Snow White and The Huntsman

I was never a huge fan of the Disney version of Snow White. My dark side tends to gravitate towards the original versions of fairy tales, and I remember being eight years old and reading one version where the wicked queen is punished by being forced to wear iron shoes heated in a forge and then dancing until she drops down dead. Yeah…I’ve got skeletons in my closet. I like gloom and doom.

So when I heard they were doing a re-telling that involved Charlize Theron as a power-hungry psychotic witch and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) as The Hunstman, I took myself on an Artist’s date on Friday night to the to see what the buzz was about.

First of all, hats of to Charlize Theron. Not only is she breathtakingly, achingly beautiful, but the woman has chops. Anyone see Monster? If that wasn’t enough to convince you of her phenomenal acting talent, I don’t know what will. This role was another villainess, but one more reminiscent of Lady Macbeth than Aileen Wuornos (Theron’s character in Monster), and she played it to the hilt. The thing about playing an evil queen—you’ve got to have the history behind why you turned to the dark side. You can’t just be evil for evil’s sake. Having played the role of the villain not only onstage but in my personal life as well, I can say with great certainty that it's common to become a cunt-bitch when deeply hurt and/or abandoned by your loved ones. So kudos to the Snow White screenwriters for giving us that back story, and kudos to Charlize Theron for implementing it into her performance! Wicked Queen Ravenna is not merely evil for evil’s sake—she’s the victim of great injustices done to her as a young girl (family slaughter, all that jazz) which is enough to twist the purest of hearts and instill a deep-seated need for bloodlust and revenge. Which brings me to how this story inspired my epiphany: many women not only have a Snow White complex, we also have a Wicked Queen complex as well. And I don’t think I would have arrived at this epiphany from the Disney version.

Let me explain. Snow White represents our ageless innocence. We women start out as pure little girls full of love, unselfconscious beauty, and the power to heal the world.  Along the way, we are confronted with our antagonists: vanity, self-obsession, and the idea we must become the most desirable and the most fuck-able in order to be happy. So we lose touch with the effortless grace we were born with, and instead begin to compete within ourselves and with each another to achieve the meaningless validation of being ‘hot’ in the eyes of a society that will never, ever be satisfied. 

As we age, we feel our youth and beauty slip away, and we do anything to hold onto it. Plastic surgery, expensive skin treatments, synthetic tanning, extreme weight-loss regimens, designer clothing, cosmetics, hair-style changes—the list goes on into infinity. But what the Snow White tale made me realize is that in spite of the vanity and self-obsession that stems from the inaccurate core-belief that I am not enough, I can re-energize the little girl in me who has the power to release the dark hold my Wicked Queen wants to keep over me. Rather than looking in the mirror and asking it to validate me today, I can turn away from the mirror and trust in the purity of my heart to guide me through my day. That’s what makes me “fair”…it’s the love I have inside for you and the rest of the world that is the true reflection of my beauty.

That’s all I really need to say about the movie right now. I could talk more about it-I know there are valid criticisms, and not everyone is going to interpret things the same way I do. But where I am in my life right now, I needed to see it. So I’m grateful it was out there, and I’m grateful someone had the courage to retell a story that’s been told many, many times.  It reinforced my belief that art doesn’t have to please everyone—it simply has to be made, and if it affects even one person in a positive way, it’s a success!

LMP Self-Love Suggestion: Take yourself on a date to a movie you really want to see! Don't wait for someone to take you--and don't try and get someone to match your taste--just go alone! It's a great way to spend some quality-time with a VIP--YOU!

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Snow White and The Huntsman stars Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart, and Chris Hemsworth. Screenplay by Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock, and Hossein Amini.  Directed by Rupert Sanders. Released by Universal.

Grateful Fridays @ Bardot

I got here a little after eleven. I wasn't sure what to expect, arriving alone with no drugs in my system and no cash in my purse. But they had a square attached to an iPhone at the door, so I was able to pay with a Visa. The interior was dark, strategically lit with red bulbs and decorative wall sconces. An eclectic crowd to be sure, very unlike what I expect from the typical LA club scene. Especially in this part of town where sidewalk lines start forming early, dresses kiss the bottoms of ass cheeks, and heels stretch to the moon.

