“Oppressed Majority” – Imagined female dominance goes viral

Can you picture a world where women run around topless, urinate in the street, whistle at and check out men, and men are left in charge of child minding? Not so easy to, is it? Which is why French actress, director and screenwriter Eleonoré Pourriat has made a short film entitled "Majorité Opprimée", or "Oppressed Majority", depicting just this setting. And the film is not only hilarious and candid, but thought-provoking and nerve-hitting.

The film, in French with English subtitles, follows an ordinary man, Pierre, through a day of sexist experiences. The switched angle to women objectifying men really hits home in realizing the everyday taunting women go through. The male protagonist takes his child to day-care and then on his way to work is leered at, subjected to cat calls, and even sexually assaulted by a group of women. The film is a complete eye-opener that will most definitely leave you feeling reflective.

The video was recorded in 2010 but uploaded to YouTube on 5^th February this year. Since then it has gone viral with more than 5 million views. It’s being spread around the Net almost as a form of activism with women saying “Yes, this is what we go through!” Without painting females as victims, the film manages to portray sexism by not showing the issue how it is but by forcing men to look at their behaviour in a different – but perhaps not completely original – light.

Pourriat got the idea to make “Majorité Opprimée” when her husband was shocked to hear that she got yelled at in the street. The film’s exaggeration is also a tool in achieving the reaction that Pourriat was aiming for. But she was still shocked with the response she got for the film, having not expected it at all.

In light of the short film’s subject matter, it’s amazing that it has gone viral in such a short amount of time; most feminist films are overlooked and would probably never be discussed as luridly as this one. It’s certainly not a perfect or even brilliant piece of work, but it gets the message across.

Arianna Huffington – The woman behind The Huffington Post

Women in business have always been an inspiration, especially those who have become successful in their enterprises. Arianna Huffington is one such woman. The 64-year-old is the chair, president, and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post Media Group; a nationally syndicated columnist; and the author of 14 books. In May 2005, she launched the now thriving Huffington Post, a news and blog site, that fast became one of the most widely-read and referred-to media platforms on the Internet in less than a decade.

Arianna has been on a winning streak so far. In 2009, she was cited as number 12 on Forbes' first-ever list of the “Most Influential Women in Media”. She has also moved up to number 42 in The Guardian's “Top 100 in Media” list. And in 2012, a writer from The Huffington Post went on to win a Pulitzer Prize for the site, making it the first commercially run U.S. digital media venture to win the coveted award. Arianna was also listed as number 56 on Forbes’ list of the “Most Powerful Women in Business” in 2013 last year.

In 2011, AOL, the American mass-media multinational, acquired The Huffington Post for $315 million and gave Arianna her current positions at The Huffington Post Media Group, which umbrellas The Huffington Post.

Originally from Greece; Arianna moved to England when she was 16 years old, later graduating from Cambridge University with a Masters degree in Economics and at the age of 21, she became president of the well-known debating society, the Cambridge Union. Arianna was born Ariánna Stasinopoulos and met her now ex-husband Michael Huffington, from who she got her current name, in 1985 but they later divorced in 1997.

Arianna has been a key voice in journalism and politics since her career began in 1973 with the publishing of her first book, “The Female Woman”, attacking the Women's Liberation movement, and there’s no sign that she is going to be backing down soon. The Huffington Post might just be the pinnacle of Arianna’s career and has become one of the most notable and reliable online publications with pieces from bloggers and specialists that are insightful and often fascinating.

“It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not”

Do you think everyone is exactly what you see? Because what you see, is not always what you get.

We’re all pretending to be something that we are not. When we shouldn’t be.

But why lie? Because we won’t be accepted? Because people will laugh? Because we will be left standing alone?

Rather stand alone than stand with those supporting a lie.

If we all tried to be who we really are in front of others, then maybe the world will start to feel real again.

Living a lie to save yourself from hurt, just leads to a whole other kind of pain.

It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not. Because at least then, you only have yourself to answer to.

