from the hip

In Denmark, body paint is becoming fashionable among pregnant women. They go and get their bodies painted, and then, next, get themselves photographed. This is a nice way to create very special and sometimes even spectacular memories of their pregnancies.

I think the pictures are stunning. Very beautiful, and with some very intriguing designs also!

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The Icelandic band Sigur Rós has recorded a somewhat unusual music video for a song entitled “Gobbledigook”. The video has lots of nudity (what is known as “frontal nudity” in the US). As a result, it will be banned on MTV and has been removed from YouTube.

The movie may be interesting because of the nudity - it has both nude males and nude women. It may also be interesting because of lots of pubic hair - a new trend? In Iceland?

However, the most interesting aspect of this is the marketing aspect. We have seen Pamela Anderson, Paris Hilton, and others using sex videos and nudity to become world famous. Is this possible for a band with a music video too? If it has lots of nudity?

Also, the media world is changing, and this video may well illustrate how relatively unimportant traditional media channels are becoming - even YouTube, when it chooses to censor. My bet is that this video will go viral, and that it will be one of the most viewed music videos this year.

It is still art? Who knows? However, the new album, which this song is from, is called “Nude”, so at least it reflects the title of the album.

What remains to be seen is whether sex sells, and whether the group will be able to reach their intended audience with this content or not?

We will see!

PS: Oh, and the video? You can find it on the homepage of Sigur Rós:  Here.

The Norwegian artist Bjarne Melgaard has created a piece entitled “Margaux Hemingway”. In Norwegian newspapers it is more often referred to as “the vagina arm”.

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Naomi Campbell is wickedly beautiful, extremely sexy, moves like a gazelle, has had a marvelous career as a model, but what a temper the lady has! One of the top babes of all times, and one of the wildest ones as well.

As the picture shows, she is quite a looker. But she has had several unfortunate tantrums over the years, some of which have brought her into contact with the legal system. The last one, on Heathrow, is said to involve some spitting. On a police officer. Previously there’s been throwing of a cell phone, some beating, some pretty verbal stuff, and such.

The last episode I can sympathize with. Many of us, and I count myself as one, have been angry, outraged, and harassed at airports around the world. By arrogant, not so service minded airport or airline employees and security guards. At least a dozen times I have been at my wits end and so angry I have wanted to hit somebody or something. But doing it is different, though.

The part I do not understand about this, is when she later has claimed that she was arrested because she is black. That part I do not believe. Spitting on a policeman would get anybody arrested, is my thinking. But I may be wrong.

Naomi Campbell has previously been taking anger management classes. They didn’t to all that much good, it would seem. Maybe it’s back to school for Naomi now?

I am European, so I view the following images as both beautiful and as art. But the line between the two is sometimes hard to draw. Especially as some pornographic pictures may also at the same time be beautiful. I guess?

So what to you think? First, Gisele Bündchen:

Next, Jenny Kapitan:

Finally, Lauren Hutton:

So? Which is what? Or are they all - what?

Swedish and Danish women are still fighting for equal rights. Scandinavian women have in many ways been in the forefront in women’s struggle for equality between the sexes. And much has been achieved. A number of studies indicate that wage discrimination has more or less disappeared in Scandinavia. And the women have won a number of other important victories as well.

Now a group of women are fighting for the right to bath and swim topless in public swimming facilities. The city of Sundsvall in Northern Sweden granted women this right after a bare-breasted protest a while ago. And now Copenhagen has permitted topless swimming as well.

Another victory for Scandinavian women.

Actually, for the men as well, I guess?

The Sun (UK) wrote about this today (03/29):

Campaign leader Astrid Vang, 20, who took her top off with others to protest at a leisure centre at Christmas, said: “We women would like to decide by ourselves when our breasts should be sexual and when not.”In swimming pools they should not and that is why the breasts should not be covered - We will bathe topless just like men.”

The Danish campaign was inspired by a Swedish group called Just Breasts, which was formed after two women were asked to cover up their breasts by a lifeguard at a public pool near Stockholm.

Swedish protesters carried out several full-frontal marches in their country but their tireless topless fight will not stop at swimming pools — the perky sufferagettes want to show tops the red card at football matches next.

France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy is an active gentleman. One of his main concerns is to re-establish France as a leading nation in the world. “Gloire”, “Vive la France”, and all of that.

Now he has taken a major step in that direction, by marrying Carla Bruni. With her, France now has the most beautiful First Lady in the world. Not only with her clothes on, but nekkid as well.

This picture (cut be me), presented in the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet, is to be sold at an auction at Christies i New York on April 10th, along with nude photographies of Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss. Some of the most beautiful women in the world. So the First Lady is in good company.

In my humble opinion, no other first lady even comes close to her with their clothes on. And nekkid I don’t think there is even a competition. Not even close, I would think.

To the French, who lovers of good food, excellent wine, art, beauty and the good life, and beautiful women as well, this must a great step forward. Vive la France!

I think.

PS: The owner of the photography, Gert Elfering, does not want to be accused of making money on Carla Bruni’s current posistion as First Lady, and has decided that the money from the sales of this picture will be donated to a charity.

PS2: There is a good article about the interesting life of the model, artist, and First Lady Carla Bruni in todays Independent. Highly recommended!

PS3: The photography of Carla Bruni sold for 91.000 US$, much more than expected!

Ashley Alexandra Dupre became instantly famous over night when the world learned that she was the call girl visited by New York ex-governor Eliot Spitzer. Also, according to some, she may have sold similar services to Hollywood-playboy Charlie Sheen,  dressed up as  cheer leader.

Deservedly or not, she stood to make millions of dollars on her newfound fame. Books, interviews and such will come, for sure. But some wanted to pay for porn pictures of her as well. Hustler seems to have been willing to pay 1 million USD for that. Producer of “Girls Gone Wild” Joe Francis was too.

According to Associated Press:

Joe Francis had reached out to Ashley Alexandra Dupre, now 22, with an offer of $1 million to appear in a non-nude spread for his company’s new magazine, plus a chance to join the “Girls Gone Wild” tour bus, his company announced Tuesday.

But Francis said someone had a revelation at the Tuesday morning staff meeting: Did anyone think to check the archives?

They did, he said — and there she was.

“It’ll save me a million bucks,” Francis told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “It’s kind of like finding a winning lottery ticket in the cushions of your couch.”

Francis said at that point, his offer was off the table: “We actually had been dealing with her rep,” he said. “Our (offer) was the real deal. We just never made the connection.”

He said his employees got to work on pulling the footage and planned to offer it on the Web site by Tuesday evening, with a free sampling on the front page and the rest available with a $29.95 monthly subscription.

And off the video will come nude pics and internet videoes. All in high demand.

So that was a  cool million lost for having shown off her body on tape at the wrong time! Bad deal, if you ask me.

A Norwegian newspaper, Dagbladet, shows a video of her, showing some skin. Not that I think you’re interested, but just in case.

Timing is king!