I Heart Boobies Brouhaha

Of all the things for a community to be outraged about, the infamous South Glens Falls "I (heart) boobies" brouhaha should not be one of them.

Is the phrasing crude? Sure it is. But it gets people to think & followup w/ why the person is wearing said bracelet. That was certainly my experience when introduced to the "Save the Ta-Tas" organization. I thought it was another silly Facebook group (much like "I want to be your derivative so I can lay tangent to your curves") but after a quick investigation they are indeed a legitimate Breast Cancer Awareness organization.

Though I applaud Ms Ballard for correcting what she perceived as a school violation, at the same time I have to wonder if this is a case of a teacher having an axe to grind? Think about it. The bracelet was never disrupting class until the teacher herself brought undue attention to it. Secondly, the student offered a reasonable compromise to turn the bracelet inside out. Thirdly, the teacher went out of her way to go after the kid the next day when the bracelet was already inside out. On this last count I have to ask...considering there are an untold number of organizations using variation of the "I heart boobies" color scheme, how did the teacher know what was on the bracelet if she never saw it inside-out to begin w/?

Ms Ballard is not the only person in society who has been effected by Breast Cancer. Had she not lost her head & taken 5 minutes (probably less) to Google the organization, she would have found all she needed to discover what the organization was about. Had she spoken to the kid in private (maybe after class or school?), she would have learned he too had a family member effected by the disease. She could have taken the time to visit the local American Cancer Society office & given the kid a more acceptable alternative braclet (they were more than happy to give away for free the one I wear away, despite my offer to pay the crippling price of $2) Instead she loses her head enforcing a zero-tolerance policy, the spirit of which was never meant for more noticeable & disruptive personal attire. As the saying goes, a "teachable moment" was lost.

Interestingly enough, by Ms Ballard & the administration acting the way they did, they've brought publicity to the "I heart Boobies" organization in ways the organization itself could never have hoped for. Call this the Law of Unintended Consequences.

The point is for all the unwise things teenagers often get themselves into. Punishing them for wanting to help improve society, should not be one of them.

Edit: If this story didn't get juicer, the SGF Assistant principle had the brains to be photographed groping the wax figures of Jessica Simpson & Jenna Jameson during a trip to a recent trip to Vegas. The story probably would have ended there but he then went on post them publicly on his Facebook page. This is the same person responsible for disciplining students for their cancer awareness's "disruptive attire."

I swear this is sounding more & more like a South Park episode. The kids are the responsible ones while the adults act like idiots.

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In other news...
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This is where I'd present one of the pictures from my Breast Cancer Awareness pictures but unfortunately, there aren't any ones that A. are of a PG nature that haven't been seen yet.

So, I'll just show you an oldie but goodie.



Feel free to opine if you so choose.

Breast Cancer w/ Ashley & Ann

As stated in my 1 Oct blog, I'm involved in a Breast Cancer Awareness series. Knowing how I operate this will probably be a lengthy process...I'm not complaining considering the circumstances.

While I was in Boston this past summer, I was blessed in being approached by Ashley. She was enthusiastic about the series because the issue was very much in the moment.

Somewhere along the way, I discovered her mom had a mastectomy & in one of my WTH moments, I invited her mom presuming she felt up to it. Maybe they'd be interested in doing some mother-daughter stuff. Maybe she was more interested in staying in the background offering emotional support to her daughter. I dunno.

A reason why I like my editorial projects is that EVERYONE has their own story. It can be cathartic for them. But simply having them describe their struggles, helps me brainstorm, not to mention, its interesting to hear the variation in details.

At the time we shot, Ann was 2-weeks post-op. As she described it, she was just starting to get back on her feet but because of the recovery, she hadn't quite gotten a sense of her own limits. As sometimes happens, I was mesmerized by my subject, Ann, & thankfully Ashley called put a stop to things due to her mom's shaking. When I get mesmerized & intensely focused, I kinda have a situational awareness blindspot.