“Humans of New York” – The story behind all those stories

We live by telling stories. They are what makes life interesting, they are what show how uniquely different each one of us is but how intrinsically the same we are at the same time. Brandon Stanton, the creator of “Humans of New York” (“HONY”) was insightful and motivated enough to collect these stories that we all carry around with us and has, as a result, developed one of the most beautiful and creative photo-blogs ever.

29-year-old Brandon Stanton grew up in Atlanta and attended the University of Georgia and later went to New York after a short spell as a bond trader in Chicago. As a self-taught photographer, he travelled around New York City in 2010 and walked through the streets everyday taking portraits of complete strangers, originally just posting them on his Facebook profile. Today, he has collected over 6000 pictures of people he has met in the city.

He initially aimed to collect photographs with captions only in his first year of starting the blog but after starting to converse with his subjects; he began to include quotes with the photos that he posted. Stanton travels daily from his home in Brooklyn to shoot for about 4 hours before posting the images on his blog later. Today, “Humans of New York” has developed an incredible following on social media and has over 3,2 million followers on Facebook just waiting for him to upload more images.

The blog has become so popular and successful that a “Humans of New York” book was compiled in October 2013 and from the inspiration of “HONY”, hundreds of spinoff blogs have been created around the world.

When Stanton started “HONY”, he just thought it would be a really cool idea to create an extensive database of the people walking through the streets of New York. But today it has turned into much more. The blog has become a work of art that has managed to capture the inexhaustible beauty of people and the stories they carry around. He has also written about 50 short stories inspired by the people he has met along this journey. “Humans of New York” started with a simple but inspired idea that has grown, and is still growing, into a collection of something great and spectacular.

Google Glass – The future is here, or at least around the corner

If you thought that there couldn’t be any more tech gadgets to surprise you and leave you a bit flabbergasted, think again. Enter Google Glass. Google Glass is a wearable computer using an optical head-mounted display that is being developed by Google within their plan Project Glass, with a mission of producing a “mass-market ubiquitous computer”. Yes, that does sound like a term from an ominous sci-fi movie.

Google Glass displays information in a smartphone manner with a hands-free design that can interact with the wearer using voice commands. The frames do not have lenses fitted to them at the moment, but Google is considering partnerships with sunglass retailers like Ray-Ban and may also open retail stores to allow customers to try on the device. The Explorer Edition cannot currently be used by people who wear prescription glasses, but Google has confirmed that Glass will soon be able to be attached to prescription lenses. 

Glass is still very much a prototype, even after 8 months of testing and developing. The first thing noticed about Glass is the cube-shaped glass prism that sits above the right eye. It has a 640 x 360 resolution and hangs just out of the way of the wearer's line of sight. For the wearer, the display has to be viewed by pointing the eyes up and to the right – which possibly could look strange and cause major headaches – and acts as a much larger screen; one that's equal to a 25-inch High Definition television.

There are about 8 thousand "Explorers" currently – a group of engineers, scientists, artists, and journalists in the U.S. – who were allowed to buy and test Glass for about $1500, about R15 000. At the Glass office in New York, they got a crash course on how to connect Glass to the Internet, take videos, snap photos, get directions, perform Google searches, return e-mails, make calls, and much more. And all this using just your voice with an instruction that begins with “Okay, Glass.”

Google Glass is still in its developmental stage but is expected to be released in the latter part of 2014. But don’t get too excited. The cost of Glass is likely to be pretty exorbitant until Google finds a way to mass produce it and make it accessible to those masses. And that’s not the only downside to Glass. This could potentially be one of the most disruptive pieces of technology to be invented in current years and has also become a regular subject in legal circles around the U.S. But whatever may come of Google Glass, the development of the technology is fascinating and mind-boggling and will most likely become “ubiquitous” just as Sergey Brin and his Google guys want it.

Mistakes, the foundation of your own truth

We walk our own roads and choose our own paths. No two journeys are ever the same. And when we realize that, when we find our own path, we know that we will make mistakes somewhere down the line. But it’s those mistakes, the detours that we’ve taken along the way, that take us to where we ought to be.

