underneath us

I must admit Jessica Biel has been taking on a bunch of strong roles such as in Powder Blue (single mom/dancer) and Easy Virtue (married up Black Widow).

In both she manages to swing and dance, thus living out her independent woman’s life fully and publicly.

While clothing does create impressions, underneath us all, there is a universal longing to better ourselves,

to continuously improve our set of circumstances. And we subliminally recognize this in others :  a well-groomed, well dressed person or a perfectly manicured lady. Something about a good appearance that exudes confidence, and illicit admiration (we want to be like them).

I don’t remember the last time clothing is this cheap. Must be due to the cumulative effect of the recession and import surplus (in college, we used to buy warm outfit at an Army and Navy surplus store. Now, every Walmart has Clearance, Unbeatable signs for unsold sizes or styles). Jeans under $10?

Underneath us all, still exist those strands of DNA and personalities. We pick our clothes almost unconsciously

(how we want to be seen) to camouflage ourselves and to blend in (for survival). You feel like an oddball when you wear the opposing team’s uniform, sitting in the wrong section of the NFL stadium.

And underneath us all, we know who have shown us kindness ( by giving us their time and attention.)

Kids are best at getting the attention of  today’s multitasking parents. Prime time in my family has the TV’s on, DVD player on, laptop on, and dozen half-read books. All compete for our eye balls.

I  notice the most visited blogs often post outrageous pictures to draw clicks through or to develop cult-like following. We call this “churnalism, a hybrid of churning and journalism”.

Fragmented society. Poly-logue.

Yet I still believe that underneath us all, we want to move on, just like our clothing styles. Ask the widows and widowers. The late Senator Ted Kennedy said to victim families that the first year (of grief) was the hardest because of the anniversary.

Together we have got through the first year of  the Wall Street collapse. Now the we need to survive Main Street addiction to shift the blame from individuals to institutions.

Unless we are mistake-prone. Underneath us all lies the seed of creative-destruction (innovator’s dilemma).

No wonder they said Jessica Biel’s web site was the most dangerous one to visit i.e. most likely to catch a virus.

She has carved out for herself that edge, with a cult-like following.

I would like to point out that her rise coincides with the rise of broadband and the internet. Madonna and Cher could have built a much bigger empire had these inventions arrived a little bit sooner.  It was quite remarkable to see this actress transform and reinvent herself, from 7th Heaven, to Nth Heaven, still with a streak of rebellion underneath it all. She reflects the humanity in us , a reality which is both universal and at the same time, to be rediscovered anew each time. Isn’t it so true that at the end of all journeys, we are back to where we started and know ourselves for the first time.