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October 15, 2005

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The Feminine Form

Recent posts by infidel and me have sparked quite a discussion here at SimonWorld. In particular, what displays of female forms are appropriate for semi-formal blogs such as Simon's? By my count there are around twenty comments under two or three posts on the subject. No less erudite commentators than Curzon of Coming Anarchy, Jing of Those Who Dare, Phil of Flying Chair, Li Liwei, and many others have weighed in.


But what is the history of feminine forms in foreign policy circles?


In one dimension, we have examples of femininity as sources of international peace. For example, over at tdaxp I noted that Carmen Miranda's Brazilian features and background were used by the Roosevelt administration to build Hemispheric harmony.


carmen_miranda

Carmen Miranda: Connectivity Warrior?



In another way, countries and places themselves can be feminized. Nanjing is portrayed as a woman during the Rape of Nanking episode. In Europe, Finland is often called a kneeling maiden, with the south being her blouse and her arms and head reaching northwards.


finland_and_russia_sm

Maiden of Finland



In nationalist artwork, the Maiden of Finland is often combined with an evil representing the monstrosity of Russia


maiden_of_finland_attacked_by_hawk_of_russia

In Art



finland_and_russia_2_sm

In Life



World leaders try to exploit femininity to their own advantage. Memorably, Secretary of State Dr. Condi Rice attendend an official funciton in garb that reminded many of dominatrices. Alternatively, matronly qualities might be emphasized, as with former Secretary of State Madeline Albright



Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice




Secretary of State Madeline Albright



Otherwise, the feminine form and foreign policy will be juxtaposed in the interest of aesthetics. For instance, Dr. Thomas P.M. Barnett is a highly influential grand whose book -- The Pentagon's New Map -- is widely read within the security establishment. His latest published article, The Chinese Are Our Friends, is in the same edition of a magazine as Jessica Biel: The Sexist Woman Alive (hat-tip ZenPundit).


 posted by Dan tdaxp on 10.15.05 at 03:56 AM in the




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Teaching Barbarism
Excerpt: "Civics Is Not Enough: Teaching Barbarics in K-12," by John Hibbing and Elizabeth Theiss-Morse, PS: Political Science and Politics, Vol. 29, No. 1. (Mar., 1996), pp. 57-62, http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=1049-0965%28199603%2929%3A1%3C57%3ACINETB%3E2....
Weblog: tdaxp
Tracked: November 5, 2005 01:06 AM


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