First Person Singular by Wendy Braitman

When It Paid To Be Single

Today we celebrate the anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, whose passage by the U.S. Congress, at long last, gave women the right to vote. It was a protracted, vicious battle, which began in earnest more than 70 years earlier, in 1848, at the women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York. But the opportunity for diverse employment took decades longer and one of the first prized professions open to women was becoming a stewardess. There were strict rules in the early days. You had to be single, a registered nurse, under 115 pounds and less than 5’4” tall. It took until 1968 and the second wave of feminism for these rigid job conditions to be eliminated. Here’s some hard-to-imagine trivia from the archives of United Airlines:   Continue reading »

Looking For Some Street Cred

While we were traveling around Italy during the last few weeks, my photographer friend, Miguel, took hundreds of shots of street art. (I posted one of them a few days ago.) And it got me interested in seeing Exit Through the Gift Shop, the documentary film, or as the Times calls it, a prankumentary, directed by the famed British graffiti artist, Banksy. It was a hit at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, and looks really cool. Check out the trailer.

The Audacious Life of Louise Bourgeois

A couple of years ago, I bought a framed poster of an etching by Louise Bourgeois featuring the words BE CALM in huge letters. I hung it in my hallway, a major thoroughfare at home, with the hope that the message would sink in. (It didn’t.) But I’m sure Ms. Bourgeois, who died this week at 98, could relate…

“The subject of pain is the business I am in,” she said. “To give meaning and shape to frustration and suffering. The existence of pain cannot be denied. I propose no remedies or excuses.”

Louise Bourgeois was the first woman to have a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art. This 1982 photo of her clutching her piece Fillette, was taken by Robert Mapplethorpe for the catalogue.

Is it Inevitable to Get Depressed After Vacation?

I’ve been home for 48 hours, and already the bliss of Italy is slipping away. Is it just the universe evening up the score that I returned to a jury summons (now that’s cruel) and a nagging toothache? At least I get to relive the high points when someone asks about my trip, as I describe the scrumptious food, mind-blowing scenery, and deep pleasure of walking for hours through the ancient, cobblestoned streets.

Photograph by Miguel Torres of a stencil on a Roman building. Artist unknown.