airheads. And we gawping airheads lap it up.

Cosmetic companies thrive on a deeper sort of apartheid than that between black, white, brown and yellow. They exist because of a worldview that divides the human race in two: that celebrates the genetic tyranny of the beautiful over the ugly. Slogans such as "Because you're worth it" could imply the opposite: that you won't be worth anything unless you use our product to make yourself look different than you are.

So we'll really have made some progress not when cosmetics companies stop making dark-skinned people look lighter in adverts, but when we stop buying their daft products in the first place. When will that happen? Some time around the crack of doom, I'd say.

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The more important question is: does that sort of behaviour in the industry reflect and respond to something in the wider culture? When anti-Obama propagandists in America were accused of darkening his skin tone in photographs in order to make him look "blacker", they were doing so not only - and not even necessarily - because they were racist reptiles, but because they were cheerfully convinced that a large segment of America's electorate are racist reptiles.

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Dressed to Express: Fashion's Role as a Political Medium

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Dressed to Express: Fashion's Role as a Political Medium

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Harvard Political Review, April 30th, 2017.

posted by Mrs. B.

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In the wake of Donald Trump's election and subsequent inauguration as president, unprecedented numbers of his opponents took to the streets of major cities throughout the country in bold displays of resistance. While the actual protests like the Women's March lasted for only a few hours, their spirits are memorialized, both and figuratively, in the clothing, signs, hats, and buttons that were featured in some of the march's most iconic images.

According to conventional wisdom, religion and politics are "off-limits," not to be discussed in anything but the most intimate settings. As young people today enter an age of political consciousness, though, they seem to take a different approach, sharing stances with those they've just met, posting their opinions on social media, and wearing them unapologetically on their bodies.Traditionally, politics and fashion have been understood as entirely separate domains, with fashion often stereotyped as an unserious pursuit. Recently, though, bright and motivated designers - the majority of whom are women - have begun to question this separation of the worlds of fashion and of politics, instead envisioning their intersection as a potentially powerful way to engage and extend excitement about politics among young adults.

Pamela Bell is one such designer. After co-founding Kate Spade, she went on to create Prinkshop, "a cause-centric community that designs and makes t-shirts, notebooks, and totes... [featuring] issues ranging from sex trafficking to education, homelessness, and marriage equality." Speaking with the HPR about her products and the power of fashion as a medium for political statements, Bell explained that when politics becomes a fashion statement, "the individual becomes the billboard, becomes an advertisement for what [they] believe in, so [they're] projecting out instead of being projected at." Wearing political clothing can be a source of community and connection, too. "It's almost like a club," Bell explained. "When you're wearing [this clothing], you're shouting out what you believe, and you'll see other people that will respond-someone might smile at you as they walk past, for instance, seeming to say 'I'm with you.'"

And while political fashion can appeal to many generations, young people in particular seem to be embracing this form of activism. Millennials, who are more socially conscious and more liberal than their older counterparts were at the same age, are bridging fashion and politics, using their clothing to express their beliefs and to demonstrate their commitment to social causes. From calls for racial and gender equality to endorsements of political candidates, political clothing allows young adults to brand themselves based on their beliefs. And as political polarization more intense than it has ever been in recent history, especially among those who are most politically engaged, constituents of both parties have a growing preference for "ideological silos," communities filled with people who share and confirm their views. Unsurprisingly, young people who first begin to develop their opinions in these homogeneous communities, and who are thus less likely to regularly engage with those who disagree, are more unapologetic and bold in their presentation of their views.

Bell, in fact, remembers the positivity with which young people in particular initially responded to her products, sharing her belief that younger generations are "proud of things that they care about, and want to show the world what they're invested in." A welcome change from the seemingly endless supply of apparel with meaningless words and sayings, political fashion can offer an opportunity to bridge the personal and political for those first coming to political consciousness. In a sense, Bell believes shirts like the ones she sells serve as a sort of "gateway to getting involved-people wear them, and think, 'wow, I'm an activist,' just by speaking out about what they believe in, and then they begin to take the next steps, asking how else they can get involved."

Of course, it's not as though fashion was entirely apolitical until Trump became president-Bell remembers strong anti-animal cruelty sentiments when she first began her career in fashion, as well as an intense effort to combat human rights violations in clothing factories in places like India, China, and Vietnam. Still, while the fashion world may have traditionally been somewhat politically-minded, what is unprecedented is how intensely political fashion has become.

