Condi's Wardrobe in Europe is that of a Dominatrix! WaPo's Givens says!

[KoKo]

(Good Grief...what is Givan's trying to suggest in this article! Read the whole thing if you have a subscription to WaPo...if not...get one for this...)

washingtonpost.com
Condoleezza Rice's Commanding Clothes

By Robin Givhan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, February 25, 2005; Page C01

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived at the Wiesbaden Army Airfield on Wednesday dressed all in black. She was wearing a black skirt that hit just above the knee, and it was topped with a black coat that fell to mid-calf. The coat, with its seven gold buttons running down the front and its band collar, called to mind a Marine's dress uniform or the "save humanity" ensemble worn by Keanu Reeves in "The Matrix."

-Snip-

Rice's coat and boots speak of sex and power -- such a volatile combination, and one that in political circles rarely leads to anything but scandal. When looking at the image of Rice in Wiesbaden, the mind searches for ways to put it all into context. It turns to fiction, to caricature. To shadowy daydreams. Dominatrix! It is as though sex and power can only co-exist in a fantasy. When a woman combines them in the real world, stubborn stereotypes have her power devolving into a form that is purely sexual.

Countless essays and books have been written about the erotic nature of high heels. There is no need to reiterate in detail the reasons why so many women swear by uncomfortable three-inch heels and why so many men are happy that they do. Heels change the way a woman walks, forcing her hips to sway. They alter her posture in myriad enticing ways, all of which are politically incorrect to discuss.

-Snip-

But the sexual frisson in Rice's look also comes from the tension of a woman dressed in vaguely masculine attire -- that is, the long, military-inspired jacket. When the designer Yves Saint Laurent first encouraged women to wear trousers more than 30 years ago, his reasons were not simply because pants are comfortable or practical. He knew that the sight of a woman draped in the accouterments of a man is sexually provocative. A woman was embracing something forbidden.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51640-2005Feb24.html

[Erika]

1. Yeah it begs the questions

Is she seeking black power? Nazi power? Or just power with a hope that W is appreciative of her many skills.

[alittlelark]

2. I think b*sh likes the Dominatrix look.

... isn't that Gannon/Guckerts' look (albeit diff gender)???

[KoKo]

4. Given what's going on with Gan/Gurk...this article does seem....

well "odd." Given tries to point out at the end (which I didn't clip) that it's about time for women to combine power and sexuality..BUT...the way this is written suggests...there's "something about Dr. Rice" that we may not have been aware of .... :wow:

[nashville_brook]

6. somehow i have trouble imagining condi as fashion trend-setter

she looks very uncomfortable in these clothes -- like a ninth-grader's first week in high school, wearing age-inappropriate attire to fit her fantasy of HER NEW STATUS.

this is a reflection of how she sees herself. she is blooming. coming into her own as the head torture-mistress. how appropriate.

[paineinthearse]

9. At the risk of being politially incorrect,

A Dom is a Domme is a Dom is a Domme.

Funny, when I saw that photo I had the same thought, but refrained from expressing it.

[LeftCoast]

3. I don't like Condi, but this is SO ANTI-WOMAN

OMG! Would anyone EVER report a similar story about a man? Oy vey.

[Erika]

5. Ah, her gestapo boots, black dress, and brass buttons

doesn't exactly show the average American woman. Especially with her extreme hair style.

[LeftCoast]

8. All I'm saying is judge the lady by her actions, not how she looks

Her gender should not be used against her. The fact is, women in power (like Condi) far more on their appearance than their male counterparts. That's just not fair, even if she is an evil troll-republican. :)

[neweurope]

10. But when a secretary of state dresses for a state visit that IS an action!

Every little thing has meaning then. Those boots were entirely inappropriate. The first thing that crossed my mind when I saw the picture was "We are the masters" which exactly fits the way the Bushistas conducted themselves at this visit in Europe. And that outfit was driving it home.

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Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[KoKo]

20. Agree...totally out of context for her usual dress, too. Cheney shows

up in a Parka for a holocaust memorial service, Condi shows up on her first European swing dressed like someone from "The Matrix" and Chimp arrives and calls heads of state by their first names and insults Chirac by saying he needs a "good cowboy" when asked if will extend an invitation to Chirac to visit the "Ranch."

It sounds like the Bushies are hellbent on projecting the "Crude American" image around the world. And to me, it's calculated.... Sort of a "F**k Off World...We Rule" philosophy now that he thinks he's been re-elected with a "mandate."

[KoKo]

17. Her actions are that of a "Dominatrix." Plus she lied us into war, and

covered her and Chimp's butt about pre-9/ll attack threats. If you read the whole article you would see this isn't an attack on women.

[nashville_brook]

7. if a man wore a dog collar and cowboy chaps

or some other equally ridiculous costume.

[KoKo]

14. Given is a style writer for WaPo and at the end of the article she

says it's positive that a woman can now dress for "power" but still show her "sexuality." You'd have to read the whole article to the end...I snipped the other parts because I think there's "something" about Condi and this whole administration that's very hypocritical...and Condi's constant companionship with Chimp (playing hymns on the organ at Camp David, travelling to Texas with the family) and now the Gan/Gurk business makes me think this article is not being "sexist" or "trashing" of Condi's position.