We soon called it a wrap. I got what I was looking for & was grateful they allowed me to be a part of their journey.

The shoot left me emotionally drained in a good way for a couple of days. Reflecting on Ann's bravery & how she carried & still carries herself, still leaves me in awe & leaves me a little ashamed.

Working w/ them & experiencing their battle reinforces the notion that there's more to life than materialistically, ephemeral things.



Feel free to comment, suggest, opine, whatever as you see fit, so long as you keep it civil.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

As many of you may know, I often have random thoughts (particular when alcohol is involved). "Why do we drive on parkways & park on driveways?" "How did military intelligence get its name when it seems like its anything but?" "Why do people knock masturbation when its at least sex w/ someone you love?" "What are the mythological archetypes between today's heroes & what links do can be made drawn upon established heroes from the distant past?" "Where can I find directions & the supplies to build a working Star Wars lightsaber?"

In fairness, none but the last are a Farenell Photography original but it does kinda illustrate how scatter-brained my mind works.

All kidding aside, my editorial instincts were reignited recently in wanting to do something w/ a social message. I'm still actively working on my "Critique of the Unsatisfied Relationship" series...



...& my "Grip of Anorexia" series...



...but either my ideas, my subjects personal stories, or my ability to translate them to a visual medium is not speaking as clearly as they used to. Whatever the deal is, I'm in a holding pattern. Stuff like this happens all the time, so I'm not to worried about it.

Somewhere along the way I got thinking about cancer. According to my mom, my maternal grandmother was constantly afraid of that while growing up. I think it had something to do w/ it running in the family. Not sure exactly. Then my thoughts drifted to she & my little sister. Then I got thinking about all the people I worked w/, 95% of them being women. This is not to say I don't mind working w/ men, its just a numbers thing.

My shoots are more like a social exercises &, for better or worse, I start to care about what happens w/ them afterwards. Granted they are free-willed individuals & whatnot but I care about their well being long after I've delivered what I was supposed to deliver. This is another reason why I have to actively control my exuberance. Because I'm like one of those knuckleheads who has a one-track mind. If I weren't told to go (expletive deleted), every now & then. I'd probably drive people nuts.

Because I work w/ so many women, it got me thinking about Breast Cancer. If you think about it, the breasts are as much of a physical manifestation of their gender identity as their genitalia is. The difference being breasts can be seen (whether they're covered w/ a bra over a shirt or in a bikini top or bare-chested) in some respect. Just think of how many women get implants in the hopes upsizing will improve their self-esteem. Yes, its overally simplistic but I bring it up to prove a point.

My original idea for this series is to illustrate taking the simplicity of a Richard Avedon BW portrait, combine it w/ selective coloring for the pink bow, combine my models being topless to drive the point home, & viola, Breast Cancer Awareness!

Like my Ana series, the overall hope is that the more people discuss a taboo subject, the more likely that an individual will be brave enough to take the treacherous first steps they may need to get said help. Again, probably overally simplistic but that's the premise I'm running under.

In terms of this project...I've tried playing w/ the ribbons as stand-alone cuffs (like how the old school Playboy bunny waitresses) but were dropped due to me sucking when it comes to figuring out what to do w/ hands. The toplessness was also dropped as a prerequisite when I continued to ran into the complication of having volunteers who were gun-shy about baring their breasts for a good cause. Considered everything & left the toplessness simply as an option if they were open to doing so. Nice to have to drive home the point but not completely necessary.

All that being said, I used Nancy (shown below) was my first volunteer.



This entire series is a work in progress. Hopefully, its one I'm able to do more regularly if I can get more volunteers.

If anyone has any suggestion in actually recruiting Breast Cancer patients, I'm all ears. I was blessed w/ working w/ one & her daughter while out in Boston & it was one of the most worthwhile draining shoots I've ever done (you'll be seeing some of those later this month).

Feel free to opine about any part of this entry if you wish to do so. Just keep it civil.

Enjoy.