Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Inspiring women

There are countless inspiring women throughout history.
If I wanted to try mentioning all of them, starting with Sappho, I would run out of time to finish my new collection.
So here just a small selection of women I admire either for their uniqueness, vision, what they achieved in their field, the impact they had on culture in general or on me personally.inspiring womenSusan Sontag, American critic, writer and activist
I'm a slow reader and English isn't my mother tongue, still Susan Sontag is worth the time investment. To me her writing is truly enlightening, no one’s words could ever express and at the same time challenge better my own way to look at art. Some of her most influential essays are "Notes On 'Camp'", “On Photography” and "Against Interpretation".
Gabrielle Coco Chanel, fashion Designer
Her revolutionary understated approach to fashion, her gift to simplify, to make women's clothes elegant by making them more masculine, are just some of the reasons that made her the most mentioned style icon of all times. In spite of her dark phase during world war II we can't negate the fact that she became a legend. Her name remained and is eternized as probably the most desirable luxury brand today.
Martha Graham, dancer and choreographer
Although my knowledge in dance is limited, it is probably the form of art I most look up to. I couldn't ignore Martha Graham's new vision of movement and how she transformed ballet in a new form of expression. She took the purpose of dance (which was mainly beauty) a step further and created ballets that talked about painful topics, captivating and provoking her spectators.
Méret Oppenheim, Swiss Artist
Maybe as a child I was mostly fascinated by fact that her fountain in my hometown Berne caused a debate. A little later my allure for her work got confirmed when I became familiar with her famous Surrealist "Object" (Le Déjeuner en fourrure). A piece with which she has created an art icon. Once again it’s the simplicity that intrigues me, in that case making something extraordinary out of something ordinary.
My grandmother
Despite of very difficult family conditions she managed (as one of the few women that time) to go to university. Her life could be called anything but easy. A cultured woman with a strong character, to me she is the personification of elegance in every way. I remember her when I was a child with her big, always perfectly coiffed dark hair and large sunglasses. That she abandoned vanity later and dedicated herself to enjoy life, only enriched her. She is a living proof of how to age with dignity and joy.

As I said there are missing many others that merit to be mentioned. So this is definitely going to be continued.
I would love to know who were or are the women that inspire you.

19 comments:

  1. Hi Mimi in my case was Dorothy Parker

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hola Mimi! Estoy en PR, and I'll be here for a while now. Don't know if you've seen photos of my baby girl. My mother is definitely one of the receivers of my admiration. She was a single mom and raised me practically by herself. Photographers I would say Joyce Tenneson. I had the pleasure to meet and spend time with her and she's not only incredibly talented but is a great role model for me. Nice blog btw! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jacqueline Kennedy became a symbol of fashion for women all over the world. Her clean suits, sleeveless A-line dresses and famous pillbox hats were an success around the world and became known as the "Jackie O" look. More than any other First Lady her style was copied by commercial manufacturers and a large segment of young women.

    ReplyDelete
  4. nice idea miriam. there are several women, let me think.. one of the most inspiring women to me is leslie feist, incredible singer from canada. her voice and her style are very unique and simple.
    and my grandmother ida, who had a very short, modern haircut and beautiful white hair - with 80 years.
    last but not least maria callas, greek opera-star with lot of charisma.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great post Mimi, I want to add that we don't even know most of the great women that have existed throughout the centuries without getting proper credit for their achievements and contribution to society. We preferred saying instead that "behind a great man there is always a great woman". There are countless cases where women directed men to success staying in the shadow.
    Some were the first to break this barrier and it will make no justice to mention only few names. However I d' like to make an exception for Marie Curie with her two Nobel Prizes in physics and chemistry a field that unlike fashion or the arts was considered to fit only a man's brain by our rigid male dominated society. And why not George Sand (born Amandine-Aurore-Lucile Dupin) a woman writer that was using a male name in order to be accepted.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Cuando leí este escrito me pareció súper interesante el tema... aveces uno no se detiene a pensar en estas cosas, pero me pregunte, ¿qué mujer podría yo mencionar? Hice una pausa interna en lo que mi mente registraba entre tantos archivos grandes mujeres que me han hecho cultivar buenas cosechas a lo largo de mi vida. Solo escogí hablar de dos en particular... una cercana en carne propia y otra que me hace suspirar con sus grandes trabajos y talento. Tengo que decir que mi abuela, Ofelia, es una mujer extraordinaria con todo y nombre. Tiene en su 'record' las siguiente cosas de interés: Madre de 7 hijos, aunque uno lo perdió en el parto, una historia de amor a sus 15 años que le corta la respiración a cualquiera, ya que espero largos años el regreso de su primer y único amor y éste pidió su mano con una lata de galletas como obsequio a sus padres. Mujer y familia de campo, con una humildad que aveces es hasta tonta. Fue maltratada por su familia, más por su padre que era un hombre machista y muy a la antigua y no la dejó estudiar para que se dedicara a los quehaceres de la casa y a vender comida en la calle para traer dinero al hogar. Ella que lo único que aprendió fue a leer, cosa que fue más que suficiente para salir adelante. Se escapó con su amor verdadero, el señor al que llamo aún abuelo y el mismo que se la llevó para intentar suerte y una mejor vida. Hoy tiene 74 0 75 años, la verdad es que nadie sabe porque la inscribieron tarde y su fecha de nacimiento es todo un misterio. Esa viejita es la luz de mis ojos, la mujer que lleno mi vida de grandes historias, que conoció la pobreza y el sufrimiento en sus puntos más sublimes, pero que nunca te niega una sonrisa aunque el mundo este cayéndose a sus pies. Es mi puro y duro ejemplo de valentía, lucha y éxito.

