'Guarding the Art' Security Officers Become Curators at Baltimore Museum of Art

Max Beckmann. Still Life with Large Shell. 1939. The Baltimore Museum of Art: Gift of William A. Dickey, Jr., BMA 1955.77. © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn

By Anne Enke, Anne of Carversville

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'Guarding the Art' Security Officers Become Curators at Baltimore Museum of Art AOC Living

Seventeen museum security officers at the Baltimore Museum of Art are set to curate an exhibition “Guarding the Art”, opening in March 2022. The guards have access to some 95,000 artifacts in a variety of eras, mediums and cultures held by the BMA in a show provocatively poised to challenge the idea that only professional, academically-educated curators are qualified to produce exhibitions.

“The vast majority of people have a relationship to creative production that is intimate,” BMA director Christopher Bedford tells ARTnews. “In a sense it’s an experimental show, but it’s also entirely sensible given the familiarity the guards have with the objects.”

The initial press release about the exhibit is provocative, on its own. How many times have we observed or interacted with security guards at a museum without considering them as chefs, musicians, writers and more — creatives and scholars in their own right? What do we as museum visitors assume about their own scope of knowledge and insights about the experience of art?

Not much — after all, they’re security guards. There are flourishing opportunities for online dialogue and discussions on this concept of museum visitors perceptions of security guards and even vice versa. As close as I am to the social justice movement for decades as a core plank of my life, I never considered museum security guards as being creative talents in their own right. Now, the idea seems so self-evident — as creatives frequently struggle to pay the rent with their chosen talent.

Do we imagine that security guards are reading books or researching online about paintings or artifacts that inspire them? Many museum visitors do know that the security guards are often significant intellectual resources, endowed with a sometimes deep understanding of important paintings — as well as highly relevant but often overlooked paintings — in a museum.

The range of interests and primary vocations of the museum’s security guards drives the eclectic mediums beyond paintings that will be featured in the show.Several of the guest curators seek works that speak to social justice, resilience during times of crisis and also the environment.

“As guest curators, the officers will be collaborating with leadership and staff across the museum to select and reinterpret works from a variety of eras, genres, cultures, and mediums—offering a particularly human-centered lens through which to consider the objects. In addition, the team is working with renowned art historian and curator Dr. Lowery Stokes Sims, who is providing additional mentorship and professional development.” via press release

The 17 officers who elected to participate are Traci Archable-Frederick, Jess Bither, Ben Bjork, Ricardo Castro, Melissa Clasing, Bret Click, Alex Dicken, Kellen Johnson, Michael Jones, Rob Kempton, Chris Koo, Alex Lei, Dominic Mallari, Dereck Mangus, Sara Ruark, Joan Smith, and Elise Tensley.

The idea of the exhibit is so innovative to AOC. Indeed, the participating officers do offer a particularly human-centered lens through which to consider the art objects. In addition to the personal and deep interaction officers have had with the offerings, they have invaluable insights into the observed behavior and interactions of countless museum visitors looking at the same art objects. Their questions of the security team at the Baltimore Museum provide yet another avenue of information about public response to the items that will be featured in “Guarding the Art.” ~ Anne

Sam Gilliam, Blue Edge (1971) Courtesy of Baltimore Museum of Art and David Kordansky Gallery

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The Enduring Popularity of Air Jordans and 'His Airness'

By Anne Enke, Anne of Carversville

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Air Jordan Is Nowhere Near Its Last Dance

NBA star MIchael Jordan has made over $1.3 billion from Nike, an estimated sum Forbes magazine calls "the biggest endorsement bargain in sports".

As the richest athlete endorsement deal ever, the Chicago Bulls superstar NFL player Michael Jordan did as much for Nike, as the Nike Swoosh did for him. Note the the Swoosh disappeared in the second year of the shoe, prompting Air Jordans and Jordan Brand to thereafter draw "inspiration from jets and sports cars, jazz and even wildlife," writes the Chicago Tribune, who offers one of many histories of Air Jordans on the Internet.

The History of Flying Men

Icarus: Perhaps you’ve heard about Icarus. In Greek mythology, Icarus attempted to escape from Crete flying with wings made of feathers and wax. His father Daedalus warned Icarus first of complacency and then of hubris and lack of awareness.

Literally, Icarus was to fly in the middle of the sky. Too close to the water, the wax would harden and clog his wings. If Icarus flew to high and close to the sun, the wax in his wings would melt, After takeoff, Icarus did indeed fly high into the sky.

