(no subject)
So I was watching part of this documentary where a low-ranking geisha was putting on her makeup. It wasn't put on like you'd expect, with those pads and foundation. She was using this brush thing (with softish bristles) to paint on a shiny, semi-fluid coat of white makeup. For some reason, I found this really compelling. It's hard to explain; it's partly like her face was being painted and partly that it made this unique, shiny coat coat as she did it, unlike other makeups. She didn't even need to carefully close eyes when she did it, and it went on quickly and smoothly. Perhaps even the fact that she has ~azn eyes~ made it somehow visually work better. I always thought asian eyes seem to fit more naturally together because they're smoother...as if someone cut them out without haphazardly crinkling them like non-asian eyes (random side note: random clips I saw on YouTube from this adoption documentary had one, now grown, asian girl talking about how when she was young (having white parents), she would look into the mirror and couldn't figure out how her eyes were different from anyone else's and therefore mock worthy).
I wonder what the reasons for becoming a geisha are, in spite of the high level of difficulty of becoming one (many drop out as low-ranking geisha in training...much like college, as it is basically a live in school with dorms). Certainly, being wanted, admired, and respected (in a specific, limited sense), plays a part, but I want to know the specific reasons. It's hard as fuck work. You basically live in special housing under a geisha "madame" who sponsors your training, room & board, and a few other things, then takes your monies over time and gives you a percentage. You are required to spend a large amount of your time as a geisha and even when you have free time not as a geisha, you're still required to adhere to a certain code of conduct. When you sleep, you are required to sleep with this extremely uncomfortable neck pillow (like a roll that's only under your neck), which means minimal sleep, all in order to keep their delicate and sophisticated hair styling intact. That's just one of many pieces of dedication they have to go through, in addition to regular chores and existing within a rigid social hierarchy where higher ranking geisha criticize and demean lower ranking ones.
Geishas is toughs. I've learned about them before, but never bothered to write. This particular show was called Discovery Atlas, and each episode covers a different country, covering some of the more unique, less covered (by popular media), and interesting aspects of different countries. In the Japanese episode, they also showed two giggling (seriously...very giggly) Tokyoan (sp?) teenage school girls who were used as product testers for a company that makes photo booths, among other things. They were sort of like the Japanese equivalent of valley girls...it was weird.
In the Russian episode, they showed this church boat that was literally a small church (complete with a tall steeple) pulled by a tow boat along various bodies of water to visit rural areas of Russia that don't have any religious buildings at all and use this as several-times-a-year opportunity to do things like baptisms. The priest's family lives inside the church boat. You can just think of all the amusing variations of things you want to bring to rural people on boats... Maybe a strip-boat would be profitable? I wonder if anyone has made mobile stores on water? I know there are casino boats and cruise ships, but those aren't the same. To some extent, bringing back the old fashioned style vendors/traders would help rural areas those don't have a lot of sorts of stores locally, especially if you have a product that's more of a specialty.
I wonder what the reasons for becoming a geisha are, in spite of the high level of difficulty of becoming one (many drop out as low-ranking geisha in training...much like college, as it is basically a live in school with dorms). Certainly, being wanted, admired, and respected (in a specific, limited sense), plays a part, but I want to know the specific reasons. It's hard as fuck work. You basically live in special housing under a geisha "madame" who sponsors your training, room & board, and a few other things, then takes your monies over time and gives you a percentage. You are required to spend a large amount of your time as a geisha and even when you have free time not as a geisha, you're still required to adhere to a certain code of conduct. When you sleep, you are required to sleep with this extremely uncomfortable neck pillow (like a roll that's only under your neck), which means minimal sleep, all in order to keep their delicate and sophisticated hair styling intact. That's just one of many pieces of dedication they have to go through, in addition to regular chores and existing within a rigid social hierarchy where higher ranking geisha criticize and demean lower ranking ones.
Geishas is toughs. I've learned about them before, but never bothered to write. This particular show was called Discovery Atlas, and each episode covers a different country, covering some of the more unique, less covered (by popular media), and interesting aspects of different countries. In the Japanese episode, they also showed two giggling (seriously...very giggly) Tokyoan (sp?) teenage school girls who were used as product testers for a company that makes photo booths, among other things. They were sort of like the Japanese equivalent of valley girls...it was weird.
In the Russian episode, they showed this church boat that was literally a small church (complete with a tall steeple) pulled by a tow boat along various bodies of water to visit rural areas of Russia that don't have any religious buildings at all and use this as several-times-a-year opportunity to do things like baptisms. The priest's family lives inside the church boat. You can just think of all the amusing variations of things you want to bring to rural people on boats... Maybe a strip-boat would be profitable? I wonder if anyone has made mobile stores on water? I know there are casino boats and cruise ships, but those aren't the same. To some extent, bringing back the old fashioned style vendors/traders would help rural areas those don't have a lot of sorts of stores locally, especially if you have a product that's more of a specialty.