The Urban Grind

Some people still have way too much time (and money) on their hands. They are flocking to celebrity dog groomer Jorge Bendersky to have temporary tatoos stenciled onto their dogs.

To “tattoo” a dog, Bendersky and other groomers typically start off by filling in a stencil with canine-safe glue. Next, they add dog-friendly glitter and, sometimes, pre-packed designs with rhinestones.

These designs, which cost approximately $100, are most often placed on dogs’ hips or tailbone, making the placement analogous to a lower back tattoo on a person.
“It’s all about the tramp stamp,” Bendersky said.

Here’s what some owners have to say about why they do this to their dogs:

6. “In the summer, they cut the dogs’ hair short, so you’ve got to supplement the glamour.”
5. “It’s grown immensely — even people in remote Iowa do it.”
4. “I go to a lot of events, and people dress up their dogs in expensive outfits, and it was something I could do to make my dog stand out that wasn’t that expensive.” [Ed. note: It costs about $100.]
3. “Sometimes, my dog and I dress in the same color if we’re going to a red carpet event. During the summer, it’s just too hot to have him wearing outfits like that … The tattoo is a good option.”
2. “Dogs are like humans, and when they accessorize they get attention. A pink dog does not know it’s pink, but when people are smiling and taking pictures, it gets attention … So, a dog likes to get tattoos.”
1. “It’s all about the tramp stamp.”

I just read this, but I still can’t believe it. Supposedly, the fierce competition for jobs is what’s making their men turn to makeup.

South Korean men spent $495.5 million on skincare last year, accounting for nearly 21 percent of global sales, according to global market research firm Euromonitor International. That makes it the largest market for men’s skincare in the world, even though there are only about 19 million men in South Korea. Amorepacific, South Korea’s biggest cosmetics company, estimates the total sales of men’s cosmetics in South Korea this year will be more than $885 million.

{snip}

Evidence of this new direction in South Korean masculinity is easy to find. In a crowded Seoul cafe, a young woman takes some lipstick out of her purse and casually applies it to her male companion’s lips as they talk. At an upscale apartment building, a male security guard watches the lobby from behind a layer of makeup. Korean Air holds annual male makeup classes for its staff at Incheon International Airport.

“I can understand why girls don’t like to go outside without makeup — it makes a big difference,” said Cho Gil-nam, a tall, stocky 27-year-old insurance fraud investigator in Seoul who starts important days by dabbing on makeup after finishing his multistep morning cleansing and moisturizing routine. He carries a multicolored cosmetics pouch so he can touch up in public bathrooms throughout the day.

I happen to be a big fan of sunscreens and sunblock. I wear some form of sunscreen 365 days a year, whether it’s raining, snowing, or sunny outside. And I just don’t understand women that continue to insist on tanning. I’ve seen first hand how sunbathing causes wrinkles, leathery skin, blotches, and general skin discoloration. It’s really not a pretty site.

Now unlike Western cultures, where a sun tan has come to mean you can afford to vacation in a glamorous tropical locale, the Chinese (and other Asians) have the opposite view. So they’ve taken sunblock to a new extreme with their face-kini craze.

One way to avoid the dangerous rays of the sun is to stay indoors, another is to apply a healthy layer of sun cream and slap on a wide-brimmed hat.

If you’re in China, however, there is a third option – a ‘Face-Kini’ complete with a body suit.

The name describes a protective head mask that is being used in Shandong province’s East China Sea coast by beach-goers who want to protect their skin from the sun.

Personally, I think they look middle aged bank robbers or G8 protesters. But I do like the idea of the body suit (for the purpose of modesty.)

What do you guys think?

First off, I’m curious as to what she’s doing in London. I mean, is it really necessary for her to go there (along with the Secret Service) to give hugs to the American basketball team? Couldn’t she have just congratulated them over the phone?

No, this looks like just another excuse for Mrs. Michelle Antoinette Obama to take a vacation, and to hob nob with the European Royals.

Of course the Obama supporters will go on about how Mrs. Obama can wear what she wants, and that it’s her own money, etc. But remember, this is a regime that has been demonizing rich people and business owners. Obama has publicly stated that everyone must chip in and make sacrifices. That is everyone except for him and his family. Here’s are pictures of Mrs. Obama in the $6,800 jacket.

The jacket is actually not bad, although she could have used a side mirror. But seriously, why does this woman insist on constantly exposing her arms? So they’re muscular. Big deal. Whatever happened to modesty? I don’t remember any other First Lady who regularly exposed so much flesh. For example, take a look at the video of the European heads of state and royals entering Buckingham Palace at the link above. (Sorry, I couldn’t find the embed link.) Do you see any exposed arms?