Unable to resist the hubris of defying gravity and flying on a divine trajectory, Icarus lost his wing power as the sun melted the wax in his wings. He fell into the sea and died.

Read more about how Michael Jordan became America’s heroic Superman

Ka-Ching

After agreeing to a deal that sent heart palpitations through the bodies of high-level Nike executives, Michael Jordan, the Brooklyn boy who grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina, walked away with a five-year deal at an annual base pay of $500,000.

Sounds good, right? It was triple any other NBA sneaker deal in 1984. To sweeten the deal, Jordan also got his own shoe line: Air Jordan was born.

“Nike’s expectation when we signed the deal was, at the end of year four, they hoped to sell $3 million worth of Air Jordans,” says Falk. “In year one, we sold $126 million.”

Probably The Biggest, Baddest Licensing Deal in History

Bauhaus-Inspired Nike Air Max 270 Sneakers Inspired Toilet Paper Magazine Posters AOC Fashion July, 2019

Unlike blogs, websites, video-makers and more people, who just copy the work of others, Nike is seeking creatives with an Apple-mentality, involved in the relentless pursuit of perfection. Without being paid a dime — or with only the original creative spark being paid — communication players built-out the story around the new Air Max lifestyle sneaker.

Knowing from Fast Company that the posters honored the Bauhaus, AOC (as always) went intellectual. We don’t assume that especially younger readers necessarily know or care about the Bauhaus. How can we use the campaign to teach them?

The Bauhaus was founded by Weimar-based architect Walter Gropius, who combined both arts and crafts and the fine arts worlds in a democratic, populist intellectualism. The Art Story describes the Bauhaus movement in terms that resonate today:

The origins of the Bauhaus lie in the late 19th century, in anxieties about the soullessness of modern manufacturing, and fears about art's loss of social relevance. The Bauhaus aimed to reunite fine art and functional design, creating practical objects with the soul of artworks.

Performance Basketball Shoes Are in Downward Spiral Since 2015, but Retro Is Rising

AOC didn’t know that the performance basketball shoe market peaked in 2015 and has experienced double-digit declines since then, according to NPD.

Read all the details of Air Jordans’ staggering financial performance in Nike’s fiscal 2021 revenues and profits. Also, we share eye-opening details about the decline of basketball performance shoes and the rise of retro.

The World of Air Jordan Drops

Air Jordan drops are huge events in the sneaker world. Countless communities have grown up around the world of sneakerheads. Social psychologists write about them. There are calendars online with all the drop dates organized with images. Determined fans look for ways to get a pair of targeted Air Jordans months before the releases.

Back in 2018, Nike brand president Trevor Edwards stated, “We want to keep Jordan icons coveted and special, which is why we are proactively managing the exclusivity of specific iconic styles.” This means that these shoes will continue to be hard to get your hands on, making them unique to say the least.

The more AOC digs and explores the Air Jordan brand DNA — including this incredible new place for Air Jordans in the world of activist fundraising — call us speechless.

Image by Mike Von, Downtown Los Angeles, CA via Unsplash

Air Jordan: A Brand People Believe In

Studying the Nike press release on fiscal 2021 sales, Air Jordan has been very much with us in America’s darkest hour in decades. In all honesty, I don’t have an emotional relationship with Nike. But I’ve definitely developed an attachment to Air Jordan and Jordan Brand, especially when we get to the section on values and activism.

Covid Sent a Gut Punch to the Air Jordan Community

Who did ordinary people turn to for comfort and a sense of hope and security — but also a shot in the arm to keep us running in COVID-world 2020? ‘His Airness’ Michael Jordan — that’s who.

There is no debate around this issue. The Nike fiscal report on sales and profitability tells us all we need to know about how “we the people” felt about Air Jordan and Jordan Brand in 2020. Businesses were reeling, and in saunters Air Jordan to take a Wall Street bow.

I daresay, Jordan Brand’s influence was even more critical to our bleeding hearts, because Michael Jordan got seriously in the game on the topic of racial justice post George Floyd’s May 2020 murder in Minnesota. That’s the focus of AOC’s future post on values and activism in Air Jordan and Jordan Brand.

Why Am I doing This Giant Freebie for Nike and Air Jordan?

Read our in-depth series on Air Jordan to find out.

