ELFS meet Zoe Leggings by Mario Vukelić

Beanie by ELFS
Leggings by Zoe Leggings
Photo Mario Vukelić

Je li ljepota zaista estetska kategorija?

„Ljepota je dio povijesti idealizacije koja je sama dio povijesti utjehe. Ali ljepota možda neće uvijek utješiti. Ljepota lica i tijela muči, pokorava; ljepota je bahata. Ljepota koja je ljudska i ljepota koja je stvorena (umjetnost) – obje pobuđuju fantaziju o posjedovanju. Naš model ravnodušnosti dolazi od ljepote prirode – prirode koja je rezervirana, nadsvođujuća, koju je nemoguće posjedovati„ - rekla je Susan Sontag.

Sontag je tako bar donekle definirala pojam koji nastojimo dešifrirati već stoljećima, no postoji li zaista konkretan odgovor na pitanje štoljepota jest?

Iako mit o ljepoti u nekoj formi postoji od kad postoji patrijarhat, u svojoj je modernoj formi izum koji je relativno nedavno izmišljen. Svoj je procvat doživio u doba industrijske revolucije. Sasvim logično, prije razvitka tehnologija i masovne produkcije sadržaja kao što je fotografija, obična žena bila je rijetko izložena prikazima ljepote izvan Crkve. Budući da je obitelj bila produktivna jedinica, a ženski je rad nadopunjavao muški, vrijednost žena koje nisu bile aristokratkinje ili prostitutke, ležala je isključivo u njihovim radnim sposobnostima, ekonomskoj snalažljivosti, fizičkoj snazi i plodnosti. Fizička privlačnost je tako igrala ulogu za obične žene na tržištu braka, ali ljepota kakvom je mi razumijemo nije.

Nakon industrijalizacije obitelji kao radna jedinica biva uništena, a i sama veličina obitelji se smanjuje. Ovi promijenjeni obiteljski uvjeti, uz urbanizaciju, povećan tvornički sistem i bolji standard života stvaraju sasvim odvojenu sferu kućanstva, sferu čiji je primiran cilj ugoda. U skladu s tim, razvila se nova klasa pismene, aktivne žene o čijoj je submisiji ili bolje rečeno konzumerizmu kapitalizam ovisio.

Stvar se zahuktala 50- ih. Nakon Drugog svjetskog rata i potrage za novim tržištima došlo je do redefiniranje ženske ljepote pa je žena po novom modelu morala biti vječno mlada, lijepa i vitka. Kako bi prodali svoje proizvode, oglašivači su kod novih potencijalnih kupaca morali umjetno izazvati nezadovoljstvo i potrebu za nečim. Tako im je bilo lakše prodati proizvod koji bi kupcima trebao „pomoći“ da ponovno budu „sretniji“. A gdje pronaći bolju nišu za zaradu nego u industriji ljepote. Ljepota je ionako, kako to je to objasnila Susan Sontag, dio povijesti idealizacije koja je sama dio povijesti utjehe.

Ideju ljepote pobliže opisuje i Naomi Wolf koja je najpoznatija po svojoj knjizi „Mit o ljepoti“ („The Beauty Myth“) iz 1991. U predgovoru drugog izdanja iz 2002. navodi kako su uz neke od reakcije na prvo izdanje išle u smjeru Platonovog Simpozija, poznatog dijaloga na temu vječnih i nepromjenjivih ideala, u vidu rečenica poput: "Žene su ionako oduvijek patile zbog ljepote!" Spisateljica ističe kako je zanimljivo da nikom nije bilo jasno da ideali ljepote nisu pali s neba, nego da su došli od nekud i kako su tu da služe svrsi. Ta je svrha, objašnjava Wolf prvenstveno financijska, kako bi se povećao profit oglašivača čiji dolari koji dolaze od reklama dovode do toga da mediji zauzvrat kreiraju ideale. Dodaje kako je u pozadini i politička svrha. Što su žene postajale snažnije politički, to su ideali ljepote postajali teži za dostignuti, uglavnom kako bi im oduzeli energiju i usporili njegov napredak.

