Feminism or Femininity?
I think it all started with Debussy. My love affair with French culture, that is. Appropriately, it was a short prélude from Debussy's set of 24 Préludes, my petite ouverture of sorts to the world of everything French. Eventually over the years, I came to read Camus, Barthes, Derrida, and now the poets Baudelaire and Mallarmé. Then came the pleasure of French food, many a days as simple as a croissant and café at Paul's. And in a matter of days I'll be in Paris again, but this time with Ravel.
Perhaps my affinity for the French is in part due to the similarities between French and Chinese culture: depth, sensitivity, refinement. The French understand that the highest form of sophistication is in suggestion, to never state anything explicitly but simply to allude with a kaleidescope of nuances. French music, more than any other music, requires this capacity of imagination in sound, colour, image, coupled with sensitivity. It is not for the brash and straightforward. It is for the coquettish. All in all, the French understand that suggestion is about the most seductive thing on earth.
And this is the essence of the femme. With American women brazen in suits and determined to thrive in a man's world, where is there room for femininity? Je ne sais quoi. They attempt to market themselves as products for men to consume, never appearing vulnerable but always in control. They display their strength like trophies, and pride themselves on emasculating men while still at the very core, wanting a man. American extremism somehow crushes the subtleties of falling in love. In the end, they leave nothing to the imagination. The greatest misconception is that femininity signals weakness, but it is not so simple. Femininity is complex -- it is a state of mind, the pleasure of innuendos, the unspoken -- at times submissive, at times willful, sometimes aloof. It is always mysterious, and therein lies the power of the femme. Because the art of seduction is in mystery, not power suits.
Femininity is a bundle of contradictions that coexist perfectly. It is an unabashed love of pleasure and all things sensual. It is not just about lace and the colour pink. Femininity is about suggestion. Leave feminism to the Americans!
Mon nouveau fétiche
I think it all started with Debussy. My love affair with French culture, that is. Appropriately, it was a short prélude from Debussy's set of 24 Préludes, my petite ouverture of sorts to the world of everything French. Eventually over the years, I came to read Camus, Barthes, Derrida, and now the poets Baudelaire and Mallarmé. Then came the pleasure of French food, many a days as simple as a croissant and café at Paul's. And in a matter of days I'll be in Paris again, but this time with Ravel.
Perhaps my affinity for the French is in part due to the similarities between French and Chinese culture: depth, sensitivity, refinement. The French understand that the highest form of sophistication is in suggestion, to never state anything explicitly but simply to allude with a kaleidescope of nuances. French music, more than any other music, requires this capacity of imagination in sound, colour, image, coupled with sensitivity. It is not for the brash and straightforward. It is for the coquettish. All in all, the French understand that suggestion is about the most seductive thing on earth.
And this is the essence of the femme. With American women brazen in suits and determined to thrive in a man's world, where is there room for femininity? Je ne sais quoi. They attempt to market themselves as products for men to consume, never appearing vulnerable but always in control. They display their strength like trophies, and pride themselves on emasculating men while still at the very core, wanting a man. American extremism somehow crushes the subtleties of falling in love. In the end, they leave nothing to the imagination. The greatest misconception is that femininity signals weakness, but it is not so simple. Femininity is complex -- it is a state of mind, the pleasure of innuendos, the unspoken -- at times submissive, at times willful, sometimes aloof. It is always mysterious, and therein lies the power of the femme. Because the art of seduction is in mystery, not power suits.
Femininity is a bundle of contradictions that coexist perfectly. It is an unabashed love of pleasure and all things sensual. It is not just about lace and the colour pink. Femininity is about suggestion. Leave feminism to the Americans!
Mon nouveau fétiche
posted by Rebecca at
2:12 AM
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