Our kids need Air Jordan as an example of American grit and determination to overcome not only COVID, but the drive to end American democracy and the disenfranchisement of million of voters of color.

Each of us is obligated to use our best skills to stop this march of Trumpism in America, and I EXPECT Nike to be in this game of American politics that has become a scary blood-sport.

I can’t think of a better tactical move to make this minute for Anne of Carversville, than to start bird-dogging Nike and Air Jordan. Regular readers expect us to bird-dog brands on sustainability.

Now we will be tracking brands taking a stand for “we the people politics” in America and worldwide.

Fasten your seat belts, because AOC intends to fly high in this new endeavor. We won’t fly into the sun — Icarus, we are not. But we will fly in the face of business. In the words of the great Muhammad Ali, we will “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”

How Successful Is Michael Jordan? He's the GOAT!

16 years after playing his last professional basketball game, Michael Jordan out-earns every current NBA player in the sneaker income category. Earning $130 million from his Nike deal, Jordan made four times the No. 2 ranked LeBron James, who made $32 million in 2019.

AOC shares the summer 2021 research rankings on Michael Jordan tying Muhummad Ali as the greatest athlete ever in history.

We want to “Be Like Mike”

Note the music in the Gatorade commercial. It transcends America. Heck I expect Nelson Mandela to enter stage left any second. The commercial is deeply Black in its powerhouse influence on global culture and yet it transcends race.

That was Nelson Mandela’s approach, too — pure ubuntu. Mandela found that the power of Ubuntu, the inner core of every person's humanity, could move mountains.

Our young people don’t really know and understand the power of Nelson Mandela’s message. But they DO want to be like Mike. So do I. So should you. ~ Anne

Leyna Bloom, Megan Thee Stallion, Naomi Osaka Cover 2021 SI Swimsuit Issue

Leyna Bloom, Naomi Osaka, Megan Thee Stallion Cover 2021 SI Swimsuit Issue AOC Body

Is the Sports Illustrated Swimwear issue the new barometer on American women’s sexuality?

Three Self-Identifying Black Women Launch Sports Illustrated 2021 Swimsuit Issue

The Sports Illustrated Swimwear cover release was a time for celebration, with trans model Leyna Bloom spotted in first place on photographer Yu Tsai’s IG. Bloom publicized her inclusion in the magazine in March, but Monday’s cover news was a fresh delight.

Tennis champion Naomi Osaka also has a SI swimsuit cover, days ahead of the kickoff of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Today’s third Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover goes to hip hop star Megan Thee Stallion.

We note that all three women identify as Black women, and this reality also must be a first ever, even though few are talking about it. Too much to celebrate, I guess.

Leyna Bloom, First Trans Woman SI Cover

As the first trans person to land on the front page of SI’s annual special issue, Leyna Bloom is breaking new ground.

"I have dreamt a million beautiful dreams, but for girls like me, most dreams are just fanciful hopes in a world that often erases and omits our history and even existence," Bloom wrote of the honor in a lengthy statement on Instagram. "This moment is so powerful because it allows me to live forever even after my physical form is gone. Not a lot of people get to live in the future, so at this moment, I'm proudly choosing to live forever."

Some Osaka Fans ’Revoked’ Her ‘Black’ Card

As Naomi Osaka prepares to play tennis for the Japanese team at the Olympics, she has now spoken of the not so compassionate world she has faced as a mixed-race Haitian Japanese woman identifying as Black. I noted in these pages that Osaka’s depression had to encompass the pride — but also the potential suffering — she would experience not representing the US at the Olympics.

Megan Thee Stallion is only the second musician to be on the cover, and she's the first rapper. Beyoncé covered the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2007.

According to Nielsen Music, "WAP" accrued a record-breaking 93 million streams in the US the week after its release in August 2020.

Before debuting her single "Body" at the American Music Awards in November last year, the rapper preached a motivating message of self-love, and she’s not flying solo in the community of Black women.

Gossip Girl Zion Moreno Covers Vogue Mexico August 2021 by An Le

Gossip Girl Zion Moreno Covers Vogue Mexico August 2021 by An Le AOC Fashion

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Zión Moreno, a trans, Mexican-American actor who plays Luna La in on HBO’s ‘Gossip Girl’ reboot, covers the August issue of Vogue Mexico. Aryeh Lappin styles Moreno in images by An Le [IG]./ Hair by Gonn Kinoshita; makeup by Kuma; art director Victoria Pavon

The 26-year-old Moreno, born in El Paso, Texas and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is now trans and living in LA. Before ‘Gossip Girl’, she starred in the Mexican teen Netflix drama ‘Control Z’.