[KoKo]

16. You need to read the whole article. Plus this isn't Condi's typical

attire. She's always seen wearing demure little suits and this says there's been a change. Frankly, I do feel she's a Dominatrix...and now she's just "dressing the part." :D

[pacalo]

11. It looks as though the photo has been removed.

There's a caption & a queue to "enlarge photo", but no photo.

[rodeodance]

12. "In short, the boots are sexy."--maybe it is the new look in Washington?

[Crunchy Frog]

26. No, it's still there. There may be some problem

with you browser. Here's the picture anyway.

[OneBlueSky]

13. I dunno . . . somehow the concept of Mistress Leeza and . . .

US Secretary of State don't belong in the same sentence . . . maybe it's just me . . .

[RebelOne]

15. Sorry, I don't agree with any of you.

Personally, I like her outfit, but those boots would look better on me.

[mainer]

18. I like her outfit too. What's she supposed to wear, ruffles?

What's with all the threads about Bush women clothes? I think Pickles looks pretty good these days as well.

[KoKo]

19. Kick.......

[goodhue]

21. silly stuff

shadowy daydreams
mystery and foreboding
Black is the color of intellectualism, of abstinence, of penitence
the erotic nature of high heels
sexual frisson
something forbidden

If the article was not so absolutely ridiculous, I would think it was sexist.

For reference here is the offical portrait of Secretary of State Albright . . .

Please note the intriguing hint of mystery and magic.

[KoKo]

22. One more time for the "weekend crowd." It's an interesting article if

you read it all...but for those without WaPo Access you got the "meat" of it.. Excuse my using a "Gannongate" word. :D

[trumad]

23. .

[leanin_green]

24. Well, she is a Scorpio, the woman just can't help it!

She probably does feel powerful and sexy these days. Being around all those sexually comfortable Europeans must have had an affect on her!

[ultraist]

25. I have boots very similiar to those...

Except mine are Stuart Weitzman and likely cost a LOT LESS than her's.

I think she looks great in that outfit, sorry.

Rice's black high-heel boots: As a fashion statement, absolutely powerful

Rice challenges expectations and assumptions. There is undeniable authority in her long black jacket with its severe details and menacing silhouette. The darkness lends an air of mystery and foreboding. Black is the color of intellectualism, of abstinence, of penitence. If there is any symbolism to be gleaned from Rice's stark garments, it is that she is tough and focused enough for whatever task is at hand.

Rice's appearance at Wiesbaden -- a military base with all of its attendant images of machismo, strength and power -- was striking because she walked out draped in a banner of authority, power and toughness. She was not hiding behind matronliness, androgyny or the stereotype of the steel magnolia. Rice brought her full self to the world stage -- and that included her sexuality. It was not overt or inappropriate. If it was distracting, it is only because it is so rare.
______________
I'm pro feminism but I don't think I have to dress like Laura, looking like I'm wearing frumpy clothes off the rack of Sears. Why should Condi or any other women?

[Disturbed]

27. Maybe this explains the shrub's bruises.

Hmmm.........

[KoKo]

28. Well....many of us do...those of us who care about fashion...I have

some I bought and I can barely walk in them.. but when I make an "effort" it does cause my "hips to sway" and I could to "some folks" look very provacative.

BUT...Condi until this point always has looked like the "pillar of innocence" with her little pearls and suits...so "understated" at her "Senate Confirmation Hearings" and all the other "Terra Alerts" conferences she was attending with the "RW Think Tanks."

For Condi to suddenly take on the guise of a Matriz/Dominatrix with the outfits described in this article is sort of a BIG BREAK from her PAST..I would think.

And remember...Laura just fired the WH Chef of Many Years and the MSM gave headlines about "Laura Bush is Setting Her OWN Style in the WH!"

So...something's going on here... And it isn't fellow females "trashing Condi" because we aren't "Pro-Feminast" enough. I'm plenty PC and Pro-Female Agenda.... Condi just doesn't seem to represent my side of the woods....she has her "own agenda" and now it's "MACHO/MACHO."
:shrug:

[ultraist]

29. That outfit is not macho

It's sleek. Granted it's not lace and pearls and overly feminine but why should women have to be called macho and dominatrix when they don't wear pink?

[KoKo]

30. I think Givan's was observing the change Condi made and wondered

why. Her interpretation was that "something was up." If Condi always wore those kinds of clothes then who would care? A sleek Condi wouldn't cause any comment. Why now...and why when she's traveling with the Chimp...I think Givan's was doing a Maureen Dowd. A keen observation of a change...it was worth noting that it was a "new" image for Condi and maybe not one that it's appropriate given that we want to now become an Empire. :shrug: That was my impression...but I seem to be with Given in the "minority" in my view on this thread.

[KoKo]

31. NYT's Maureen Dowd picks up on "Stilleto Diplomacy!" Condi

:D...glad to see her go at this...especially since it's from the WaPo...!

Good for her! A snip...from "MoDo's latest.."

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Mr. Bush and Condi Rice strut in their speeches - the secretary of state also strutted in Wiesbaden in her foxy "Matrix"-dominatrix black leather stiletto boots - but they shy away from taking questions from the public unless they get to vet the questions and audiences in advance.

more…
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/27/opinion/27dowd.html?h...




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