"Mit o ljepoti priča ovu priču: Kvaliteta pod imenom "ljepota" postoji objektivno i univerzalno. Žene moraju željeti utjeloviti tu kvalitetu, a muškarci moraju željeti posjedovati žene koje utjelovljuju taj ideal. Ovo je utjelovljenje imperativ za žene, a ne za muškarce, isto je opravdano i prirodno jer to tako biološki, seksualno i evolucijski: Snažni se muškarci bore za lijepe žene , a lijepe žene su reproduktivno uspješnije. Ženska ljepota mora biti u korelaciji s njihovom fertilnošću, a budući da je sistem baziran na na seksualnoj selekciji, to je neizbježno i nepromjenjivo", objašnjava Wolf.

Ništa od ovog nije istina. "Ljepota" je valutni sistempoput zlata. Kao svaka ekonomska jedinica, određena je politikom, a u modernim je vremenima na Zapadu postala sistem vjerovanjakoji osigurava mušku dominaciju netaknutom. Kroz pripisivanje vrijednosti ženama u vidu vertikalne hijerarhije, vodeći se kulturalno nametnutim fizičkim standardima, to je ekspresija odnosa moći u kojoj se žene moraju neprirodno natjecati za resurse koji su muškarci zauzeli za sebe. "Ljepota" isto tako nije univerzalna i nepromjenjiva. Primjerice, Zapad tvrdi da svi ideali ženske ljepote proizlaze iz Platonovog ideala žene, dok se Maori pak dive golemoj vulvi, a pleme Padug velikim grudima. Niti je "ljepota" funkcija evolucije: Njeni se ideali mijenjaju puno bržim tempom nego što je to evolucija vrsta. I Charles Darwin je sam bio neuvjeren vlastitim objašnjenjem da je "ljepota "rezultat seksualne selekcije koja je devijacija od pravila prirodne selekcije. Antropologija je opovrgnula misao da žene moraju biti lijepe kako bi bile odabrane da bi se parile...Niti je to nešto što samo žene rade, a muškarci gledaju: među Nigerijskim plemenom Woodabe, žene imaju ekonomsku moć, a pleme je opsjednuto muškom ljepotom, muškarci iz ovog plemena provedu sate u detaljnim make up seansama te se natječu provokativno naslikani uz ples, pritom koristeći zavodničke izraze lica u izborima za ljepotu u kojima su suci žene.

Wolf izvodi zaključak kako mit o ljepoti, nema povijesno i biološko opravdanje. Ona postavlja pitanje: Ako mit o ljepoti nije baziran na evoluciji, spolu, rodu, estetici ili Bogu, na čemu je onda baziran? Taj isti mit tvrdi da se u njemu radi o intimnosti, seksu, životu i slavljenju žene. Onda daje odgovor i kaže: Zapravo je sastavljen od emocionalne distance, politike, financija i seksualne represije. U mitu o ljepoti nije uopće riječ o ženama. Riječ je o muškim institucijama i institucionalnoj moći. Kvalitete koje određeni period naziva ljepotom u ženama su samo simboli ženskog ponašanja koje taj period smatra poželjnima. Kod mita o ljepoti se uvijek zapravo radi o propisivanju ponašanja, a ne izgleda.

photos by Viktor Shalom, Instagram and Pinterest

text by Iva Hanzen

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Is beauty really an aesthetic category?

"Beauty is part of the history of idealization that is itself part of the history of consolation. But beauty may not always console. Beauty of face and body tortures, obeys; Beauty is arrogant. Beauty of the human and beauty that is created (art) - both excite the fantasy of possession. Our model of indifference comes from beauty of the nature - the nature which is reserved, arching, which is impossible to own " - said Susan Sontag.

Sontag at least partially defined the notion that we are trying to decipher for centuries, but is there really a concrete answer to the question of what beauty is?

Although beauty myth in some form exists since patriarchy, in its modern form is an invention that was invented relatively recently. It reached its peak in the era of the Industrial Revolution. Logically, before the development of technology and mass production of content such as photography, ordinary woman was rarely exposed to images of beauty outside the Church. Because the family was a productive unit, and women's work complemented the male's, the value of women who were not prostitutes or aristocrat, lay solely in their capacity for work, economic resourcefulness, physical strength and fertility. Physical attractiveness played the role for ordinary women in the marriage market, but beauty how we understand it today didn't.

After the industrialization, family as a work unit was destroyed, and it also decreased in size. These changed conditions of families, along with urbanization, increased factory system and better standard of living created a completely separate sphere of the household, the sphere whose uncompressed goal was pleasure. Accordingly, we developed a new class of literate, active women whose submission or should we say consumerism capitalism depended on.