‘Gossip Girl’ boss Joshua Safran dished with Variety on the new show in early July, confirming that Moreno’s character Luna is a trans woman in the show. But the show is not focused on Luna transitioning into her authentic self. “That’s just not our story. Luna is Luna to these people, and that’s that,” said Safran.

The topic of Luna and disclosure is addressed later in the show. Safran, an executive producer of the original ‘Gossip Girl’ and the showrunner of the new production, stresses that “Gossip Girl is not weaponizing anyone’s gender or sexuality in the show, or race or identity.” Simply stated, these are not key themes of the show.

Simone Biles Bends Excellence to Her Will in WSJ Magazine by Rahim Fortune

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Simone Biles Bends Excellence to Her Will in WSJ Magazine by Rahim Fortune AOC Fashion

At 4’8” tall, Simone Arianne Biles is called “the most powerful gymnast in history”, by WSJ Magazine. Biles is headed to the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo — the goddesses willing — where she will continue her head-spinning ascent in a sport where she already holds a combined total of 30 Olympic and World Championship medals.

Globally, Biles is widely considered to be among the greatest and most dominant female gymnasts of all time.

As WSJ Magazine’s August 2021 cover star, Biles is styled by Jessica Willis in luxury ready-to-wear looks from Chanel (cover), Del Core, Fendi, Jil Sander, Kwaidan Editions, Y/Project and more.  Austin, Texas born, New York-based photographer Rahim Fortune captures Biles in Houston. / Hair by Tylaria Thomas; makeup by Cinthia Moore

Louise Radnofsky interviews the superstar gymnast and activist about defying all expectations as she becomes even stronger after “surviving abuse, enduring a family ordeal and overcoming her own doubts.”

AOC shares the interview highlights.

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Kate Moss' SKIMS Campaign of Kim Kardashian's Everyday Sexy Body Confidence

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AOC Fashion Kate Moss' SKIMS Campaign of Kim Kardashian's Everyday Sexy Body Confidence

Kate Moss is the new face of SKIMS [IG] Summer 2021 campaign — an utterly brilliant decision by Kim Kardashian..

"I've been a fan of SKIMS since day one," Moss said in a press release. "What Kim is doing with the brand is so fresh and modern, making underwear women actually want and that fits perfectly."

The iconic Moss models a selection of styles from SKIMS’ bestselling Fits Everybody and Cotton collections.

Kardashian’s SKIMS also has backup from Kate’s family. "I wear it, my daughter [Lila Grace Moss, 18] wears it — even my mum [Linda Shepherd] wears it!" she said.

Kardashian, 40, is honored to have iconic supermodel Moss, 47, representing her brand. "I first met Kate in 2014 through [designer] Riccardo Tisci and was instantly struck by her cheeky humor, authentic and classic beauty — we've been friends ever since," Kardashian said.

Artist and photographer DonnaTrope [IG]captures the SKIMS campaign.

The brand — which is rockin’ in its own zone like Rihanna’s Fenty collection is rockin’ — also has key styles for the US Women’s Olympic team featured on the SKIMS [IG].

Kim Kardashian/Instagram

AOC so loves it when two sexy, independent-minded, child-loving, entrepreneurial women meet up at the Vatican. That’s exactly what happened a few weeks ago when Kardashian, Moss, and daughter Lila Grace toured the Vatican.

The SKIMS entrepreneur enjoyed more than one Sophia Loren moment, now that she is released from Yeezy bondage.

Kim no-longer receives God-given instructions on how to dress and was really feelin’ a goddess-vibe in Rome.

Just remember, Kim, women had way more power before monotheism came to the Vatican. You and Kate are well on the way to restoring some femme power in your new SKIMS campaign.

Good work, Ladies! AOC doesn’t use the work ‘flawless’, but if we did, you are in the flawless zone. ~ Anne

AOC Archives

Adwoa Aboah Named Global Brand Activist for Rimmel London Beauty Brand

Adwoa Aboah Named Global Brand Activist for Tmmel London Beauty Brand AOC Eye

British cosmetics brand Rimmel, now owned by Coty, Inc., has tapped Adwoa Aboah as the beauty brand’s new global activist.

