Arizona Muse & Freja Beha Erichsen | Mario Testino | Vogue UK September 2011 | 'Master Class' AOC Pre-2020 Fashion

Written September 2011, Refreshed December 2024:

Lucinda Chambers styles Arizona Muse & Freja Beha Erichsen in ‘Master Class’, lensed in Antwerp by Mario Testino for Vogue UK’s September 2011 issue.

Always commenting on fashion stories beyond any style trend, AOC wrote in 2011:

Fall’s strict attitude borders on religious fervor but also brings to mind the fact that the new Dutch republic was the most prosperous nation in Europe, leading the continent in trade, science and art. This came about at the end of the European religious wars that spawned the Protestant Reformation and revolt against the Catholic Church.

Anne’s Reflections

As I reposted this ‘Master Class’ 2011 fashion story by Mario Testino, I found myself thinking about American history back to the founding of our country.

A Protestant-Dominant US Supreme Court Empowered Women in 1973

A majority Protestant Supreme Court gave women control over our bodies in 1973 and a very disproportionately Catholic [7 out of 9] Supreme Court justices took away our rights in 2022.

As much as I love Italy with a passion, I wrote 14 years ago that it was the new Dutch republic that was the most prosperous in the world after Europe’s religious wars ended. Italy, which was dominated by the Catholic Church, was replaced by the Protestant view among the Dutch in Europe.

Among the most important philosophical anchors in the Protestant Reformation were freedom of religion, freedom of conscience, the dignity of the individual, and political democracy. Catholics will argue that they, too, embrace these philosophical anchors. More research by AOC is required, as we are skeptical.

It was a Protestant-dominant, moderate US Supreme Court who gave women the right to abortion and contraception in 1973, based on constitutional arguments.

Seven Conservative Catholic Supreme Court Justices — One Female — Rule Over American Women in 2024

Five decades later, a disproportionately-conservative, Catholic-dominant Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade with the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.

This Roberts court is not finished giving state governments absolute control over women’s bodies. And AOC will educate and fight for the return of our hard-won rights in the 2024 elections. ~ Anne