FASHION IS TOO MUCH WORK - CAN I JUST GO NAKED???

Are you into fashion and shopping? Well, so's our good friend Mona - she came to America and now she's a gorilla fashionista!
If you love shopping like Mona loves shopping you'll enjoy my original art "Mona Lisa Goes Hollywood" from my Mad Masterpiece Series at PopArtDiva.com! Available as archival prints or on canvas in various sizes.

In my younger days I was a slave to fashion. It cost me a fortune, I never wore half the stuff twice, I had sore feet from those six inch heels, make-up took up an hour of my day and a bad hair day almost drove me to tears. I no longer care if I'm up to date - no, I'm not still wearing hip-huggers or white lipstick (although that may have come back TOO), but I'm more concerned with comfort than style.

What I'd like to know is this: Who's in charge of what's in style? Who says you're hot or a fashion faux pas? And how did "they" get so much power????

I will subscribe to certain Fashion Laws - Clean hair, neat clothes that aren't too small, people like me with a few extra pounds shouldn't be seen in public in shorts, and no butt cracks - male or female! But I will no longer be controlled by arbitrary "rules" driven primarily by financial interests.

Nope, I do not wear someone else's logo on my clothes and thereby pay to advertise for them, I will not suffer for a fad, I will not sell my financial soul for trends. I have declared my freedom from the Fashion Nazis and I find I have more time, more money and a higher level of contentment than I would have thought possible. There are distinct advantages to getting older, wiser and blasé!

Now, get out of my way, those Monolo Blahniks are on sale!!!!!!!!!!!

The VALUE OF WOMEN

"Mona Lisa Meets Consumerism" is one of my Mad Masterpiece Pop Culture images that is available in sizes from 11"x14" up to 36"x48" as a print or on canvas at PopArtDiva.com

This was interesting. I woke up this morning to yet another news story about Britney Spears - however, this one caught my interest! According to analysts Ms. Spear's value to the U.S. economy is estimated at 110 to 120 MILLION DOLLARS!! That's right, yup. Little Britney is a thriving business and puts food on the table for a lot of people! We are not talking about how much money she makes for herself, we're talking about what kind of cash she generates for others!

Record companies and promoters make money off her endorsements, papparazzi make money taking pictures of her, tabloids make money off of dissing her and websites make 75 Million from web hits! Magazine surveys say that putting Britney on the cover sells 33 percent more copies than any other celebrity.

All this got me wondering about how much Oprah and her enterprises contribute to the economy, and then Hillary Clinton - what kind of revenue is she generating as she runs for President? Not to mention other celebrities and corporate women. And let's not forget the billions of other women in the world who go about their days working, shopping, creating and generating moolah.

You may not be a movie star, a politician, a business executive or a pop star but you do have value! Value that can be measured in dollars. Do you shop, eat, cook. clean, drive? For every dollar you spend you are generating more revenue. If you make something that you sell you generate dollars by buying materials to produce your product. Do you have a blog? Guess what, that blog helps support dozens of people's salaries - yes, even the free blogging platforms!

I could go on and quote statistics, but statistics are kind of boring and that was not my point. My point was getting you to think outside the box about what your truth worth is! You are more valuable than you think and not just in dollars! According to Universal Law everything you do affects everything else. When you give, when you love, when you create, when you praise, when you earn and when you spend you are generating more of the same for yourself and others!

You are a woman of value. Everything you do generates more of the same - dollar-wise and life-wise. So, when you go forth into the world today, walk proud and wear your value like the crown that it is!

You are DIVA, you are WOMAN, you are WORTHY, you are PRICELESS!

Dear FASHIONISTAS - Kiss My XL DIVA Butt!

My inspirational pop art called "Hope" is available in many sizes and media at PopArtDiva.com.

Okay, dear DIVAS, let's cut to the chase. Being so skinny that you look like a skeleton covered in skin is NOT DIVA! It's just plain stupid as well as unattractive.

When did being this skinny get to be hip? What demon drives these women into believing that looking like a character out of Tim Burton's "Corpse Bride" is de rigueur? I mean, come on! I loved that movie (I love anything where Johnny Depp and Tim Burton get together!), but I have no desire to look like a flesh covered skeleton wearing designer clothes!

