Tuesday, February 26, 2013

OBJECTIFICATION

I did not watch the Academy Awards Sunday night.  Turned off the t.v. and read instead.  Of course, one cannot help seeing all the replays and comments after the fact.  Made me think of how beautiful and perfect everyone has to pretend to be to make it in the movies - unless you are supremely talented like Daniel Day Lewis and Meryl Streep.

And read this poem that came into my inbox - so appropriate!


The Objectified Mermaid
by Matthea Harvey
 
The photographer has been treating her like a spork all morning. "Wistful mouth, excited tail! Work it, work it!" He has no idea that even fake smiling spreads to her eyes and her tail and there's nothing she can do about it short of severing her spine. Without asking, the assistant re-sprays her with glycerine. It's gonna be hell getting all that grease off her scales tonight but she can't scum up her tank at the bar--its weekly cleanings seem more like monthly these days, and fewer and fewer patrons have been inviting (read: paying) her for a Tankside Mertini and quick feel of her tail. There's one regular who lapses in and out of consciousness and he's the real reason she stays. Every once in a while he seems to have forgotten where he is and he looks at her with the kind of wonder she imagines her grandmother inspired when she first risked coming ashore. After an hour under the studio spotlights, she's starting to smell pretty fishy. Can't blame it (as she has before) on her standard seaweed bra because this fool of a photographer has her holding two clear fishbowls in front of her breasts so it looks like goldfish are swimming past her nipples. She's supposed to pretend it tickles. She wants to ask if he's heard the phrase "gilding the lily" which she recently learned at Land Berlitz. When asked if she's tired, she lies. A downward spiral means the opposite up here.



8 comments:

Sharon Whitley said...

Hi Rhonda thank you for the comments on the raven - Gary posts some of his photos to a site called Paint my Photo which is a site where artists are free to use the photos as inspiration for paintings without having to worry about copyright etc. although a credit to and link back to the photographer is always nice! His raven photo is on there to use - here is the link - not sure if you need to sign up first though - http://paintmyphoto.ning.com/photo/raven-3?context=user

Lisa Le Quelenec said...

What a great writer! I love flash fiction.

Autumn Leaves said...

Interesting story about the mermaid. And yes indeed, befitting your thoughts on the Hollywood scene.

RH Carpenter said...

Thank you so much, Sharon, for pointing that out. I am not a member - but may become one. I do have a few crow photos from North Carolina and ravens from Wyoming but the rest I create from other black bird photos Sweetie takes for me. Gary has taken some great photos of everything! He is very prolific and I love how you paint many of his scenes and animals.

Lisa, I liked it, too - will have to try to find her other mermaid stories.

Sherry, there is something about mermaids - this story brings it home as it would be if mermaids were among us - like the mermaids in Florida who swam for the tourists (girls in suits, of course) - I think it was Wikiwatchee Springs?

Teresa Palomar Lois said...

Never heard of "the objetified mermaid" before Rhonda, loved it, thanks for sharing!

RH Carpenter said...

Glad you enjoyed it, Teresa :)

Nick said...

they left out Andy Griffith. Someone had to make a decision to do that, and I guess they figured he wasn't as important as the dozen or so names nobody has ever heard of. And while I really liked Klugman and Borgnine, Andy was better known than both of them put together. (google that one) I'll never watch again.

RH Carpenter said...

Nick, someone decides who gets in and who doesn't - not sure if I would agree with the decision. Another reason why I don't watch - if I just want to see who was wearing what, I can tune in online the next day and hear all kinds of crap about that! ha ha I gave up on awards shows years ago - there's always something better to do.