It's no coincidence that fashion grew more political precisely when Hillary Clinton the first woman ever nominated by one of the two major parties for the United States presidency. Bell remembers this trend actually beginning during the 2008 election, when "a lot of female designers decided to stand next to Clinton," describing this moment as a "turning point." In the 2016 election, some political fashion was blatant-Clinton supporters proudly donned products declaring their "Nasty Woman" status, while major designers including Michael Kors, Tory Burch, and Diane von Furstenberg New York Fashion week at fashion show fundraiser for Clinton. Other political statements involving clothing were more subtle-women, including Clinton herself, showed up at the polls on November 8, for instance, clad in all-white in an homage to the history of the women's suffrage movement, which many had hoped would culminate with the election of the first-ever female president. Referencing and celebrating Clinton's most iconic clothing choices, furthermore, Pantsuit Nation emerged during the 2016 election as an online community of millions of Clinton supporters dedicated to political activism and engagement.

In coming months and years, as resistance to the Trump presidency and political activism among young liberals grows even more intense, political expression through fashion will likely continue to expand. Ultimately, fashion offers young people, and young women in particular, a unique opportunity to boldly and unapologetically declare their political stances. This ability is particularly crucial now because, as a Prinkshop shirt so aptly , "the personal is political."
Image Credit: Flickr/Mobilus in Mobili

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Dressed to Express: Fashion's Role as a Political Medium

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In the wake of Donald Trump's election and subsequent inauguration as president, unprecedented numbers of his opponents took to the streets of major cities throughout the country in bold displays of resistance.

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posted by Mrs. B.

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Isabelle Caro is the face behind a poignant Italian ad campaign that depicts anorexia in its truest form, one that has shocked the fashion industry. Sheila MacVicar reports. (CBSNews.com)

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A press article by Mary Madormo.

posted by Mrs. B.

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When we think of fashion, the first thoughts that come to mind are runways, celebrities and designers. But what about politics? Fashion and politics may not seem to go hand-in-hand on first thought, but think again.

Every clothing choice at every event has been thought through very carefully for these politicians - and says way more than what's on the surface. From color to designer, these politicians have a team behind them helping with those fashion choices - choices that also influence the brand of that individual.

It's amazing how certain pieces of clothing can be associated permanently with a person of politics. Take the pantsuit for example? So let's take a look at some key fashion moments in politics and the historical significance they have also created.

We have to start with Jackie

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It would be wrong to not kick off with Jackie Kennedy when talking about fashion and politics. At just 31 years old, this New York native became First Lady when her husband John F. Kennedy, was elected in 1961. Although just in the White House for two years, Kennedy made quite the statement in that short amount of time. Her go-to's included the pillbox hat, pearls and white gloves. These items exude class and that's just how we still think of the woman who wore them. Kennedy's personal designer at the time was American designer Oleg Cassini. According to The Telegraph, his mission was to dress Kennedy as "an American queen." Mission accomplished.

Kennedy's fashion choices made her stand out as political royalty. But her looks did more than just showcase new fashion - she helped shift the style of women at that time. As The Telegrap h said, "She guided women out of the prim dresses, stiff petticoat skirts and overly styled hairdos of the 1950s and into sleeker, more contemporary designs." And though she herself may not have been the President, she kept her husband's administration in mind with her choices as well. As fashion historian Valerie Steele said to ABC News, "She used the modernity of fashion to imply that her husband's administration was young, modern and forward thinking."

How Michelle Obama gave off the approachable look

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Michelle Obama brought fashion to the White House in a very different way than ever before. She took on new trends that weren't accessible to just the rich and mighty but to everyone. As Glamour described it, "What truly made Obama such a powerful style icon during her time in the White House, though, was the wink that her clothes made to women everywhere: You too can look this good."

Obama had so many great looks during the time of her husband's presidency, but her standouts included many sleeveless dresses - which wasn't a usual trend for the past styles of a First Lady. Designer Rachel Roy commented on the First Lady's dress choices, saying, "[Mrs. Obama's] style and choices set a tone that fashion is reflective of your personality and that you can have fun with it." Obama was never afraid of bright colors and statement jewelry. She also showed us that we don't have to wear heels to look classy.

But it went beyond the clothes. Did she look great in them? Yes. But it was her comfort both in the clothes and in herself that truly shined. A favorite designer of Obama, Prabal Gurung, spoke with Glamour, saying, "She's unapologetic about being a woman, embracing femininity, she loves fashion but it doesn't dictate her." Fashion may not have dictated the First Lady, but she definitely had a hold on the fashion industry. According to Glamour, a professor at NYU tracked 189 of Obama's outfits that she wore from 2008 to 2009, and discovered it was worth almost $38 million for a company to have Obama wear their clothes. Obama's personality, confidence and intelligence, and how she was able to portray that in her style, will be remembered forever in fashion history.