Adwoa and Rimmel London are “like-minded in advocating self-expression and believe in the freeing power of makeup, not to transform but to empower all wearers,” said the brand in a PR release.

The founder of Gurl Talk joins a long list of unique, trailblazing women who have previously been the face of Rimmel London. They include Kate Moss, Georgia May Jagger, Cara Delevingne and Rita Ora.

AOC thought of Aboah today, remembering her British Vogue September 2020 cover, shared with Britain’s Manchester United football star Marcus Rashford, one of three players of color who received savagely racist abuse after losing the Euro 2020 final to Italy on Sunday.

You may remember Sir Richard Branson talking about watching the game, after his return from the edge of space on Sunday.

AOC will revisit this story Wednesday, as British Vogue has resurrected their cover and shared many helpful links on racism for readers.

Adut Akech Electrifies in Fall 2021 Modern Luxury by Chris Colls ELLE US August

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Adut Akech Electrifies in Fall 2021 Modern Luxury by Chris Colls ELLE US August

Supermodel Adut Akech is breathtaking, posting in vibrant, modern luxury clothes for the August 2021 issue of ELLE US. Photographer Chris Colls [IG] captures Adut, who just became a global ambassador for Estee Lauder, with styling by Alex White.

In her interview Adut Akech Is Electric Roxanne Fequiere refreshes memories about Adut’s journey out of South Sudan. We’ve told that story many times on AOC in the last four years, so head-on over to ELLE to read Adut’s story of roadside birth on on Christmas Day in 1999 — somewhere between South Sudan and the Kenyan refugee camp Kakuma.

The camp Kakuma, that has birthed several successful models, was her home, until Adelaide, Australia welcomed her, her mom and five siblings. Adut’s father died in the fighting in South Sudan, and her aunt was already living in Adelaide.

In Adut’s own words:

“I was born on the way to Kenya, and I haven’t been to Sudan since.

Adut’s fashion industry success is legendary by now. At a time when models of color are rising everywhere in fashion, Adut is a superstar. Her Estee Lauder appointment makes her platinum grade in the world of modeling and will absolutely affect her bank account, Adut is also a member of the new VS Collective, joining other high-credentialed women to do what, none of us knows. They are advisers.

In another of Adut’s famous stories touched in her ELLE interview, in the car ride from the Adelaide airport to her new home, the now supermodel turned to her mother and made a vow: “Now that we’re here, I’m going to get an education. I’m going to buy you a car and a house. I’m going to make something of myself.”

That life checklist is complete for Adut Akech, who tells us something more about her character when she says: “I will always be a refugee.”

To say that there’s whole lotta love for this young woman is an understatement. Hey, Adut, how about a ride in Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShip Two Unity 22? Now THAT would be memorable for a refugee model. You could raise money for your future project in [South] Sudan. ~ Anne

Read the interview and get info on all the incredible clothes at ELLE.

The Odds Were Greater That Richard Branson Would Die Today Than Voter Fraud in Texas

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Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo Unity 22 didn’t deliver peace on earth today, but Sir Richard Branson and his crew created hope for humankind. Thankfully, the flight had nothing to do with the state of Texas, because Texas has gone totally retrograde.

New Mexico Gov. Grisham Celebrates Space Travel While Texas Gov Abbott Goes Retrograde

Texas Republican governor Greg Abbott and his insurrectionist-supporting right-wingers were busy rolling back the rights of people to vote in Texas — people of color, in particular — this weekend. Across the western Texas border, New Mexico’s Democratic governor Michelle Lujan Grisham looked into the future of space travel.

Minutes before the launch, Gov. Grisham said the international attention on Sunday’s flight would help cement New Mexico’s place in the history of space exploration. Virgin Galactic flew out of a new spaceport constructed with New Mexico taxpayer dollars — a fact celebrated by the governor, who is anything but Texas retrograde.

“We’re not just competing; by God, New Mexico is leading,” the governor beamed in a scrum with reporters, as quoted in the Austin American-Statesman.

The enormous success and publicity of today’s Virgin Galactic’s Unity flight will give New Mexico a more prominent position for drawing aerospace companies and other businesses in the future.

Why Should We Care About Space Flight When American Democracy Is Under a Full-Frontal Assault by the Greg Abbott Crowd?

