If You Like It Then You Better Call the Cops About It
Venus de Milo, Louvre, Paris.
The Rahway, New Jersey family of Elisa Gonzalez built a snowman this weekend - or, more accurately, a snow goddess. Elisa and her two children, ages 21 and 12, crafted a female torso inspired by the armless statue of Venus de Milo, a stunning effort that really takes snowcraft to a new level. And then a neighbor looked up from the TV Guide, peered out the window and called the police to file an anonymous report of obscenity. After a cop visited their home - and complimented them on their handiwork - they were forced to cover her up.
Thoughts on this issue:
1. I hope that I have the good fortune one day to live on a block with neighbors as creatively awesome as the Gonzalezes.
2. Elisa makes two great points - the snow goddess in her original form was "bodacious and booty-licious," and the subsequent garments they had to dress her in were way sluttier than the original snowwoman. Given the choice between Goddess Gorgeous and Real Housewife Trashy outside my window, I go with the Greeks.
3. As the article points out, male snowmen - while not technically anatomically correct - were allowed to remain publicly "nude." This is a double standard. And given the prevalence of obesity among snowmales, how do we know they wouldn't prefer the chance to cover up?
4. I took the NYDN poll about whether the cover-up was fair or not. I know I shouldn't be surprised to learn that 48% of readers believe that ordering bikini tops placed on snow sculptures is an appropriate and valid use of police time, but I still am.
This is not an isolated incident of Venus abuse! My friend and fellow journalist Jessica Seigel is currently investigating the history of beauty ideals through the life story of a nude statue of Venus, another "bodacious and booty-licious" icon who has been harassed for being too sexy. Stop goddess abuse!
Posted on Thursday, Mar 4, 2010
