Extreme hoop skirts- In the mid-nineteenth century, the answer would have been more or less every Western woman of means. From the layers of petticoats used to achieve a bell shape in the early part of the nineteenth century to the patented cage crinolines or "hoop skirts" used to achieve width without as much weight, the silhouette was universal.
Today, the more appropriate question might be, "Who wants to own a hoop skirt?" Apart from the occasional bride with visions of Princess Diana dancing in her head, such extreme shapes are generally limited to costume dramas, historical reenactments, and high-style goth gatherings.
A recent dispute related to next week's Inaugural Parade, however, has once again focused attention on the style and raised questions about its cultural meaning and who has the right to define it. On one side are the Azalea Trail Maids of Mobile, Alabama, a bevy of pastel-clad beauties prepared to represent their state in the parade. On the other is the head of the Alabama NAACP, who believes that the antebellum costumes are a reminder of slavery and have no place representing modern-day Alabama in the President-elect's historic festivities.
Whatever your position on the Azalea Trail Maids -- the issue is a complex amalgam of race, gender, and red-blue politics, further complicated by the fact that 11 of the 50 Maids are women of color -- it's interesting to witness the transformation of period dress into a contested cultural product. Like the Confederate battle flag or whistling Dixie, those hoops now carry more weight than originally intended.
The bottom line: Barack Obama may be reading about Abraham Lincoln and even basing an inaugural menu around Lincoln's favorite foods, but don't expect Michelle to imitate Mary Todd Lincoln's choice of inaugural gown.
'Star Trek' Actress Grace Lee Whitney Dies at 85, Grace Lee Whitney, the on-screen character who played Yeoman Janice Rand on the first Star Trek, passed away Friday. She was 85. Every USA Today, child Jonathan Dweck said the star passed on of common reasons at her home in Central California. Whitney depicted Captain Kirk's collaborator for eight scenes of the first 1966 TV arrangement before she was composed out of the script. At the point when Star Trek was renewed as a motion picture establishment in 1979, the performing artist returned as a boss frivolous officer in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Her last appearance as Rand was in 1991's Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. William Shatner, who played Whitney's onscreen manager, tweeted Monday: "Sympathies to the group of Grace. She was a consistent sparkling grin throughout the years each time our ways crossed." Every NBC News, Whitney was a customary at Star Trek traditions around the glob...
Massachusetts beach brawl, A massive brawl broke out at Revere Beach, Massachusetts, on Sunday that involved between 100 and 200 people and had police from across the region rushing to the scene. The Mother's Day melee at the popular beach just north of Boston apparently started when two women began fighting, Mayor Dan Rizzo told NECN. He said their boyfriends joined the fight, which then snowballed into the brawl. The station reports that 12 people were arrested. WHDH reports that the brawl began over a stolen handbag. Police made an arrest over the incident, but it drew a crowd which then turned violent. One witness told the station that a girl involved in the fight punched a police officer in the face. "It just kept building and building and more people getting upset about their friends being taken into custody," another witness, Tyler Wade, told WHDH. The fight escalated from there. "Everybody started screaming people were throwing full cans of coke ...
Heidi Montag Mexico elopement, On-again, off-again couple Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt are back on - for good. "The Hills" stars tied the knot in an impromptu ceremony on Nov. 20 at the One & Only Palmilla Resort near Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Us Weekly reports. "The minute we said our vows, I couldn't stop crying," Montag said.The publicity-loving couple surprised fans by keeping a lid on the news for several days, with Montag's rep telling the Daily News on Monday afternoon, "I do not have any information at this time." Now, they're spilling the deets - and Pratt's even sharing the vows he recited to his wife. PHOTOS: WHY ARE THEY FAMOUS AGAIN? "Heidi, from the moment you came into my life, I knew my life would never be the same without you," he said. "You are the light in my life like the sun to the earth! Your loving warmth makes me want to be a better person. Being with you, I feel complete. I'm honor...