Some mistakes end up being beautiful, and they are what adds colour to what could be a very dull life. And if by making a mistake you only learn to not judge others so severely, what greater a lesson?

Mistakes are inevitable. They lead us, teach us, grow us. There is not as much to be learnt from success as there is from failure. Mistakes are your own foundation of truth. And although they do not have to define the rest of your life, perhaps they could define they way you live the rest of it.

Emma Watson – The actress turns guest editor for Wonderland magazine

There’s almost nothing as impressive in a woman as one who has beauty and brains, and one who is not ashamed of it. In this way, Emma Watson has rather outdone herself. The British actress is not only the cover star but has also made her journalistic unveiling by guest editing an issue of the quarterly magazine, Wonderland, which went to print on 7^th February.

As any A-lister has A-list contacts, Emma proved to be quite hands-on in her editorial duties. The independent international publication, Wonderland, is known for its profiles on the coolest and most talented artists, musicians, and actors. And as any good editor would, she pulled out her contact list and crammed the magazine with interviews from co-stars and collaborators like Jonah Hill, Sofia Coppola, Darren Aronofsky, Lorde, Tavi, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lena Dunham, Patti Smith and, of course, J.K. Rowling. This girl is pretty resourceful.

Emma is definitely on a role. She went back to studying at Brown University recently and also has a new film coming out this year. “Noah”, directed by Darren Aronofsky (“Black Swan”), is the dramatic recount of the famous Biblical story and is a hit-starrer with Russell Crowe as Noah, Jennifer Connelly, Douglas Booth, Logan Lerman, Ray Winstone, and, of course, Emma. The film is already generating quite a bit of buzz and is due for release in March this year.

Emma also has loads of fashion experience to draw from for her editorial shift with Wonderland. She has modelled for Burberry and has designed collections in collaboration with People Tree and Alberta Ferretti and is currently a representative for cosmetics giant Lancôme.

The images were shot by one of fashion’s hottest photographers at the moment, Kerry Hallihan. And there are also images in Emma’s fashion spread featuring her “Noah” co-star Douglas Booth, in which the two look rather ethereal. The magazine went to print with two different covers, making Emma an even luckier girl. And both the covers are gorgeous with Emma’s fine, princess-like features as the focus. So it’s quite fitting that she’s even wearing a tiara on one of the covers.

Julian Lennon pays tribute to his father through pictures

Julian Lennon has had quite a name to live up to being the only child of the late John Lennon and the now 74-year-old Cynthia Powell, John's first wife. Yet he has always viewed life differently despite, or perhaps because of, his journey being so unique and remarkable. Although he is mostly known as a singer-songwriter, musician and producer, Julian actually has many other talents and interests, including that of being a documentary film producer, philanthropist, and a fine art photographer.

As a tribute to his father and The Beatles, Julian has become the curator of an exhibit commemorating The Beatles’ 50^th anniversary of their first U.S. tour. Julian’s eye for photocomposition and aestheticism brings a unique Beatles collection to the public at the Morrison Hotel Gallery in New York displayed from February 7^th to the 28^th. What sets this exhibit apart from others featuring The Beatles goes without saying; the personal relation between Julian and John Lennon has made this exhibit something that does not occur too often.

The idea stemmed from a guy named Timothy White, a photographer and partner at the Morrison Hotel Gallery, when he came to Julian with the task of looking through a few hundred photographs of his father with The Beatles and choosing 25, or 50 because it was the 50^th anniversary. And so 25 shots are being exhibited at the Morrison Hotel Gallery in the SoHo district until the end of February and another 25 at a gallery in Los Angeles, at which Timothy White is also a partner.

Having curated and chosen the images to be displayed himself, Julian must have had quite a poignant and cathartic experience, especially with photography being his main focus recently. He chose the photographs that evoked emotion and speaks more of the back-story of what the boys of The Beatles were feeling when they were becoming legends in the music industry – and in history. Julian has also said that some of the images display the look of anxiety and fear, an element of numbness, and the reality of the popularity of The Beatles really hitting them. But if there’s one thing that the exhibition will portray clearly, it’s the hell of a ride that the members of The Beatles had.