It's easy to say "why do we even care about Branson’s flight,when Texas is trying to disenfranchise voters of color, when Texas citizens, who lined up at 6am in Austin Saturday waited 16 hrs. for testimony to even begin Saturday night."

We care about Branson's flight because many of us are hopeful adventurers. Rather than watch fellow humans who are red state Republicans still clamoring for Donald Trump to be reinstalled as their king of America, the optimists among us look for answers in the unknown.

If Branson can blast off and live to tell the story -- why the hell cant' we figure out democracy in America.

By their own admission in Texas, there are only 44 people under investigation for voter fraud out of the 11 million who voted in the 2020 election.

The odds that Branson and his team would have died today were far greater than the possibility that voter fraud has any significance on election results in Texas.

If we only live mentally with the Texas vision of possibility in America, we are doomed. This is why AOC says that Texas thinks and acts retrograde -- and yes, the results are devastating for our democracy.

From pumping out fossil fuels and rolling back every environmental regulation in effect under the Obama administration to curtailing voting rates when TEXAS ALREADY RANKS among the lowest states in voter turnout, Texas is totally retrograde.

Even though more voters cast ballots in the 2020 presidential election than in 30 years, Texas still ranked 44 out of 50 states in America.

Richard Branson and Ubuntu

And in the case of Branson, we hope he's not another adventurer who just plunders this sacred new horizon -- which is one that has existed for countless millions of years.

Richard Branson, the founder and CEO of the Virgin Group, makes a powerful argument in his writings for using business to make a positive impact in the world and shifting our values from an exclusive focus on profit to also caring for people, communities and the planet. Ubuntu is doing what you would do for yourself to others as well, and injects a level of much-needed accountability in business.

The Virgin website spoke to the practice of ubuntu in business in 2015.

For me, people like Branson help me to believe there is a way out of the current human condition. Breakthroughs are possible in the future world of Richard Branson and the vision of New Mexico governor Grisham. There is only Trump-style, Texas swagger in the vision of Gov. Greg Abbott.

You can be Texas proud, and still understand why Texas is retrograde. Swagger and brains are usually inversely related. The more you have of one, the less of the other. Texas drowns in swagger — and even Texas white men will proudly confirm that fact.

Don't be like Texas, when in the universe, we can have "ubuntu for all" in the words of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.

Sir Richard Branson is an exception to my swagger vs brains comparison. Honestly, he’s got bigger ba**s than most of the men in Texas — except for Jeff Bezos. If Branson decided to sell Texas style snake oil, he could. Luckily for the planet, Branson has always had vision.

The founder of Amazon and Blue Origin, who will himself jettison into space in nine days ,was born in Albuquerque but grew up in Houston and later Miami. Blue Origin operates out of west Texas — and yes, Bezos has brains. Big brains and big ba**s, too. But there’s a big difference between Branson and Bezos.

With true Texas swagger, the Blue Origin team has tried aggressively to discredit Virgin’s suborbital space plane. If Richard Branson were an American, he would have voted for Biden, as would Bezos’ ex-wife McKenzie Scott, who is breaking every record in history rewriting the philanthropy guide to giving money away handbook. McKenzie Scott has perfected the art of ubuntu.

As for Jeff Bezos, I find it hard to believe he voted for anyone but Trump. So view his diminution of Branson through that lens. The Blue Origin team — and Bezos himself — only got nice on launch day because we were all groaning over the crassness of Blue Origins Trumpian, no-ubuntu behavior.

I wept uncontrollably today watching the beauty of Unity’s grand space flight. It gave me comfort and hope knowing that the state of Texas is a total threat to the future of American democracy. Branson walks his ubuntu talk daily because — like me — he believes it’s embedded in the universe.

That’s why AOC is betting on Virgin Galactic and New Mexico governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, when the vision is America’s future. No one has all the answers to improving our mixed up world. But I’d rather live with futurists who honor the ancestral past and Gaia, than a bunch of retrograde white men Texans who honor a made up story about the Alamo.

May the force be with you both Sir Richard and Governor Grisham. ~ Anne

The High-Speed Evolutionary Downsizing of Sicily's Dwarf Elephants

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The High-Speed Evolutionary Downsizing of Sicily's Dwarf Elephants AOC Sustainability

The Amazing Shrinking of Europe’s Colossal Straight-Tusked Elephants

Imagine massive elephants towering 15 feet tall and weighing over 30,000 pounds.. The vision seems straight out of a science-fiction movie, but these super-sized, straight-tusked elephants (Palaeoloxdon antiquus) were for real, making them among the largest mammals to ever live during the Pleistocene era.