Making affordable trendy

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Michelle Obama not only showcased trends that the everyday woman could wear, but could afford as well. We started noticing this about the FLOTUS even before she was in the White House, and campaigning with her husband in 2008. While on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, she was asked what she was wearing and her response was, "J. Crew...Ladies, we know J. Crew. You can get some good stuff online!" And she kept that thought all through her next eight years as First Lady. Her style never felt fake or that she was showing off her affordable fashion in front of the cameras. It was real. When at formal events and large gatherings, she had her go-to fabulous designers, like Jason Wu and Vera Wang. But when she was living her day-to-day life, we saw her rocking clothes from H&M, J. Crew, and Target. As designer Narciso Rodriguez told The New York Times, "She came in at a time when the economy was particularly tough and really shone a light on fashion in the broadest sense."

Her love of a good deal was contagious. Another influential person we have since seen do the same thing is the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton. She's been spotted many times either re-wearing previous outfits or pulling out a key piece from Gap. These women have been doing incredible work in their roles, and when they wear clothing from stores that women shop at when at their local malls, it brings about a connection. By wearing brands we know, we know just a little bit more about these powerful women. And we definitely like what we're seeing.

Color is key

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It's not just the style of clothing pieces that can make a statement, but the color of those pieces as well. We've seen many people in politics use the color of their clothing to make a silent statement that doesn't need to be shared out loud. When Michelle Obama first started her job as FLOTUS, she wore a lemon-colored dress and coat. As Elle Magazine described, that color goes hand-in-hand with the suffrage movement in the twentieth century. At that time, if politicians wore a yellow rose, that mean they were in support of the Nineteenth Amendment, which would grant women the right to vote.

Another politician who has been well-known for her color choice is Hillary Clinton. After losing the 2016 presidential election, Clinton gave her concession speech in a black and purple pantsuit. In the background we could also see former President Bill Clinton in a tie of that same color. What could that symbolize? According to political consultant Laura Schwartz, this is a signal of bipartisanship. While red and blue normally symbolize if one is Republican or Democrat, the purple is a sign of unity. It is very fitting then, that during Clinton's speech she made the following statement, "We have seen that our nation is more deeply divided than we thought...But I still believe in America, and I always will. And if you do, then we must accept this result and then look to the future."

And that wasn't Clinton's only statement outfit when it came to color. At the inauguration for President Donald Trump, Clinton arrived in a white pantsuit. Many took notice of this specific color selection and had thoughts. White was the color worn by suffragettes in order to symbolize purity and to protect them from, as Vanity Fair called it "their opponent's claims of immorality." Rarely does it seem that these politicians are addressing their color choice. Rather, it seems more like a hint to the audience a secret that just they are in on with this politician.

The power of the pantsuit

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Ah, the pantsuit. Today, when one thinks of the word "pantsuit," the thought of Hillary Clinton can't be far behind. The former Secretary of State has become known through the years for her signature pantsuits, but this wasn't always the case. When Clinton was First Lady, she was seen in many dresses and skirts. It wasn't until 2008 the pantsuit seemed to take center stage, and there could be a few key reasons for that. The pantsuit is a way to show authority. It signals taking charge, but also isn't too loud. The Atlantic summarized the article of clothing perfectly, saying, "It's a statement outfit that makes its statement by saying as little as possible." And though it may be hard to believe, women were not allowed to wear pantsuits on the Senate floor until 1993.

Clinton received criticism often for her style in the past, and when she would be speaking on important matters, many focused not on her words, but her clothing and decided to talk about that instead. Because of this, the pantsuit became Clinton's armor. Because of the no-nonsense look, people could finally stop thinking about what Clinton was wearing and start thinking about the topics she was covering. In January 2016, after one of the primary debates, The New York Times fashion critic, Vanessa Friedman, commented on this very fact. She said, "During and after the debate on Sunday, there was, for the first time I can remember, barely a whisper about what she wore. Can you even remember what it was? It was so nondescript, it was just not cause for comment."

Hard choices.
A photo posted by Hillary Clinton (@hillaryclinton) on Jun 10, 2015 at 8:16am PDT

Clinton also used her frequently worn pantsuit as a catalyst to also display her humor. She was aware of how often she wore that style and could poke fun at herself for that very reason. This opened Clinton up more to her fans and gave them a taste of the funny woman behind the pantsuit; The woman who was educated and tough enough to handle the real issues, but who would be the first to also make a comment about her own signature outfit that day.

