September 9, 2011

The limits of optical illusions.

It's that dress that gives women an hourglass-figure look... except when it doesn't.

And as long as I'm debasing myself by reading the Daily Mail: Chaz Bono is having trouble rehearsing for "Dancing with the Stars" "because he lacks rhythm." I'm sure they can figure out a few optical illusions — lighting, costumes, editing, spiffy partner — to keep the current attention-getter from early elimination.

44 comments:

traditionalguy said...

God have mercy on Chasity.

Sal said...

I'd be sure I could dance before I'd agreed to do it on national television. Doesn't that seem sensible?

The Drill SGT said...

sad

dbp said...

Possibly the illusion is working for Gloria. Maybe she would look far worse with a conventional dress.

When might we see Althouse in such a dress? Not that she needs it, but then neither does Ms. Winslet and she looked fabulous.

prairie wind said...

Very sensible, MarkG. But then, hasn't Chaz made other decisions that weren't quite...sensible?

Quaestor said...

So Chaz "the Bearded Lady" Bono lacks rhythm, does he? (she? it?)

Too bad the sideshow freak job description has been made redundant by rampant amateurism.

The Dude said...
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Martha said...

Rhythm is not the only thing Chaz lacks.

He was so adorable when he was a little girl. At the end of the Sonny and Cher tv show blond cute Chastity would make an appearance.

What happened?

Bayoneteer said...

Too effing fat. Sorry to say, but there it is.

Sal said...

About the dress...I go to a gym that is mostly Hispanic. Hispanic women don't mind showing off their pot bellies. It's like black women and big asses, I think.

Ann Althouse said...

Actually, the difference between the 2 women probably has a long to do with the selection of foundation garments. I'll bet Winslet has something compressing all the bulges and holding them into a sleek, uninterrupted line below the breasts. Estevan is going more natural. That's what women really look like.

I'll bet if you somehow were lucky enough to get into a position to undress the 2 women, Estevan would look far more graceful getting out of what she's got on.

Both women are trying to look good, of course. It's just a matter of taste. I think most women feel they ought to look more like Kate Winslet looks in that picture (including Kate Winslet). It's a lot of effort, and then it's a lot more effort to get out of that get-up.

But I'll bet plenty of men would prefer to spend time with someone who looks more like Estevan.

Ann Althouse said...

Chaz is in a ridiculous position, feeling challenged to seem masculine, and the stereotypical way to do that is to seem blocky and ungraceful. Look at the stances Chaz takes! It's totally alien to the concept of dancing.

The truth is you can't be/do everything.

"The woman only has to be. The man has to do."

edutcher said...

It doesn't work for Gloria (but works for Kate) because Kate is more hourglass to start with. Nice on top, but a bit more of her is below the waist - and she has the waist to show off her assets. That style emphasizes the bust and the waist.

Gloria, OTOH, isn't all that broad in the beam - unusual for a Latina.

And what dbp requested.

WV "nomor" What we want to hear about Chaz.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

MarkG said...
I'd be sure I could dance before I'd agreed to do it on national television. Doesn't that seem sensible?


Sensible?!?! Laddie, you'll never be a celebrity with that attitude!

SPImmortal said...

This is why if you're going to have kids, you have more than one.

It's no good to put all your eggs in one basket only to have your daughter decide one day that she wants to have doctors attach a fake penis between her legs in order to become a "man"

BJK said...

Forget the (s)he controversy - what is Chaz Bono doing on any programming having "with the stars" in the title.

It's not called Dancing With the Stars' Kids, after all.


(You could probably make the same argument against Sarah Palin's daughter having been on the show....but do it to someone else. I didn't watch then, and I'm not going to watch now.)

Carol_Herman said...

Well, at least their not doing face lifts anymore. Or then you'd see women who were in their 70's, and they'd all have goatees.

dbp said...

Another two issues in these pictures are posture and movement:

Winslet is standing still and has her shoulders back. Estefan is walking and the picture was taken right as her forward leg was crinkling the fabric to a maximum extent below her belly. Also, she seems to walk slightly hunched over, so that there are additional wrinkles above her belly and below her breasts.

As for the choice of contrasting shade for the bust area: I think they both made the right choice here. Winslet needs to even-out the hourglass look with the illusion of a larger bust, while Estefan does not need to emphasize this area.

coketown said...

Chaz has only had a penis for a few months, and developing rhythm takes time. I've had mine almost 25 years and I'm just now getting the hang of it.

Triangle Man said...

Estefan is really short...like Michele Bachman short.

Steve Koch said...

Love the Daily Mail. Lot's of t&a.

