"When I'm wearing matte, it's like 'I dare you to come closer!"
So warns feminist activist Houry Geudelekian in this episode on the joys, power and history of lipstick...at any age. Join us to hear Houry, feminist economist Radhika Balakrishnan and writer Sandra García Betancourt talk about their and our own checkered histories wearing lipstick --or not. People have colored their lips for at least 5,000 years. It began as an emblem of aristocratic status for women and men equally. Over time it became the province of sex workers and then marching suffragists as an act of defiance and solidarity. And today? Our guests make the connections between feminism and lipstick, suggest the best shades as we age, and share many other musings and magic about painted lips. And we finish with some wisdom from the inimitable AOC about how "beauty is an inside job."
There are so many colorful threads in the life story that Ruth Strassberg, 76, weaves for us in this episode of Two Old Bitches. Her journey to the U.S. from an Italian displaced persons camp in the 40s, transforming into a beatnik in the 50s, her immersion in psychedelic cultures of the 60s and 70s, and her engagement with new age and human potential movements since the 1980s offer fascinating glimpses into the personalities and networks of those eras. Ruth is a seeker, a learner, a truth-teller and a listener. The different paths she traveled led her to trust the universe with a sense of connectedness and contentment that are re-assuring and inspiring, especially in these times of COVID-19 and global disruption. Our conversation with Ruth ends with her sharing: “The world is what it has to be. It’s not here for us to change. It’s here to change us.” Have a lovely listen, be well and, to Ruth, huge gratitude for sharing your beautiful story!
Cynthia Madansky, 58, describes herself as a Jewish, queer filmmaker and artist. For TOB, she embodies what it means to live a creative life. The recognition she has received – a Fulbright, a Guggenheim, the Rome Prize and so much more – has not altered her commitment to a minimalist life where her art always comes first. She follows her curiosity, her politics, her aesthetic voice and her instincts to create award-winning films that are impossible to categorize. They are not documentaries, they are not narratives: they are deeply beautiful, reflective and political. Her bold and creative genius extends to her own life, with frequent re-locations and explorations while living in Turkey, Palestine, Russia, and Italy, and a commitment to always returning to New York City. We caught up with her soon after she came back from living in St. Petersburg Russia, working on her last film entitled ESFIR. She is now in pre-production, planning and fundraising for her next great opus: a film that will portray the nuclear landscape in all 50 states and US territories.
Cynthia Madansky, 58, describes herself as a Jewish, queer filmmaker and artist. For TOB, she embodies what it means to live a creative life. The recognition she has received – a Fulbright, a Guggenheim, the Rome Prize and so much more – has not altered her commitment to a minimalist life where her art always comes first. She follows her curiosity, her politics, her aesthetic voice and her instincts to create award-winning films that are impossible to categorize. They are not documentaries, they are not narratives: they are deeply beautiful, reflective and political. Her bold and creative genius extends to her own life, with frequent re-locations and explorations while living in Turkey, Palestine, Russia, and Italy, and a commitment to always returning to New York City. We caught up with her soon after she came back from living in St. Petersburg Russia, working on her last film entitled ESFIR. She is now in pre-production, planning and fundraising for her next great opus: a film that will portray the nuclear landscape in all 50 states and US territories.
Check out Cynthia’s paintings, films and travels at: http://madansky.com