The thing heated up in the 50s. After the World War II and search for new markets, there has been a redefinition of female beauty and a woman according to the new model had to be eternally young, beautiful and slim. In order to sell their products, advertisers had to artificially provoke dissatisfaction and the need for something with new potential buyers. It was easier that way for them to sell products to customers which were supposed to "help" the customers to be "happier". And where better to find a niche for making money than in the beauty industry. Beauty is anyway, as it was explained by Susan Sontag, part of the history of idealization that is itself part of the history of consolation.

The idea of beauty was also closely described by Naomi Wolf, who is best known for her book "The Beauty Myth" from 1991. In the preface to the second edition from 2002. she states that some of the reaction to the first edition went in the direction of Plato's Symposium, the famous dialogue on the eternal and immutable ideals, in the form of sentences like: "Women have always suffered because of beauty anyway!" The writer points out that it is interesting that no one realised that the ideals of beauty have not fallen from the sky, but that they came from somewhere and that are there to serve a purpose. The purpose, explains Wolf is primarily financial, to increase profits of the advertisers whose dollars which come from advertising have led the media to cerate the beauty ideals in return. She adds that in the background there is also a political purpose. As women were becoming more powerful politically, the ideals of beauty became more difficult to achieve, mainly so their energy could be weaken and their progress slowed down.

"Beauty myth tells this story: The quality called 'beauty' exists objectively and universally. Women must want to embody this quality, and men must want to possess women who embody this ideal. This embodiment is an imperative for women and not for men, the same is legitimate and natural for it is so biologically, sexually and evolutionary: Strong men battle for beautiful women, and beautiful women are reproductively successful. Female beauty must be correlated with their fertility, and since the system is based on the sexual selection, it is inevitable and unchangeable, "explains Wolf.

None of that is true. "Beauty" is an exchange system, such as gold. As each economic unit, it is determined by politics, and in modern times in the West it became a belief system that ensures male dominance intact. Through the attribution of value to women in the form of a vertical hierarchy, led by culturally imposed physical standards, it is the expression of power relations in which women must unnaturally compete for resources that are occupied by men for themselves. "Beauty" is also not universal and unchanging. For example, the West maintains the notion that all the ideals of feminine beauty derive from Plato's ideal of women, while the Maori admire enormous vulva, and tribe Padug large breasts. Nor has "beauty" any evolution function: Its ideals are changing much faster than evolution of species. And Charles Darwin himself was unconvinced with his own explanation that "beauty" is the result of sexual selection, which is a deviation from the rules of natural selection. Anthropology has refuted the idea that women must be beautiful in order to be selected to be mated ... Nor is it something that only women do, while men watch: in the Nigerian tribe Woodabe, women have economic power, and the tribe is obsessed with the male beauty, Men from this tribe spend hours in the detailed make-up sessions and compete provocatively painted while they dance, at the same time using sexy expressions in the beauty elections in which judges are women.

Wolf concludes how there is no historical and biological justification in beauty myth. She raises the question: If the beauty myth is not based on evolution, sex, gender, aesthetics, or God, what is it based on then? This same myth claims that it is about intimacy, sex, life and celebration of women. Then she gives the answer and says: It's actually made up of emotional distance, politics, finance, and sexual repression. In the beauty myth there is not even a word about women. It is about male institutions and institutional power. Qualities that a certain period calls the beauty in women are only symbols of female behavior that this period consideres desirable. eauty myth is always really about prescribing behavior, not appearance.

photos by Viktor Shalom, Instagram and Pinterest

text by Iva Hanzen

Tko je Lana Biželj i što znači biti žena?

Tko je Lana Biželj?

Lakše bi mi bilo odgovoriti na bilo što drugo nego na ovo :)

Lana Biželj je samostalna mlada žena, koja na van djeluje jako samouvjereno i čvrsto, a zapravo je dosta nesigurna i jako osjećajna. Lana Biželj je borac protiv nepravde bez dlake na jeziku s velikim ambicijama za svoj život. Ona je novinarka, studentica, strastvena obožavateljica mode i žustrih rasprava o životu. 

Top 3 žene koje će te inspirirati do kraja života?