Althouse is spot on in her analysis of Gloria vs Kate. Plus Kate is posing and wearing a tighter dress without sleeves (all of which optimizes the optical illusion effect of the dress design) plus Kate is 18 years younger and in better shape than Gloria at the time the pictures were taken.

Kensington said...

Three thoughts, all brilliant:

1. "Chaz" can grow a better beard than I can. That's not just.

2. Gloria Estafan looks fine. Girls should have bellies and curves.

3. Kate Winslett should buy a dress that hides the fact that she gushed over Roman Polanski recently as if he weren't a child rapist.

edutcher said...

Didn't even notice Gloria's tummy - and wouldn't have minded if I had.

A woman with a little roundness there can look quite sensual, particularly if her hips are wide and round. Gloria's are round, but not wide enough for the look.

And, yes, Kate is not that busty (believe I noted that). She does have a little help there.

BJM said...

@dpb

Also, she seems to walk slightly hunched over,

Didn't you know that in 1990 Estaban was critically injured in a horrific accident when a speeding semi crashed into her tour bus? Her back was broken and she wasn't expected to walk again. After receiving titanium implants and with a resolve of steel, Estaban returned to touring (and dancing) less than a year later. So I'd give her a pass on the slouch.

Winslett once had a well proportioned hourglass figure that perfectly suited her, but alas she's succumbing to the Hollywood ideal of androgynous waif. Pity that.

Steve Koch said...

There are quite a few lesbian couples where one partner is a lipstick lesbian and the other other partner is trying to look masculine. Why is the lipstick lesbian attracted to a woman who is trying to look masculine?

Chaz was a gay woman who tried to look masculine before getting the sex change. How common is it for lesbians who want to look masculine to be unhappy with being a woman and preferring to be a man? Can a lesbian who is unhappy with being a woman actually be considered a lesbian? Maybe many lesbians who like to project a masculine persona would actually be happier as men who are straight. It is clear why such a person would be attracted to women.

What is not clear is why the lipstick lesbian is attracted to a woman who projects a masculine persona.

Richard Dolan said...

Well, at least the hour-glass dress is intended to make the woman wearing it look better. The WSJ.com has a slide show about the feminization of male fashion, and it's quite bizarre. Not intended at all to men look good. The 'manties' and the 'mankini' were particularly ridiculous. Unlike the hour-glass dress, it's hard to imagine that anyone would actually buy that stuff.

Oclarki said...

Steve -

Yeah, I don't get it. Why settle for a chick trying act like a man when you can just get a regular old man?

Darleen said...

The optical illusion dress only works for posed pictures, moving around destroys the illusion ... kind of like those 3D street pictures

Dresses from the 40's and 50's could emphasize an hourglass figure in real life.

Darleen said...

And masculine white men can dance ... Gene Kelly.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

That dress make me think of these tee shirts.

Seriously. You aren't fooling anyone!

Same thing goes for Chaz Bono

Sue D'Nhym said...

And as long as I'm debasing myself by reading the Daily Mail

His son is working for the Daily Mail
It's a steady job
But he wants to be
A paperback writer.

Paperback writer!!!

sorepaw said...
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jamboree said...
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Freeman Hunt said...

That dress is terrible.

Freeman Hunt said...

And yes, I also think it's a difference of foundation garments. But it doesn't look good on either of them.

gerry said...

Gloria looks great!

jamboree said...
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edutcher said...

jam, if you look at a lot of belly dancers, a good many have midsections more like Gloria's than Kate's. And I don't mean the fat ones.

A lot of women apparently quit belly dancing as an exercise program because it gives them a round, firm belly, rather than a flat man-style one (it would seem exercise there makes women rounder). I don't doubt for a second Gloria's in great shape if she's doing a singing, dancing show.

Joe said...

I hate that dress; it makes me think something is wrong and once the illusion breaks, it makes it all look worse.

jamboree said...
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The Crack Emcee said...

As long as I'm debasing myself by reading the Daily Mail,...

It is starting to feel that way, isn't it? They'd found a happy medium for a while there, but all this oogling who's lost weight stuff has really led them into a dark place. As it seems to do everyone.

This is really a sick society.

The Crack Emcee said...

"The woman only has to be. The man has to do."

Ooooh, girl, you are NOT going to like the future,...

Joan said...

Gloria needs better foundation garments. You can bet that Kate Winslet is wearing some "body smoother" thing that would've been called a girdle by previous generations, and Kate has a bra that fits her properly and puts her girls where they belong, whereas Gloria's bra is actively sabotaging her look. It's not the dress that's bad, it's what she's not wearing under it.

As for Chas Bono, I second tradguy.

Largo said...

DBQ: "That dress make me think of these tee shirts."

Hee! That link's funny! :)