Supposedly the ultra expensive designer rags look better on a thin body that doesn't interfere with the clothing's lines. This says to me that the designers believe the clothes are more important than the women who wear them. There is something very wrong with that belief. And that belief has been crammed down the throat of American women for a very long time. It's time to cram it back.

It is unhealthy and unnatural to try to attain a dress size that your bone structure will not allow. Very few women are born with a bone structure that will allow them to be a healthy size 6, let alone a size 3 or smaller! If your shoulder could poke an eye out you need to rethink your food intake!

Female celebrities are in the public eye. They are role models for our young women. It is irresponsible of them to promote a body trend that could be harmful to impressionable minds - young or mature. I won't even go into the eating disorders that are fostered by attempting to mimic these walking bone sticks.

Being DIVA is not defined by how much you weigh - it is defined by your spirit, your mind, your zest for life in all things. You cannot have zest if you're starving!

There was an attempt in the fashion world to ban those uber-thin models in 2006. Bravo to that concept - but what was the outcome? Better still the fashionistas could take a cue from the most recent "Ugly Betty" episode and start using healthy sized women to showcase their designs.

A healthy woman is DIVA. I have HOPE the fashion world will get a clue.

Related Links:

Do thin models warp girls' body image? - USA Today

National Eating Disorders Association - NEDA

Skinny Models Banned From Catwalk - CNN.com

BEST FRIENDS FOREVER - Having a best friend is very DIVA!

This last weekend was my 57th birthday and I spent it with my BFF of 44 years, Cindy. I've known CindyRae since I moved in next door to her in Tustin the summer I turned 13. She is a wonderful, whacky DIVA with a huge and slightly twisted sense of humor, a constant smile that hints at her impishness, a great family which now includes a grandson, and a sense of fun that is infectious and makes you glad to be around her.

I spent the weekend telling everyone she was my "oldest friend" which drove her nuts and was not true as I am 9 months older than her! I am evil and she loves me anyway. She got me back with her patented "Cindy is a nut case" routine in public places. She is evil and I love her anyway.

We spent 3 days being tourists, we drank my special martinis and watched "chick flicks", we reverted back to teeny-boppers and teased each other unmercifully - there are a couple of photos we took that are for our eyes only! We had great dinners with my other DIVA friends, shared 3 birthday cakes, came home each evening and had pajama parties where we yakked into the wee hours and exhausted ourselves with talk and lack of sleep.

We attempted to photo or video each other in compromising situations, talked about life and we opened presents (Cindy brought me two of these uber DIVA martini glasses, see photo above, and the funniest cocktail napkins - see photo at bottom!) The glasses were so beautiful I was afraid to use them for fear of breaking them. Cindy - I promise I will use those glasses!!!!)

Thank you, Cindy, for being my friend and loving the weirdo inside of this DIVA! You are my BFF, my sister in my soul and I love you!

With me in spirit during my birthday week were my very long-time friends and sisters in my heart, BettyMae and Debby. When I lost my way these two women became my family and were my salvation.

Betty, who always remembers my favorite hard to find candies and sends them to me on my birthday, has been my adopted sister since my early twenties when we were in college together. We were the DIVAS of Silicon Valley before it was Silicon Valley and many a late night was spent rocking out to Leonard Skynard and Fleetwood Mac at some famous nightclubs and infamous concerts. BettyMae, you were one of the very first DIVAs in my life!

Debby, my cohort in Attitude and Bratitude from the days of art festivals and my wearable art business, is the person I call when I need to get over myself! Her loving advice and "shut up and get a life" mindset has brought me back from the brink many a time! The truly DIVA birthday Lolita Martini Glass pictured here was from Deb - as well as custom printed M&Ms that say "PopArtDiva.Com", 2 books to inspire me on, and a "success" rock! Way too generous for this heathen, but I'm keeping it all anyway, Deb!!!! I promise, someday we shall sail warm oceans, drink tropical martinis and have our pick of cabana boys! The best my money can buy - TeeHee!

Betty and Debby, there is a special place in my heart for both of you and your patience and ever-present friendship. Your faithfulness, devotion and support has sustained me through the hard times and cheered for me in the good times. Your love for me and my love for you has filled the empty places in my heart and made me whole again. Thank you for giving me back my life.

