A Beautiful Chameleon - An Icon of Transformation.

Transformation of self is a profound journey as I explored in "The Little Mermaid" blog. It is a deeply spiritual one, in which letting go of one identity and transforming into another expands our souls experience of life. In the mermaids journey that morphs from mermaid to human, from foam on the sea to air, and thus to a soul. However, why then do I write this in conjunction with a supermodel of the 90's called Linda Evangelista ?. That is a fair question, and many would say something of a stretch. I understand that, but it is change that captivates me.

An iconic identity is fixed. It must be permanent, not transient, to convey power. Think of iconic figures in history we can define simply by a 'look' that is maintained over many years: Jesus Christ, Marilyn Monroe, Winston Churchill, The Queen of England, Anna Wintour, James Dean, Jackie Onassis and Jennifer Aniston to name a few. We instantly recognize those visual elements that define them. When Hillary Clinton kept changing her hairstyle it caused confusion. We like our images of power to remain the same unchanging. Queen Elizabeth 1 of England knew that well enough in her creation of the 'Virgin Queen".

Hollywood icons were created, molded and once their 'look' was established and proved successful with audiences they kept it. Rita Hayworth is a great example. A dark haired Spanish woman with a low forehead. The hair was dyed red,  eyebrows thinned and shaped. Electrolysis to create a new and improved hair line and acquired a new name. Once the studio completed its job we believed the image was real. We are meant to believe it. She became an archetype of female beauty along with Monroe and many others.

In the same vein a fashion a models 'look' becomes her trade mark. Cindy Crawford has great hair and a mole. Claudia is the Bardot blond bombshell. Christie Brinkley the eternally healthy California beach girl. They tweak their 'look' but never radically alter it. That is bad for the brand identity, no different to Coca Cola suddenly tasting of cherries.

However, with the advent of Madonna, Cindy Sherman and Linda Evangelista in the late 80's these women in their respective fields, Music, Art and Fashion, took the idea of branded identities of female archetypes by the balls and up ended them.

They revealed the manipulation of images of self to gain power. Madonna in 'Vogue" sings about it. Cindy Sherman looks to art history to explore female identity in history and film. And, Linda radically altered her look from every length, every color and became every archetype of woman. The remarkable thing is that most would fear such radical changes of self.

But, she did not. Unlike her peers she subjugated her self and became another woman each season, while remaining entirely her self. Each incarnation being as beautiful as the next. She is and remains the Meryl Streep of models. That is recognized within the fashion industry. Her 'look' is a concept , not an appearance, her 'look' is change - The Chameleon.

She could be both androgynous and a stunning woman. We were convinced of both roles she played. Her pictures stand the test of time. A beautiful blond, a gorgeous red head , thick eye brows to no eye brows and all the time looking beautiful. She could shed her image as quickly as snake sheds its skin. I love that.

What fascinated me about her was that release of self. To just let go of a 'look' that defined her. That brought her power, through recognition that she set a new trend, and was ahead of her game. Once that trend had its grip on the public she let it go and moved on. But, with each shift her power grew.

My own identity shifts. To look at me people have assumed many things of me. What race am I being the main theme. I am not so easy to put in that box. As I traveled over the years my face is given a fresh identity depending on your social, cultural background and experience. It transforms not from trying to. Rather it is a multicultural 'look'. So, shifting perceptions of identity appeal to me as I live that reality daily.

It can be alienating to witness people holding tight to their learned cultural perceptions, which they project, onto another, that would be me, and decide who I am meant to be socially and racially. This is done without asking me. It is even more peculiar to be asked " what are you?"' when they are in doubt.

That question is asked so I can be classified and put in their 'box'. Boxes are very claustrophobic by the way, and am not good being placed in them. I just stand there and watch.

That is the connection to my fascination with Linda and the Mermaid. Life is transient. We are transient. We are in a perpetual state of change. Yet, we resist it, because we define our selves by a fixed image in our minds of who we are and what group that connects us to in the society we choose to live in. There are always options regarding the latter. We fear aging because of that as well.

On a deep level people are disturbed by radical physical change in others. It unsettles them. It makes some less certain of you are to them. They get used to seeing you in a certain way. They like to fix that in place. It is comfortable and they can trust it. That is why images of the powerful in history always remain static.

Madonna held our attention with endless changes of persona. Lady Gaga does the same within the realms of the avant garde. Linda was neither crude, nor crazy, her look was believable and always chic. The 'Look' became her and she became it. She embodied it. It did not wear her, ever.

I like to think of fashion as a deeply shallow business. It is not only selling you clothes. It sells you an identity to inhabit, or become, for as long you want it. Linda did not define herself by those terms, she was a muse to photogapher and designers. As an artist of self she had to let go of a visual definition of it.

The image above was taken this June 10th. She is 47 years old. A timeless beauty, ever changing and exploring the world of images of self. I love that visual journey she has taken me on these past twenty something years and she remains a fascination because of it. She has courage and she commits to the process of change. She has balls.

Spiritual journey's are often about evolving and letting go. That can be expressed in fashion and body types, that are built up at gyms, or weight lost and gained. On the one hand this can be deemed shallow, but on the other hand our body is an expression of a deeper journey. It is the vehicle which our soul inhabits after all. I love the physical world and beauty in all its forms. Our body and face is a reflection of our inner journey in life and we can express our inner transformations through it like a bare canvas. Next!.

Peace.