Migrating out of Africa about 800,000 years ago, the giant straight-tusked elephants became widespread across Europe and Asia. Picturing these monumental-sized elephants roaming the British countryside is fantastical enough.

Now imagine that these same super-sized elephants dwindled in size over time — say a few hundred thousands of years or 40 generations and as few as 1500 years— after migrating south to the island of Sicily.

At 15 percent of their original size, the colossal-size elephants became dwarf elephants the size of a donkey. Visualize humans becoming the size of a rhesus macaque monkey, suggests Josh Davis, of Britain’s National History Museum, as a way to understand the focus on new research on Sicily’s dwarf elephants.

The groundbreaking analysis published last month in 'Current Biology', showcases just how rapidly evolutionary changes can occur when animals are isolated on an island.

Anna Murphy's Critical Insights in 'Body Beautiful' for Harper's Bazaar UK

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Anna Murphy's Critical Insights in 'Body Beautiful' for Harper's Bazaar UK AOC Fashion

Models Molly Constable and Seynabou [Zeyna] Cissé cover Harper’s Bazaar UK’s August 2021 ‘The Body Issue’. Shibon Kennedy styles the duo in ‘Body Beautiful’, a visual and written-word reflection on curves lensed by Pamela Hanson [IG] with words by Anna Murphy.

Murphy is fashion director of The Times and The Sunday Times [UK] since 2015. Previously she launched ‘Stella’ at The Sunday Telegraph, also London-based. She is unusually honest in sharing her thoughts about curves and female ‘flesh’ generally-speaking.

All women have paid a high price over body management by religious zealots, but women of color have paid the highest price. In every dialogue of this nature, we must take the experiences of white women and double-triple them for women of color.

Murphy only has a one-pager in Harper’s UK, but hopefully she intends to use her platform to amplify her message going forward on this topic.

Anna Murphy considers the origin of the so-called ‘thin ideal’ that has been in ascendancy over the last century.

In her book ‘Unbearable Weight: Feminism, Western Culture, and the Body’, Susan Bordo argues that it’s about 'the tantalising ideal of a well-managed self in which all is kept in order'. That this has had a greater hold over women than men is because "throughout dominant Western religious and philosophical traditions, the capacity for self-management is decisively coded as male. By contrast, all those bodily spontaneities – hunger, sexuality, the emotions – seen as needful of containment and control have been culturally constructed... as female." Golly.

And so, to follow Bordo’s argument, modern women – or at least those in "late modern Western societies" – have used their bodies to demonstrate to others that they can do, be, live as men do; that they can subjugate their "domestic, reproductive destiny".

I told you the essay is provocative!! ~ Anne

Critical Race Theory Does NOT Focus on Individual Racist Actions of White People

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Explaining Critical Race Theory: What It Is and What It Is Not AOC Blackness

A June-release study from left-leaning Media Matters for America totaled up nearly 1,300 mentions of the term ‘critical race theory’ on Fox News in 4.5 months.

In academia, critical race theorists focus on how America's history of racism and discrimination continues to impact the country today, particularly in how racism may have been brushed aside in previous historical accounts.

Few Americans — including the folks on Fox News — can actually explain critical race theory, but its focus is institutional, systemic racism in government, businesses, and even religion.

Despite being the total boogeyman that Fox News, RT News and other right-wing media say — CRT does not focus at all on the individual actions of white people.

Kimberlé Crenshaw, a law professor and central figure in the development of critical race theory, said in a recent interview that critical race theory “just says, let’s pay attention to what has happened in this country, and how what has happened in this country is continuing to create differential outcomes. … Critical Race Theory … is more patriotic than those who are opposed to it because … we believe in the promises of equality. And we know we can’t get there if we can’t confront and talk honestly about inequality.”

Anne of Carversville has a long history of writing about race, religion and political activism. From the moment we saw a YouTube video in President Obama’s 2012 presidential reelection campaign calling him the Devil and featuring the KKK in Colorado, with torches blazing denouncing him as Satan, AOC saw clearly where America is headed.

Media Matters doesn’t have the video either, but their article In 2012, Breitbart tried to use ‘critical race theory’ to take down Obama. It failed miserably’ recaps the situation as AOC remembers it.