The guys who give us Google – Sergey Brin, Larry Page and Eric Schmidt

The names Sergey Mikhaylovich Brin, Lawrence "Larry" Page and Eric Emerson Schmidt might not be familiar to you but the name Google definitely is. The Internet unquestionably changed the way we see the world, pun intended, but Google, one of the most profitable Internet companies, gave us access to that world.

Sergey Brin is a Russian-born computer scientist and Internet entrepreneur who, with Larry Page, co-founded Google. As of 2013, his personal wealth was approximated to be $24.4 billion. Presently Brin and Page own about 16 percent of the company. He emigrated to the U.S. from the Soviet Union as a child and later obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland, following in his father's and grandfather's footsteps by studying Mathematics and Computer Science. After graduating, he enrolled in Stanford University, one of the most-renowned universities in the States, to acquire a PhD in Computer Science. There he met Larry Page, not knowing that their friendship would give the world one of the best inventions of all time.

Larry Page was born in Michigan, in the U.S. A lot like Brin, Page’s father, Carl Page, earned a Ph.D. in Computer Science in 1965 when the field was still new and being built. Today he is considered a pioneer in computer science and artificial intelligence. Both he and Page's mother, Gloria, were Computer Science professors at Michigan State University. Page obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Michigan with honours and a Master of Science in Computer Science from Stanford University. As of 2013, Page's personal wealth is estimated to be $20.3 billion, ranking him number 13 on the Forbes 400 list of the 400 richest Americans.

At university, Brin and Page had filled their dormitory room with cheap computers and used a system created by Brin to build a superior search engine. The program became extremely popular at Stanford and they put their PhD studies on hold to start Google in a rented garage. Google began as a privately held company in 1998 with their mission statement being "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful", and its unofficial slogan being "Don't be evil". Brin and Page were really legends from the very beginning.

Eric Schmidt came onto the Google scene a little later. He is an American software engineer who is currently the Executive Chairman of Google. Forbes ranked Schmidt as the 138^th richest person in the world with an estimated wealth of $8.3 billion in 2013. He attended Princeton University where he started as an Architecture major but switched majors to earn a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering in 1976. Initially, Schmidt was recruited by Brin and Page as Google’s CEO but in January 2011, Google announced that he would step down but continue as the Executive Chairman of the company and act as an adviser to co-founders Page and Brin. Page replaced Schmidt as the CEO of Google in April 2011.

These guys, who have given the world something that most people would not be able to live without, started off with a dream and lots of hard work. Page had said in an interview that from a very early age he realized that he wanted to invent things. So he became really interested in technology and business. And from when he was 12 years old, he knew that he was going to start a company eventually. Who could’ve known that that company would be Google? Today, Google is perhaps one of the largest and most important Internet corporations and probably will be for a long time to come. It offers online productivity software including email (Gmail), an office suite (Google Drive), and social networking (Google+). Desktop products include applications for web browsing, organizing and editing photos, and instant messaging. The company leads the development of the Android mobile operating system and the browser-only Chrome OS for the netbook known as a Chromebook. A small start in a rented garage became all this. Never curse the day of small beginnings.

To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved

If you have ever been in love, you would know what a miracle loving someone else is. But if you have ever had the rare gift to be loved back by the person you love, you would know that the real miracle is being loved and not loving.

But even with how amazing love might be, to give and be given, it does not compare to being given the trust of another person. Love and trust should go hand in hand, but not all things work out idealistically. Someone might give you their love but not their trust, but when they do that’s when you know it’s really real.

Emotions are sacred; perhaps love the most sacred of them. But in giving someone your trust, you give them a key that can open up the doors to any part of you – parts that you had kept hidden. We can love but still be closed, but in trusting we open up ourselves to the possibility of agonizing pain and hurt.

To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved. If someone trusts you, it means they think that you are worthy of the most secret parts of them. That’s a gift and a compliment far more special than getting someone’s love.

