To 'boobs' or not to 'boobs'

 Boobs- said my dearest friend Paolo O. Martin finishing his daily portion of cereals. 'Boobs' is one of his favourite words. 

 But this time it was an occasion- he just read some forum discussion related to topless pictures of Duchess of Cambridge in some French 'newspaper' (or rather just a 'paper'). I took a quick look with my eyes and of course, most of the posts were all about the same. 'What's wrong with showing a pretty girl in a normal situation on holidays' and- de facto- 'What is the difference between her and just all of the other girls who show their nudity on the media everyday'. So if anybody has some doubts on that I can help: the difference between a royal and non-royal is SUBSTANTIAL. 

 But all what my friend Paolo O. Martin, also well known as Paul Portier, noticed his one of Autumn morning before going to work was 'boobs'. And probably so the sixty percent of society did. Because once it comes to boobs, everybody goes insane.

 And sexuality in media doesn't really have a long tradition. Although we recall vintage times with reference to pin-up girls and Betty Page's images, even thirty years ago 'sex' was not even a half of what is nowadays. As my grandfather once said, this is all the matter of taste.

 Betty Boop, a cartoon character was a great respond on the need for a presence of sexuality in a daily life, life of, being honest, social entertainment. It was actually not such a discovery. In Japan their old art Manga has been used for expression of this need for such a long time, that it would be indecent to try to find the beginning. Drawn characters broke the taboo subject showing that sex-appeal is something what appeals to everybody- and it happens by nature. But once sexuality got released to media a window had opened forever. And as we found out over past twenty years, this was a dangerous window.

 OH, NOWADAYS!

 No, this is not about Marilyn Monroe. It's about the need of seeing a potential object of sexual desire in every human being. And feeling an anger when the person refuses to be one. It's about a pressure of looking sexy, dressing sexy and behaving sexy. Isn't it a description of a woman of everyman's dream? Furthermore, it's an image of a healthy, beautiful and successful woman of nowadays with all of the qualities to become a star. But these qualities actually outline only one possible destiny of a woman: reproduction.

 The woman of Nowadays by 'N' on the media is a perfect reproductor easily accessible to everybody. Even though it may sound spooky, that's the main role of paparazzi. Private pictures from somebody's garden are supposed to bring the 'celebrity' closer to 'normal' people. The easiest way is to show their personal life, personal tragedies and -the 'toppest' thing- personal bodies.

 THE LOST HONOUR OF KATHARINA BLUM

 Katharina is one of my favourite heroines. I always admired characters, who can break through the surreal circle of sub-reality, which makes them victims of some strange and unreasonable revenge.

 But by this occasion we can observe the role of tabloids- give people what they want. And people want a real person- to play, to have fun with, to do with them everything the want. People want a living Betty Boop.

 Today people want a contemporary Katharina, whose name is- oh Lord- Catherine Middleton. And it's impossible to skip the fact that she's also the Duchess of Cambridge.

 What happened to her is a well predictable point in the circle- the window had been opened and 'normal people', an anonymous target of mass media felt offended. Offended by the young, pretty woman, who refused being a sexual object. Whose nice pictures were decorating front pages and whose image was all around the Internet, and who was so unreachable for a statistical Smith, because of her position and- let's be honest- a class. And here is a paparazzi- a saviour- who will come and say: "Everybody's the same, look I have a picture! Now everybody can be your Betty Boop, you can touch, you can play and she's all yours". And this is why I feel sorry for Kate Middleton. Not as for the Duchess. As for the person, who was disrespected just to feed the mass. 

 As my grandfather would say, this is a matter of taste. We opened a window, we drew characters and created artistic images, and here we are again back to medieval ages, when peasants sneak in to the palace to peep a queen in a bath.