Trust Anne of Carversville

The battle is on. I’ve moved to Virginia to be closely involved in the fight for America’s multicultural democracy. AOC’s main focus is first and foremost the facts. The alt-right bullseye in Virginia is Loudoun county outside of Washington, DC and an area that has gone blue in recent years.

It’s hell in Loudoun County.

Children’s school books are being delivered today, so that I can understand precisely what is being taught in schools. AOC will share our learnings with readers, to help them make informed decisions about ‘critical race theory’ in a post-Jan. 6 alt-right, militia movement insurrection to overturn the 2020 presidential election world.

As a young girl in Minnesota, who wept when singing ‘America the Beautiful’, I never though I would see this America in 2021. My own American experiences have taught me that the US is a far more complex country than my first-grade vision

America is in a very, very serious place in our ability to continue on as a democracy. The Trump-voters assault on every political institution is epic, imo, and I’m not wearing rose-colored glasses.

Regular readers of AOC know that I do not hesitate to criticize progressives even though I am one. For this reason, AOC has always enjoyed a solid following and significant personal support for me, among educated, suburban Republican women.

Even Republican conservative women trust AOC’s telling of the facts. We may not agree on certain values-driven topics like Planned Parenthood. But no one has ever accused AOC of making up the facts. We are complimented for being accurate and fair. And we run on no-drama Obama type writing.

AOC hopes to earn that support all over again in the coming months, as America faces its biggest challenge to our imperfect democratic institutions since the Civil War. It’s a painful time in our country, and AOC seeks to be part of the positive solution of protecting our democracy. ~ Anne

Willow Smith's Rock Revival Interview and Valentino Fashion Story in V Magazine

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Willow Smith's Rock Revival Interview and Valentino Fashion Story in V Magazine AOC Fashion Style

American singer, rapper, actor, dancer and songwriter Willow Smith is interviewed by Dania Curvy, digital editor at V Magazine and VMAN about forging the path for Black women in punk rock. Willow is styled by Nicola Formichetti in Valentino’s Roman Palazzo Collection and Cartier’s emblematic hardware.

Photographed by Domen / Van de Velde [IG], the multi-hyphenate creative blasts through the “lazy stereotype that associates Black female singers with R&B and soul”, making it clear that Black women intend to stay strong in a punk rock music genre dominated by white men.

V Magazine is quick to remind us that Smith’s mother Jada Pinkett Smith was the lead singer in a punk rock band Wicked Wisdom. Smith introduced Willow to Tennessee-based metal band Straight Line Stitch, led by a Black woman, Alexis Brown, now Alexis White.

Willow Smith was “super young’ age when ‘Whip My Hair’, her debut single released by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation came out in 2010. "I feel like I lost my sanity at one point," Smith said in 2018 of the time surrounding her song's release. "I had just stopped doing singing lessons and I was kind of just in this gray area of 'Who am I? Do I have a purpose? Is there anything I can do besides this?' "

In the 2018 interview words of Willow’s father Will Smith: “Willow was really the first person during 'Whip My Hair' that decided she didn’t want to do what I said . . . Because she was the baby girl, she really had the most power over me. As a man – if your daughter says no, there’s really nothing you can do.”

AOC says tell that to authoritarian right-wingers, who fight every day to control women’s bodies through shame and laws. Read Willow Smith’s entire new digital cover interview “Willow’s Rock Revival” at V Magazine.

Tavi Gevinson Reflects the Moment in 'XOXO Tavi' for Vanity Fair by Nick Riley Bentham

Tavi Gevinson Reflects the Moment in 'XOXO Tavi' for Vanity Fair by Nick Riley Bentham

Tavi Gevinson is an American writer, magazine editor, and actor. And ‘no’, she’s not skinnying into a pair of jeans, heading off to Vogue Paris. Tavi won’t be adopting former Vogue EIC Emmanuelle Alt’s trademark style, to the best of AOC’s knowledge.

Now 25, Tavi has a superb set of images by Nick Riley Bentham [IG] in the July/August 2021 issue of Vanity Fair. Nicole Chapoteau styles the founder of an incredibly popular, fashion and feminism blog ‘Style Rookie’ at age 12 in eccentric artistry from Alessandra Rich, Chanel, Collina Strada, Dior, Emilio Pucci, Wales Bonner and more./ Hair by Roberto Di Cuia; makeup by Akiko Owada