London's Hyde Park (as seen in a dream)

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:03:30 -0400

This is how I always remembered it.

A memory so good it hurts,

but only until it burns away like blistering light.

An American Abroad

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 06:03:49 -0400

Girls With Good Appetities

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 09:03:39 -0400

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover girl, Kate Upton is the newest bombshell to devour a burger by American fast food chain Carl’s Jr. in their not-safe-for-TV advertising campaign, which has previously featured Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, and (the ever-so-slightly more appropriate) Padma Lakshmi of US version of the competitive food show, “Top Chef.”

The commercial is as much about burgers as the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue is about swimsuits (which is to say, not at all). Instead, it’s all about the sex appeal. It would be so refreshing to see a woman enjoying food without the palpable sexual innuendos.

You really don’t have to try so hard, Carl’s Jr.: it’s pretty noticeable that food can be sensual. Foods evoke sex and sexual organs in shape, taste, and smell [i.e. oysters, durians, truffles (and some of these examples double as aphrodisiacs)].

Italian director Federico Fellini was attributed with saying: “Never trust a woman who doesn’t like to eat. She is probably lousy in bed.”

Why is a good appetite viewed as sexy? We talk about food with religious diction. It’s divided into bad and good: you are tempted, or guilty for indulging; chocolaty desserts are so good they’re “sinful;” etc. Is it sexy when a woman “indulges” because she is doing something she’s not supposed to, because she’s being naughty?

While researching this piece, Google inevitably kept plucking up websites on appetite suppressants, thereby showcasing that a woman’s appetite is often greatly overshadowed by means to restrain and contain it.

As a woman, I think it’s healthy to see girls with robust appetites (even for sometimes unhealthy food). That’s why so many people adored the Italy (a.k.a “eat”) section of Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love, and why this meme was reposted on Facebook thousands of times. We like to see a woman enjoying herself, allowing herself pleasure, not withholding or depriving herself. And all of these turn-of-phrases could double, and reign-true in sex-speak.

But it’s not this single-faceted: If Kate Upton wasn’t a supermodel, and instead was overweight or obese, there would be a fat shaming reaction. On the other hand, because she is a supermodel the commercial’s comments sections are speckled with quasi-jokes and remarks about bulimia. It goes to show that a woman’s appetite may be sexy, but not without terms and conditions.

(This was originally posted in Lip magazine)
By Nicole Trilivas, author of Pretty Girls Make Graves: a pretty girl's ugly story told in borrowed voices

On Her Way Back To Her Gingerbread Cottage

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 07:03:35 -0400

(she wears running shoes for a quick getaway)

The World Is Full Of Pretty Girls

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 09:03:22 -0400

The world is full of pretty girls,

Made of sugar and spice and everything nice.

What other tricks do you know?

Photos by Nicole Trilivas, author of Pretty Girls Make Graves

Nicole Trilivas's Open Salon Blog

London's Hyde Park (as seen in a dream)

An American Abroad

Girls With Good Appetities

On Her Way Back To Her Gingerbread Cottage

The World Is Full Of Pretty Girls