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.
Royal wedding more than 24.5 million UK viewers, Prince William and Kate Middleton's Royal Wedding was watched by more than 24 million terrestrial TV viewers in the UK, according to overnight estimates from industry body Barb. The BBC achieved a large share of the UK viewing figures for Friday's (April 29) ceremony, with a peak figure of 20 million tuning in to the corporation's broadcast of the Westminster Abbey service. More than 34 million people caught at least some of the Royal Wedding coverage through the BBC, including on its iPlayer service, reports BBC News. Sky News said it had a peak of 661,000 viewers at the start of the wedding ceremony, while BBC Two, Channel 4 and Five only made up 1 per cent of the audience as the nuptials began. William and Kate's service is now in the all-time top 10 programmes in the UK, but drew less viewers than the 1966 World Cup Final (32.3 million) and Princess Diana's funeral in 1997 (32.1 million).
Guinness World Records Most live streams for a single event, The YouTube broadcast of Prince William’s marriage to Catherine Middleton (both UK) in London, UK, on 29 April 2011 achieved a record 72 million live views, as people from 188 countries around the world tuned in to watch the event on the company’s official Royal Channel. Although this figure alone was enough to beat the 70 million streams achieved during the inauguration of US President Barack Obama in 2009, the wedding’s overall tally is likely to have been significantly higher when taking into account the millions watching via other live streaming services.
Beautiful Ireland Introduction Beautiful Ireland Introduction - Ireland has always been considered a land of mystical and often magical happenings. It is a country steeped in myths and legends that live in harmony beside the modern world of today. Most travelers describe Ireland as a stunning land with unsurpassed beauty and one which possesses a history that goes back so far only the fairy folk remember its beginnings.