    La segunda mujer que mencionaré es una que me inspira mucho con sus trabajos. Zaha Hadid, arquitecta Iraní y una de las principales figuras de la arquitectura contemporánea en el mundo. Su visión y su estilo rompen muchas veces con lo que somos capaces de imaginar como una arquitectura con posibilidades de construcción. Curvas, Líneas rectas y movimientos inimaginables en edificios son parte de algunos trabajos de Hadid. Una mujer llena de estudio y experiencia. Profesora, arquitecta y mujer sobresaliente en un campo donde reinan los hombres, son solo algunas cualidades que la haría resaltar. Todos sus trabajos me llenan los ojos y sus propuestas no me dejan palabras para describirlo. Para mi, es toda una inspiración ambulante de lo que es lo fascinante y es el ejemplo perfecto de idear y soñar con lo imposible y hacerlo toda una posibilidad viviente.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Rei Kawakubo (commes des garcons):  I know she is cited as an inspiration for almost every designer, but she really is!!, her work is always groundbreaking.

    Rigoberta Menchu: (guatemalan, nobel peace price winner) you have to read her story, it's incredible!!

    Louise Bourgoise:(french sculptor)  She worked till her last breathe, many people at her age already retired, and her a woman, sculptor, working with all those machines, I totally want to have that energy at that age.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Me encanto leer este post! Nunca me habia tomado el tiempo de pensar en que mujeres admiro y al leer este post, lo hice.
    Ya han sido mencionadas algunas de las mujeres que me parecen geniales, empezando por: Coco Chanel, Zaha Hadid y Jackie O. Podrá sonar "clichoso" pero Madre Teresa de Calcuta me parece que fue genial! Recuerdo de pequeña admirar a Lady Di (diana de gales), hasta lloré su muerte con sólo 8años. Mi madre y mi tía son mujeres que siempre he admirado por su coraje y capacidad de superarse. Y por ultimo tengo que mencionar a la mujer que me enseño a amar el teatro y las artes, que me transmitio su pasion por los niños, Nana (Carmen Muñiz). Nana es unica y excentrica, se dedico a enseñarnos (un grupo de niños del VSJ) maravillas del teatro. ¡Gracias Nana!

    ReplyDelete
  11. wow this post definitely got me thinking a lot. Ever since I was a kid, I admired my grandmother more than any woman in the planet. She was the kindest, most considerate woman. Now that she is no longer with us, I admire her even more. I can remember every detail of every thing she ever showed me. When I saw you wrote your grandmother as well, I even teared up. Hard working women like that don't come very often.

    As for everything else like fashion and art, I admire Coco Chanel, Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeah's (the band), Anna Dello Russo and Kate Lanphear. Such powerful woman in the fashion industry can make a change.

    I loved your post!

    xo

    fi @ Previously Owned

    ReplyDelete
  12. mimi, for me YOU are an inspiring woman!
    xxx vera

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thousands of great women are living among us. For one, I am amazed at women, who have several kids, a job and manage a household and take care of their husbands. I have one daughter, a husband that helps a great deal in the household and one that cooks dinner for us almost every night. I am very lucky, still, I am complaining every step of the way and am exhausted every night. Sometimes, I don’t know how these Moms can manage all that and still more! So, all these incredible moms out there have my respect and inspire me!
    However, in my immediate environment, it is my grandmother, who inspires me everyday. She is the most optimistic, modest and content person I know. She embraces the day with what it comes and always takes things with a grain of salt. She has the ability to make the best out of even the rough times and still appreciates that. She had no easy life. As a child, she was pushed away by her own mom, later on by her dad as well. At the age of 40 she learned that her dad was not even her biological dad. Pushed around from foster family to foster family, she still never gave up. With no education under her belt, a husband that hit her, two small children, she dared to walk away from the negativity and make it on her own. She followed her dreams and opened her own clothing store. Now, in her eighties, she still lives from the money she made with her store. I talk to her almost every day and wish I was a bit more like her. An amazing and warmhearted person, a woman who see the positive in everything and enjoys the day no matter what. Truly inspiring!
    Another woman that inspires me is Joan Didion. She is a writer, who has touched me with her words. She has a way of writing that is simple, straight forward, yet elevated, but always very near to the reader. Her book “The year of magical thinking,” while very sad and depressing, it is also one of the most heartening and moving books. She has made me cry, laugh, wonder, and feel the beauty as well as the sadness that is among us. I have mourned with her, but her writings have also given me the chance to be grateful for all the wonderful things I have in my life.

    ReplyDelete
  14. http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/isabel_allende_tells_tales_of_passion.html

    -m

    ReplyDelete
  15. I have Michelle Obama in mind. Smart woman, playing her fashion cards appropriately during these "uncertain economic time." She's rejuvenated interest in fashion with her designer gowns by Isabel Toledo and Jason Wu...but she's also dressing in an inexpensive casual style in keeping with the economic outlook. Plus she's encouraging dancing, movement and exercise in children!

    - Miguel

    ReplyDelete
  16. I have only just now read your post, Mimi. I am pleased that you mentioned your grandmother!
    I agree with the women you wrote about. I for myself would add Sally Mann. I was deeply impressed with her amazing photographs with their highly delicate topics...

    ReplyDelete
  17. para mi J.K. Rowling... btw great choice on Susan Sontag

    ReplyDelete
  18. i like the style of ambra medda:

    http://www.nytimes.com/indexes/2009/04/19/style/t/index.html#pageName=19profile

    ReplyDelete