I'm in flat boots and a baby doll tunic--not attempting to compete with the burning man style/body painted/post apocalyptic/comic book characters, nor the run-of-the-mill/ short-skirt/high-heeled hotties who wander in unsuspecting and typical.

The band is called Monroe, and they're good...they have a funky, upbeat sound and I like the lead singer--he handles the mic well. They're able to get people dancing. When their set is over, Alex Willems thanks the crowd, calling forth abundance and blessings of unconditional love, and the volume goes up as the DJ takes over.

The place is steadily filling up. Each eye I catch feels hungry for approval of some kind. I suppose that's going to be the case in any scene; almost everyone out on a Friday night is hoping to make a connection of some sort. Sexual first and foremost, but maybe spiritual as well. I allow myself to be neutral, observing from a place of quiet introspection. I don't feel it necessary to engage. There's quite a bit of imbalance in the room, despite the shamanic healer in the corner working on someone lying on his table. Don't get me wrong--there is definitely a fantastic energy present as well. Smiles are genuine and loving hands brush my back as gentle souls attempt to squeeze past me on the stairwell. But much of the energy here feels scattered, lonely, and searching. It's the way of single people--at the first sign of need, they draw you in to feed. So I remain unattached from both the positive and the negative.

The music is luring me in--it's electronic and bass-heavy. In spite of my commitment to detach I find my knees beginning to bend back and forth in time to the throbbing rhythm. It's intoxicating. Especially to a body now accustomed to regular dance.

But before I can get too involved, I turn to my right and meet two nice black men. One is named Jason--he's responsible for booking the band I've been listening to. The other--Ryan--will be spinning in two hours--his set is from 2am - 3:30am. They invite me to smoke joints with them then come back later to hear Ryan spin. I ask Jason what kind of music is spinning right now. He tells me it's called "dub-step." I've heard of dub-step but now I can match the sound to the name, and I like it. It's like electronic hip-hop with a grit that makes me want to grind. The two gents stir, ready to adjourn to smoke, and I decide to decline at the last minute. I'd like to stay in a clear head space.

Now the dance floor is filling as the beat increases from dub-step to more traditional drum n' base. People are more inclined to move when there isn't as much space to fill between downbeats.

I haven't moved from my spot. I'm waiting until my body can no longer be denied. So far it's only responding in random fits and spurts of motion. I'm patient with myself--I'm tired of forcing things. Tired of performing life as a farce beneath harsh lights. I just want to let it organically flow and see where nature takes me. Maybe this place is starting to get to me...

Eventually my roommate Crystal finds me  and leads me on a winding path through the entire venue. To my surprise, there's another room upstairs with a totally different DJ spinning. His beats are faster and the room is smaller. I wind up there an hour after 'saying goodbye' to Crystal, lured onto the dance floor with the DJ's skill and seduced into stomping in tight accented hip-circles before a team of hand-drummers sitting off to the side jamming in time to the electronica. That's what I like best about Grateful Friday--it's such a seamless blend of mediums--live drumming and dub-step; full-body furry cat suits and sequined cocktail dresses; indigo-child crystal vendors and good old fashioned alcohol.

All in all, this place is great. The vibe is easy, effortless, and awake. The crowd is mixed, open, and harmless. It's a nice balance between weird and fab. Check it out. You won't be sorry.

LMP Self-Love Suggestion: GO DANCING! Somewhere you can really move and sweat. Somewhere dark, where you aren't worried about how you look or who you're with. There's something delicious about dancing like no one is watching--and even if they are, it doesn't matter. You're setting them free by showing them how to throw caution to the wind and live in the moment!

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Grateful Fridays at Bardot. 1737 vine street next to Avalon. $20 unless you are on a guest list. Vendors with crystals, hand-made jewelry, airbrush body art, shamanic healing sessions, massage therapy chairs, and more. Costume theme each week but not everyone adheres to it. Pretty much anything goes so don't be afraid to be as wildly strange or as comfortably mundane as you wish.

http://www.facebook.com/GratefulFridays