Prije svih, koliko god patetično zvučalo, iskreno to mislim - moja mama. Žena koja je prošla toliko oluja u životu, kako god da je bila raspoložena, uvijek je bila prepuna ljubavi i pažnje za sve. Žena koja je raširenih ruku davala drugima, bila je najbolji prijatelj, osoba za razgovor i rame za plakanje. Naučila me da dajem ljubav 200%, makar kasnije i patila, barem ću je doživjeti kako treba. Druga, Waris Dirie, ona je somalijski model i veleposlanica UN-a za borbu protiv genitalnog sakaćenja žena. Napisala je predivnu, emotivnu i strašnu biografiju 'Pustinjski cvijet', osakatili su je s njenih 5 godina, a kada je napunila 13, roditelji su je željeli udati za čovjeka iz dobrostojeće obitelji s kojim je imala dogovoreni brak. Pobjegla je u London, ali tu nije bio kraj njezinim borbama. Žena koja je danas uspješni model, veleposlanica UN-a, s obitelji i toliko proživljenih trauma u životu, da jedna knjiga nije ni dovoljna. Ona je dokaz da se sve može preživjeti i da nas sve prepreke koje nam dođu u životu, mogu samo ojačati za dalje. Sve je samo u glavi, kojim putem ćeš krenuti nakon što padneš. Nažalost, još uvijek toliko malo ljudi zna za nju. I treća, Ellen Degeneres, ne treba puno reći o njoj. Žena se proslavila ulogom komičara, usrećivala je ljude i na kraju tu slavu danas upotrebljava kako bi pomagala drugima. Prva javna ličnost koja je tek 90 i neke javno istupila i deklarirala se kao gay. Hrabra, divna, osjećajna, snažna žena.

Što za tebe znači biti žena?

Uh, nisam mislila da će mi ovo pitanje zahtijevati toliko razmišljanja. Biti žena znači biti neovisna, samostalna, izgraditi sama svoj život, postaviti karijeru na noge, osigurati se, ne dopustiti da ju pokolebaju kritike i komentari primitivnog društva, biti žena znači biti jaka, ne mora čak biti niti sigurna, malo nas je sigurnih u sebe, ali žena je ona koja je dovoljno veliki borac da preživi sve što joj se nađe na putu. Biti brižna, biti erotična, uživati u sebi i svom tijelu, raditi na sebi, raditi na tome da se osjeća dobro u svojoj koži, biti svoja, biti žena znači istupiti iz svoje komforne zone i izboriti se za sebe, dići glas, jer ipak, uvijek ćemo se osjećati bolje ako napravimo nešto same za sebe, sposobne smo za to. Sposobne smo za sve.

Savjet koji bi dala 16-godišnjoj sebi?

Sad, kad se vratim tih 8 godina unatrag, rekla bih si ono što sam čak i tada, duboko u sebi znala, zapravo, ne bih ništa mijenjala. Možda bih si rekla, da sve prođe, nemoj žaliti ni za čim, nemoj izgarati od želje da promijeniš barem nešto, samo da ona ostane tu, upravo zato što ti je mama sad umrla, izgradit ćeš se u snažnu ženu koja će moći preživjeti sve. I kada se osjećaš najgore na svijetu, kada si u najdubljoj crnoj rupi, i tamo nešto naučiš, sve ispadne baš onako kako treba, sve se događa s razlogom. Koliko god da te sada kida na tisuću komadića sve što se događa, smirit će se, nijedan tornado ne traje vječno i tako je uvijek, i uvijek će biti. Rekla bih si i da nemam razloga biti nesigurna, da budem bitna sama sebi, da volim sebe, da nemam razloga hvatati se za slamke koje mi se nude, jer, zaslužujem više od toga. Zaslužujem upravo sve ono što i mogu dati.

Kako uz malo para stvoriti savršen stil?

Uh, napokon lakše pitanje.  :)

Hm, u principu nemam neki poseban trik. Svako malo nađem u ormaru nešto na što sam zaboravila, bilo u maminom, tatinom ili u svom. Buvljaci, second hand shopovi, rasprodaje, a napokon sam počela shvaćati i da mi se više isplati uložiti u neki dobar basic komad pa ga imati duže i nadograđivati ga detaljima. Dobar trik su basic komadi, a uz njih, boje za tkaninu i škare. Čovjek bi se iznenadio koliko dobre stvari može dobiti uz pomoć DIY projekata, sva sreća, Internet je rudnik takvih projekata pa to danas nije problem.