Politicians have stylists too

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So how do politicians pick and choose what to wear to those important events and occasions? Although this can't be said for all politicians, many have help from a stylist. Corey Roche, a personal stylist who works in D.C. told The Business of Fashion (BoF), "Trump has a budget, Sanders has a budget, Hillary has a budget...There is [campaign] money allocated to fashion and clothes, because that is a huge part of marketing and branding." So how do stylists know what to pick for their clients? It definitely depends on the client. Roche said, "You cannot spend a lot of money. I have never seen, except for Donald Trump, a [male] politician wear a Hugo Boss or an Armani suit." He continued to say that if a politician is caught in an expensive label, the public "will absolutely eat you alive." Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saw a bit of that response when she wore an Armani jacket that cost more than $12,000 while speaking about income inequality.

Politicians can also support their own agenda with their wardrobe choices. For example, according to BoF, Obama has worn many suits by tailor Martin Greenfield. His Brooklyn business helps support United States jobs. And to top it off, his suits tend to be $2,000 or less, which is seen as a more manageable price for a politician. And sometimes they also get a little help with style advice from other pros too. BoF reported that Clinton had been consulting with Anna Wintour, the American Vogue editor-in-chief, when it came to her campaign outfits. Overall, stylists can be key for politicians, and Roche brings up one key reason. "Our role as a stylist is that they never have to worry about clothes."

And now the new First Lady

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Throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, Melania Trump seemed to often be in the background, as her husband and now President, Donald Trump, took center stage with his words and presence. When it came time for the inauguration, many wondered what Melania Trump would wear and what that choice would signify. Some designers were very open about that fact that they would not want to dress the new FLOTUS, while others, like Tommy Hilfiger and Carolina Herrera, said they would take on the role. This in particular was a unique opportunity for designers to share their political views with their work. According to Associated Press, Naeem Khan, an Indian-born American designer, said in an interview, "Every designer has a point of view...A designer is an artist, and should have the choice of who they want to dress or not" He went on to say that Melania Trump "might be a great person for all we know." But he continued to say, "the values of this administration do not comply with the values of who I feel we are as a nation."

And Kahn brought up an excellent point. The new First Lady may be a great person. We haven't had the chance to know her well. So when the moment of the inauguration came, all eyes were on Melania, and she hit it out of the park. The New York Times' Vanessa Friedman summarized it perfectly. "Elegant, unexpected dress? Check. Unknown designer elevated to overnight sensation? Check. New York brand? Check. Implicit message about cooperation and embracing the melting pot? Check."

During the Inauguration Day swearing-in, Melania wore a powder-blue Ralph Lauren dress and coat that seemed reminiscent of Jackie Kennedy's outfit on Inauguration Day. Coincidence? Probably not. And in the evening, she wore a white, sleek gown. She collaborated with designer Hervé Pierre, who in the past had been the creative director for Carolina Herrera, but this was his first major dress under his name only. Although this was just one occasion, we are curious to see what Melania will bring on next, both politically as First Lady, and with the fashion that inevitably comes along with that. If there is one thing we know for sure, it's that the world will be watching to see what she does next.

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Getty Images When we think of fashion, the first thoughts that come to mind are runways, celebrities and designers. But what about politics? Fashion and politics may not seem to go hand-in-hand on first thought, but think again.

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French Government approves measure to ban ultra thin models

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French Government approves measure to ban ultra thin models

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Here is the latest video studied in class. Watch it again and check out the vocabulary on your handout to improve your oral and written skills.

posted by Mrs. B.

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French Parliament approves measure to ban ultra-thin models

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The debate grows over plans to outlaw the hiring of ultra-thin fashion models. New laws are part of a broader package meant to combat anorexia, especially in the fashion industry. Charlie D'Agata reports.

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Another video!
Enjoy!

posted by Mrs. B.

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WSB-TV ABC Reports on the Dangers of Decorative Contact Lenses

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Continuing its successful efforts to increase consumer awareness of the profession of optometry through media relations, #CurranPR developed, pitched and coordinated media coverage of the Georgia Optometric Association's consumer alert about the dangers associated with decorative contact lenses. WSB-TV ABC Atlanta #CurranPR October 27, 2014

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posted by Mrs. B.

Here is the video extract on the noxious and controversial colored contact lenses: a TV report on the danger of the trendy Halloween contact lenses. The aim of the report is to sensitize the public and raise awareness. Following the trends could jeopardize your health, so be wary!

posted by Mrs. B.

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An urgent warning concerning novelty contact lenses

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The lenses, often part of Halloween costumes, can severely damage eyes.