Project Plans

Despite the fact that we have all presented our finals, I think I do have to explain my concept planning a little bit, retroactively for the “Project Plans” credit.

Many in the class may have been under the impression that I am anti-vapidity, anti-cosmetic surgery, and anti-sex work. That kind of reading wholly misunderstands the reality of the entire construct of “womanhood” as a political and economic position, and the fact that, at all times, many of us outside maleness are prey animals. Some more intensely hunted than others. But the danger is always present for all.

I knew I wanted to frame my piece around the Kate Berlant standup bit about stealing cosmetics, and it felt natural to include tender moments from the beginning of the movie Hustlers, before the robberies. You don’t actually have to know the plot, because there is already something so evocative and criminalized about the archetypical image of a sex worker. 

Inspiration for this piece was a conversation with my best friend, who is a semi-famous drag queen and theatre performer in Chicago, having invested thousands of dollars into his makeup and costuming over the years. We were originally talking about the makeup-YouTuber wars as a jumping-off point. I have a fascination with cosmetic procedures and the wide range of moralities the patriarchy assigns to them. So, it just felt natural to include Anna Nicole Smith, and needle imagery, and it grew from there. Like I said in class, a full face of makeup starts from $200 and, in the case of women more in the public eye, either due to fame or due to relationship with sex work, simply existing in one’s body is much more expensive. Nowadays, you’re supposed to wake up a lot closer to the ideal you build to leave the house and present yourself to the world. (Hence the lip filler imagery.)

In death, neither Marilyn Monroe nor Anna Nicole Smith have dignity. Hugh Hefner, a man who effectively tried to own her, is buried next to Marilyn. This would not have been her choice. Anna Nicole Smith is remembered most widely as a joke. 

I just wanted to talk about survival, and scamming, and agency. I laud the thieves and the airhead blondes. Always.