I’m awfully tired, so here are some random links:
The New Yorker has a fascinating article on vintage sexual revolutions by Ariel Levy (the Female Chauvinist Pigs writer). Most of the article is about Wilhelm Reich (which is pretty interesting in itself), but the bits that most caught my eye were the discussions of sexual liberation movements in the 18th and 19th centuries. Rich material for any writer of historical romance there.
The BBC has a short video on so-called “man-caves”. I’m all in favour of people eschewing conventional ideas of tasteful interior design in order to build something that is cool, gadget-laden and expresses to their individual passions, whatever they may be. But why “man-cave” instead of “fun-cave”? Don’t women get to play, too? Because no matter what the guy in the video says, not all women like the bland pastels, artificial flowers and blonde wood look that seems to be the default style for bourgeois suburban homes these days (try finding anything at a furniture store that looks different), while plenty of men do like it. So why is a phenomenon that should be about expressing one’s individuality in one’s home suddenly gendered and of course assigned to men, while women get the infernal blandness of pastel upholstery, blonde wood and artificial flowers?
British artist Richard Hamilton, billed as the father of pop art, has died aged 89. Among other things, he designed the cover of the White Album by the Beatles.
Edited because I stupidly forgot to insert the link to the New Yorker article.
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