Birth Photography – A Growing Niche in Photography

We capture almost every important moment and memory in our lives, from weddings to birthdays, so why should it be any different with the birth of a child? Most people would squirm at the thought of having a camera in the room capturing the event of childbirth, but when it comes to birth photography the prospect does not seem quite as daunting. Birth photography allows for one of the most significant milestones of a family’s, and more importantly a woman’s, life to be documented professionally and sensitively in a way that you want it to be.

Birth photography is a relatively new concept so there are not as many photographers well-versed and willing in the genre yet. But at the rate that it is growing, especially as demand grows with some beautiful images being seen online, this will certainly change. Maternity photography was even once something thought of as strange and unappealing but is now a well-established area of photography with many photographers solely focussing on it.

Birth photographers mostly have their own styles when it comes to photographing the birth. But they include only what is agreed upon before the birth takes place. A lot of birth photographers focus on the strength and power that a woman has during childbirth and encourage their subjects not to worry about the way they look. And because birth is a sacred event, the photos that are produced will be the way you want them to be; either waist shots or reserved nursing shots.

Most birth photographers are on call within a time range – normally a few days – before and after the expected due date and do not charge by the hour but for a complete package. This takes the stress off the mother during the birth and in the days leading up to the birth. Most photographers aim for a photojournalistic style, capturing moments as they happen with minimal posing. If the natural birth happens to turn into a Caesarian, the photographer might not be allowed in theatre but will be ready straight after the baby is born and for the mother-baby reunion.

Childbirth is an extremely emotional time and details could be forgotten or missed during the event, but birth photography changes that. It is quite a beautiful thought; that a family will be able to treasure the first few moments of a child’s life through beautiful images forever.

The story behind the Coke “Name Campaign”

Coca-Cola has always been one of the kings when it comes to effective and innovative marketing and advertising. But recently the “name campaign”, that sees the names of people printed onto their cans and bottles, has been not only effective and innovative but quite ingenious.

The South African campaign was inspired by a similar “Share a Coke” campaign that took place in Australia, but bringing this idea to fruition in South Africa – the rainbow nation with much more diversity than other countries – proved to be a gigantic and difficult task but not one that was impossible.

Coke, being brilliant at what they do, used algorithms to work out what the most popular names amongst South Africans were. And because their largest consumer and target market is teenagers, they approached the Department of Home Affairs for lists of names of people born between 1994 and 2000. After receiving those names, the real task of narrowing them down based on language, gender and region began. They needed a wide range of names that would appeal to the masses.

Whereas Australia used only 10 themes on their cans and bottles, the South African brand strategists set themselves the ambitious goal of 150. With help from a printing investor investing in their digital printing equipment, Coke managed to pull it off. So that now when you open a fridge in the supermarket, or wherever, to grab a can of Coke, there are various random names as opposed to one name repeated several times.

The company also went on tour with their vending machines around the country, with some still being carried out in other provinces, so consumers could get their own personalized cans if they didn’t happen to find their name already. There is also a facility on their website to create virtual personalized cans.

Coca Cola has always set themselves apart from other brands, especially their biggest competitor Pepsi, and based their advertising and marketing on wholesome values and relationships. With this personalized campaign, they have managed to draw closer to their South African consumers than ever before definitely making sure their success is only going to grow.

Hengone – An Artist “Born Hungry”

Instagram has become a phenomenal way to discover new and often amazing talent. One of the latest and most promising finds to have their work taken note of on Instagram is the artist Hengone. The motto displayed on his website is “Born Hungry” and taking a look at his work, it’s very clear that, as an artist, he is hungry and pressing toward the goal of fulfilling that passion by creating real and unique art.

Hengone was born in Battambang, Cambodia and arrived in the U.S. as a refugee when he was only 7 years old. Having struggled with the culture shock and completely new way of living, he took to drawing as a way to cope with his new life. Even at such a young age, he found stillness and peace in art that stabilized him from all the movement around him. For Hengone, art became a form of control – a way to feel in command of his circumstances. And in that control, it’s clear that he has found freedom. His work now speaks of confidence and power.