Kod mene su definitivno zaštitni znak šeširi i kape, to vjerujem da digne baš svaki styling. Bitno je da znamo prepoznati ono što nam stoji, u čemu se osjećamo ugodno i to je to. Ja sam zaista prošla svakakvih faza i stilova, i trenutno ga isto ne bi mogla dugoročno definirati, ali rekla bi da odjeća koju ja nosim, na svoj način, barem sada, zna ispričati moju priču.

photo: Tea Teuta Dalić 

model: Lana Biželj

interview, stylist, location scout: Iva Hanzen

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                            Who is Lana Biželj and what does it mean to be a woman?

Who is Lana Biželj?

I would respond easier to anything other than this. Lana is independent young woman who looks very confident and strong, but in fact is quite uncertain and very sensitive. Lana is outspoken fighter against injustice with great ambitions for her life. She is a journalist, a student, a passionate fan of fashion and hot discussions about life.

Top 3 women that will inspire you for the rest of your life?

First of all, no matter how pathetic it may sound, I sincerely mean it - my mom. A woman who has gone through so many storms in her life, no matter what mood she was in, she was always full of love and care for all. The woman who gave others love with open arms, she was my best friend, person to talk to and a shoulder to cry on. She taught me to give love 200%, though later I would suffere, at least I'll experience it the right way. Second, Waris Dirie, she is a Somali model and ambassador of the UN againsts female genital mutilation. She wrote a beautiful, emotional and terrifying biography 'Desert Flower', she was mutilated at the age of 5, and when she was 13, her parents had wanted to marry her for a man from a wealthy family with whom she had an arranged marriage. She fled to London, but it did not end her struggles. A woman who is now a successful model, an Ambassador of the United Nations, with family and with so much trauma behind her that one book is not enough. She is a proof that you can survive everythig, and that all the obstacles can only strengthen us. It's all in your head, which way are you going to go after you fall. Unfortunately, still so few people know about her. And third, Ellen Degeneres, about whom I don't need much to say. The woman made her name as a comedian, made people happy and at the end used her fame to help others. Also the first public figure who declared herself as gay in the 90s. A brave, beautiful, sensitive, strong woman.

What does it mean to be a woman for you?

Uh, I didn't think that this question will require so much thinking. Being a woman means to be independent, autonomous, build your life by yourself, set up your career, secure yourself, do not let criticism and comments of primitive society to discourage you, being a woman means to be strong, not necessarily confident, not many of us are confident, but a woman is the one who is enough fighter to survive everything that gets in her way. To be loving, to be erotic, to enjoy yourself and your body means to be a woman, work on it, work on it to make yourself feel good about yourself, be yourself, being a woman means to step out of your comfort zone and fight for yourself, raise your voice, because, we will always feel better if we do something for ourselves, we are capable to do so. We are capable of everything.

The advice you would give to your 16-year-old self?

Now, when I return myself to that period 8 years ago, I would say to myself what I knew even then deep down, actually, I would not have changed anything. Maybe I would say to myself that everything goes away, that I shouldn't complain about anything, that I shouldn't burn with desire to change at least a little, only important thing is to remain the desire there, just because your mother is dead now, you will develop into a strong woman who will be able to survive everything. And when you feel the worst in the world, when you are in the deepest black hole, even there you can learn something, everything turns out exactly as it should be, everything happens for a reason. No matter how much everything that happens breaks you in a thousand pieces, it will calm you down, no tornado lasts forever and so it is, and always will be. I'd say to myself that I have no reason to be insecure, that I should be important to myself, I should love myself, I shouldn't grab for the straws that are offered to me, because, I deserve more than that. I deserve exactly everything I can give.

How do you create the perfect style with a little money?

Uh, finally an easier question. Well, I don't really have a special trick. Every now and then I find something I've forgotten in my closet, my mom's, my dad's, or my own. Flea markets, second hand shops, sales are the answer and I finally began to realize that it is more profitable to invest in some good basic piece, to have it for a long time and upgrade it with details. A good trick are basic pieces, and with them, fabric colors and scissors. You'd be surprised how many good things you can get with the help of DIY projects, luckily, the Internet is full of projects like that so today that really isn't a problem. My trademark are definitely hats and caps, they make every styling better. It is important that we recognize what we look good in, what we feel comfortable in and that's it. I really went through all kinds of stages and styles, and now I also wouldn't be able to define my style in the long term, but I'd say the clothes that I wear, in their own way, at least for now, tell my story. 

photo: Tea Teuta Dalić 

model: Lana Biželj

interview, stylist, location scout: Iva Hanzen