NO!!!!!

High heels can be nice. But there’s certainly a difference between looking attractive, as opposed to looking like a hooker. These Christian Louboutin pumps, in my opinion, fall into the hooker category.

They’re Prada.

And they’re all sold out.

Here’s what one fashion writer had to say:

“It doesn’t matter that they’re ugly and not sexy because they’re Prada,” explained Lauren Sherman, a fashion writer for Fashionista.com, of the shoe’s odd appeal. “Prada is known for its subversive sexiness. It’s geek chic. People are sick of wearing hooker heels.”

For the MTV Music Awards, Lady Gaga wore a dress made of flank steaks. This grossed out Mr. Sherry, who owns the Old Homestead Steakhouse in Manhattan’s chi chi Meatpacking district. Mr. Sherry decided he could do better. So he designed an outfit from porterhouse, rib eyes, and kobe beef roots (whatever those are).

You too can have this outfit if you’re willing to fork over $100,000.

The woman who modeled it is certainly OK with the price.

“Wear it for an hour, have fun with it … Then you might have enough meat for six months for your freezer,” Sherry suggested. “So that the $100,000 is not that expensive.”

Normally, I’m not a fan of watching other people play tennis. I would much rather be playing, which I used to do very often when I was younger.

As I understand, tennis has always been a genteel sport with rules on how the players should dress, as well as for how the scores are announced. I know there are etiquette rules at Wimbledon.

Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any etiquette on what female tennis players should wear at the U.S. Open. This year, Venus Williams looked more like she was ready to go night-clubbing rather than playing tennis.

With the pink outfit, it looks like Williams forgot to put on a skirt. Here’s what John McEnroe had to say about that outfit.

John McEnroe: I think that dress has distracted [Venus].

Dick Enberg: It’s distracting you.

McEnroe: That’s a fair point.

Enberg: It sounds like it might be a distraction to her opponent.

McEnroe: Well, she’s tugging at it. She’s uncomfortable with it.

Mary Carillo: She uses that fabric a lot in her designs, John. And for the last couple of years we’ve seen her have to correct her outfit after every point.

As a teenager, I used to play LOTS of tennis. My favorite female player was Chris Evert. Unlike the very butch looking Martina Navratilova and Billy Jean King, (who once wore a silver sequined dress to the U.S. Open) Chris was an amazing athlete while being at the same time a beautiful ice queen who as a master of concealing her emotions. Chris had the perfect poker face. She would be on that court as cool as a cumcumber while tiring out her opponents. Also, I doubt Chris would have ever been caught dead (or alive) in something like this.

Whenever people ask me if I follow any sports, I always tell them I enjoy watching figure skating. It’s especially fun to watch during the Olympics. Otherwise, I’m one of those people who would rather go out their and engage in some kind of sport, rather than just passively watching. As a teenager, I used to play *lots* of tennis. And I used to do some ice skating as well.

The thing I like most about figure skating is that it’s a combination of an athletic and an artistic competition. The added bonus is you get to check out the hair and makeup too.

Anyway, two nights ago, I was watching the ice dancing pairs long program, where I saw some horrendous costumes. It was quite a shame since the skaters were all attractive. Furthermore, the wild costumes actually distracted from the actual routines.

The first example is the Russian pair Domnina and Shabalin, who I believe will receive a bronze medal. Here’s the aborigine costume they wore for their short program. They actually had to tone down their costume, which caused some offense to aborigine groups.

Here was their equally outrageous costume for their long program.

Also, I’m sure Ms. Domnina is an attractive woman. But you just can’t tell with all that’s going on in her costumer. along with her way-too-bright blonde hair. I read in one article that they were disappointed with their score. No doubt the judges were distracted by the weird costumes.

Anyway, Domnina and Shabalin weren’t the only ones with horrendous costumes.

The other pairs coupe with terrible costumes was Belbin and Agosto. Let me just say that Tanith Belbin is drop dead gorgeous. But still, it’s no excuse to have wear such distracting costumes.

Here’s a video of Belbin and Agosto skating at nationals. They wore almost the exact costume for their short program in the Vancouver Olympics.

For me, the lifts looked especially awkward with all those ruffles on Tanith’s skirt.

Here’s what they wore for their long program. You can’t really see from this photo, but there was way to much going with these costumes.

Unlike these two pairs, the Canadian team of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir both looked amazing, and skated beautifully. They won the gold. This is what they wore for their long program. As you can see, it’s simple and elegant. The focus is on the skaters movements, rather than all the ruffles and other regalia on their costumes. Virtue and Moir are the couple on the right.