Being in love with all mediums, Hengone prefers not to be put into a box when it comes to classifying his style. He sees the uniqueness and variation of different styles and media and he aims to embrace that. He says that he is more in love with a textured, blank canvas than with the art itself. Spoken like a true artist. It’s the possibility of creating something amazing and distinct on that blank surface that keeps Hengone inspired.

He cites Czech Art Nouveau painter, Alphonse Mucha and the American illustrator, J.C. Leyendecker as his favourite artists. Hengone almost always plays up the hair of his female subjects in alluring and fascinating ways, something Mucha was famous for. But there’s no duplication here, Hengone’s art is 100% authentic and fitting of 2014.

He’s also got quite a following already. Selling his art online has proved successful and he’s got 19 966 followers (at the time of this blog being posted) on Instagram. His catchphrase on Instagram is quite inspiring too, “Never settle, always push and crave for more”.

Hengone’s work can be viewed on his website and Instagram. He also commissions work and sells prints online, from sketches to street art-inspired pieces. Hengone says that one of his biggest inspirations is people. And that’s what’s so intriguing about his work. Its beauty captured in a different sort of way.

“Life is under no obligation to give you what you expect.”

The general viewpoint when it comes to giving advice on having high expectations in any situation in your life is that if you expect nothing in specific you will never be disappointed. And maybe that’s one of the best pieces of advice out there.

There’s a fine line between being hopeful and pinning all your hopes on something you would like to happen. It’s not about being cynical, it’s about guarding your heart against the disappointment and sadness that follows an outcome not being able to rise to meet up to the heights that you have set in your mind. And although pain is necessary, some could be avoided.

Life then becomes a lot easier when you accept that people weren’t put on this earth to live up to your expectations and neither are you here to live up to anyone else’s. And then that lowered expectation leaves room for the surprise and joy that could come from having something good happen.

The harder you hold on to your expectations, of life and of people, you will find that they are like delicate China. With the right amount of grip on them, you can feel the beauty of the object, but if you hold it too tightly it will break and cut you.

3D Printing hits the fashion industry

3D printing has become the latest craze. It is the manufacturing process through which any three-dimensional object can be created using a digital model and involves the consecutive layering of material in different patterns to create the object. Although 3D printing has been around since the 1980s, it was only around 2010, and even more recently, that it became more commercially available and viable to use in different industries. 3D printers can now even be bought online, which are industrial robots able to follow computer-given commands.

It was in March last year that burlesque dancer and model, Dita Von Teese, had created a stir when she unveiled the world's first fully articulated 3D-printed dress. The gown, dramatic and revealing just as Dita loves it, was designed by Michael Schmidt and Francis Bitonti and revealed at the Ace Hotel in New York. The dress was said to be based on the Fibonacci sequence of numbers and was assembled from 17 pieces, dyed black, lacquered and adorned with over 13 000 Swarovski crystals.

You might be surprised that 3D printing was also used to create some of the items worn at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in November last year. Who would’ve thought! Victoria’s Secret, Swarovski, and 3D printing manufacturer Shapeways – who had also worked on Dita’s dress – had collaborated to give the Victoria’s Secret models 3D printed angel’s wings.

The wings were actually designed by an architect and not a designer, Bradley Rothenberg, who first 3D-scanned Victoria’s Secret angel Lindsay Ellingson to ensure they will accurately conform to her shape. Shapeways then 3D-printed the filigreed snowflake wings, which were finally encrusted with the Swarovski crystals that give Victoria’s Secret their trademark bling.

A pair of black wings was also created by the team, which were worn by fashion’s new “it” girl, Cara Delevingne. These wings took a lot less time and effort to make than the snowflake ones as they weren’t as intricate and dramatic. But they were still as beautiful, giving Cara an edgy look as the wings fanned out in a ribbon-like movement as she walked down the ramp.

These results of 3D printing have proved to be beautiful and unique and the sophistication of the creations did not give away that the items were not handcrafted. This definitely sets a standard of the possibility of many industries combining to create distinctive and different products. It also changes people’s perspectives on the fashion industry; that something as technologically advanced as 3D printing can be incorporated and used to, perhaps one day soon, create wearable and fashion-forward wear.