Sue Sylvester, Dance on Air

My apologies for the lack of updates; school is revving up to the final stages, and I am writing currently to avoid studying. Today's focus:

You betcha. This lady is indubitably one of the driving forces behind Glee, the hit musical-comedy television show on Fox that if you don't know about, you're clearly very, very behind on what's current in pop culture; played by Jane Lynch, Sue Sylvester, cheerleading coach extraordinaire, leading citizen, Madonna fan and blackmail expert is the driving force behind many of the evils that befall the students of an Ohio high school glee club as part of her mission to stay top dog. She is unabashedly rude, racist, elicit, terrifying, egotistical... you get the point. She's ballsy, she's out there, she's the biggest, baddest, best bitch of them all--and still very much three-dimensional. Even in the most seemingly-insensitive of speeches, there's a wit that makes you laugh and adore her:

Sue Sylvester is an extremely endearing character, however, whenever she's around her Down-syndrome-affected younger sister, and in this last week's revealing 'The Power of Madonna' episode, you learn why she always rags on Will Schuester for "[having] enough product in your hair to season a wok." Earlier in the season, her brief crush on a local newscaster also brought forth a softer side that hopefully, we'll see again in the future. Jane Lynch really pulls forth the perfect combination of outrageousness and believability in crafting her character, which is why Sue Sylvester has so quickly become a pop culture staple.

Sue claims to be... 29, but whatever her age, she can really pull off a tracksuit--she knows that any kind of full-length sportswear in velour is just fugly, and you can check out a gallery of best outfits @EW. Or read some of my favorite lines:

• If I have a pregnant girl doing a handspring into a double layout, the judges aren't going to be admiring her impeccable form, they're going to be wondering if the centrifugal force is going to make the baby's head start crowning.
• I, for one, think intimacy has no place in a marriage. Walked in on my parents once and it was like seeing two walruses wrestling.
• I empower my Cheerios to live in fear by creating an environment of irrational, random terror.
• I like minorities so much, I'm thinking of moving to California to become one.
• I don't trust a man with curly hair I can't help but picture little birds laying sulfurous eggs in there, and it disgusts me.
• GLEE CLUB! Every time I try to destroy that clutch of scab eating mouth-breathers it only comes back stronger like some sexually ambiguous horror movie villain. Here I am, about to turn 30, and I’ve sacrificed everything only to be shanghaied by the bi-curious machinations of a cabal of doughy, misshapen teens!

• I’ve always thought the desire to procreate showed deep personal weakness. Me, never wanted kids. Don’t have the time, don’t have the uterus.
• When you hear your name called, cross over to my side of this black shiny thing. Santana, Wheels, Gay Kid. C’mon, move it! Asian, Other Asian, Aretha, andShaft. See, Will, I don’t want to participate in a group that ignores the needs of minority students.

My personal favorite line from 'Glee'? Brittany's, "Did you know that dolphins are really just gay sharks?" Your favorite lines? Why you love Sue?

Wired May 2010

It's not a fashion cover, but Wired's May cover is ballsy in a somewhat similar way to those provocative haute couture ads you see stuck in the pages of Vogue & Elle. What's intriguing is the blatant use of 'geek,' not only embracing the stereotypical idea of the smart four-eyes at school with a sweater slopped over a collared shirt, a pocket protector & always a calculator... in his head, but connecting it with the word 'power,' implying... well, power, which, admittedly, in our world, generally brings up an image of a testosterone-driven buff guy.

Of course, another reason why this works so well is that Wired knows full well who their customer base is--the younger, savvier crowd of the 'Me Generation' that, like the title, fully embraces their geekery, and really, revels in it.

If you, ironically, can't read, that's Bill Gates & Mark Zuckerberg, the former an awesome brainchild, founder of Microsoft and the world's most epic billionaire philanthropist, the latter responsible for why you're addicted to the Internet, as he created/runs Facebook.

Here's the full cover:

Liu Wen for Estee Lauder

Estée Lauder just signed models Liu Wen (left... duh) & Constance Jablonski (right); congrats to both, as they're the first from either country to be signed to the cosmetic giant.

The signing of Wen is what really makes this a great move--beauty ideals are really taken seriously, almost to an extreme, on the 'Eastern' side of the world; whereas in Western countries there are pages devoted to facial regimens and skin care, in countries like China, Japan, and Korea, you have entire magazines devoted to a single aspect, such as nail art, painting the perfect pout, and especially whitening the skin.

Wen's success as a model on the international front--the first Asian to walk for Victoria's Secret, the first Asian face for EL & 49 shows this last season!--has definitely resulted in major props & pride on the home front in China; for Estée Lauder to sign an Asian face for representation is a definite sign of the globalization of 'beauty' and a sort-of affirmation of the beauty of Asians, which will undoubtedly up their cache in Eastern countries against brands that have not 'held out,' so-to-speak, in not featuring Asian models, such as Shiseido or SK-II (which are also based in Japan).

Essentially, a European company embracing a Chinese gal = happy Chinese people & even more Chinese girls aspiring to be like Liu Wen = saaaaaaaales & $$$$$$.

Via StyleList.

Louis Vuitton & the Cosmic Blossom

Louis Vuitton has most certainly tapped into the eerie obsessiveness with cuteness that is undeniably Japanese, and the new prints and collection from their collaboration with Takashi Murakami screams 'kawaii (kah-wah-ee).' The cuteness definitely aims towards the younger demographic, especially with the eye-popping colors & sweeping, sports logo that the 'Louis Vuitton' imprinted on the bags has been reinterpreted in, and seeing Daisy Lowe prance about surrounded by beaming, adorable... daisies is an extreme fashion fairy tale for any girl/feminine boy under eight. The bright monochrome wash of much of the collection brings more elegance to the table, though, allowing it to still appeal to the older crowd (as well as the older crowd that pretends to be younger than it is).

FORM//Via Cadmus.