I have some new friends that have become a large part of my life and just gave me the best birthday party I have ever had. New friends can be DIVA as well, especially those who you click with right off the bat. These are the friends you meet that you feel like you've known forever - and these are the friends you probably will know forever! Some of my new friends are Audrey, Chris, Donna and Nancy.

Chris and Nancy conspired to help me celebrate this birthday with not one, but two birthday parties - and they gave me a tiara and a magic wand to make all my DIVA dreams come true! It is a true friend who gives another a wish. Thank you both for my coronation! Donna, I love having a friend who has a dirtier mind than I do - thanks for all the chocolate (and the pimples I'll get from eating it, lol!) Chris, that feather boa itched like a madman but it completed the outfit! Nancy, yup, you did take Taco Salad to a new dimension! May we all share many more birthdays, meals and martinis together over the years!

Audrey, my new partner in Two Wild Women on a Binge, you have given me a new path to a positive outlook on life. Thanks to your constant encouragement I am starting to acheive my goals for PopArtDiva.com and my web enterprise. I am thankful every moment for the day we met! I see us many years down the road, old, wrinkled, grey haired and banging on a bar in the Caribbean for another Strawberry Mojito while we pinch the butt of some cute island boy passing by our walkers!



I would like to include a man in this list - I can't really say he's a DIVA, but he's a pretty spectacular friend. Jim, thanks for helping me with so many things over the years, not the least of which is my new car! You da man!

Having good friends is Diva. Having a friend for decades is very DIVA. These are the friends who know you best and love you anyway! These are the people you can have a pajama party with, be yourself completely, drop all the masks and they are still your friends.

Every woman (or man) should have at least one friend like this! If you have even just one friend like this then you can count your life a good one! Because of these women I can count my life a roaring success with a fairy tale ending! Thank you my friends, my sisters. You make me the DIVA that I am. Yup, it's all your fault!

How do you throw away shoes this DIVA?

This is a pair of shoes circa 1979. I have had these shoes tucked away in a box in my closet for nearly 30 years. I bloody LOVE these shoes!

They are turquoise suede that is so soft to the touch you feel like you're touching a cloud. And they have cobalt blue leather piping just across the toes and at the joint of the heel. And that turquoise color - OMG! I love that color!

I bought these shoes to go with a custom painted silk jacket in exactly this shade of turquoise and lovely shades of purple, lavender and orchid. I still have the jacket too.

Both of these items were purchased for my 10th high school reunion. I was thin, I had money, and I was going in some darn hot DIVA shoes!

Then right before I was to leave I broke my big toe on my right foot tripping over a parking block! That's right, broke my toe! Not my finger, not my elbow, not my arm, nothing broke except a toe that swelled up and made me unable to walk.

The doctor told me to stay off my foot, keep it elevated, blah, blah, blah. I told him that was not going to happen - I had somewhere to be and I HAD SOME COOL SHOES TO WEAR THERE! He said that I was not to wear those shoes. I did it anyway.

That's right, I proudly hobbled my way into my 10th high school reunion and I hobbled in those turquoise shoes! My foot was on fire, the right shoe was bulging with a toe twice it's normal size and I was in complete and utter pain. But I WAS WEARING THOSE SHOES!

Later I paid a shoe repair person to gently coax that right shoe back into shape.

Nearly 30 years later I still possess those shoes. I cannot give them up. They have traveled all over this country and parts of Europe with me. They have been silently waiting in my closet, tucked in tissue, always present, always gorgeous. I cannot give these shoes up.

When my mom passed away and I had to go through her possessions, I found in her cedar chest a pair of purple suede shoes in the platform style of the forties. Something tells me there was a story behind those shoes too. DIVAs must run in my family.

Humor - Is this a DIVA phone or what?

Now, this is a phone that we've all been looking for!!! I wonder if T-mobile will upgrade me to this phone?

Hope you enjoy this little video humor!

DIVA JOBS - Is your job a dream or a nightmare?

I was watching the latest Iron Chef America this morning on my TIVO device whilst drinking my latte and working the creaks out of my bones. (I love DVD recorders - watching TV shows when you want to is very DIVA!) Anyhoo, it was the challenge between Jamie Oliver and Mario Batali - both chefs I enjoy watching and learning from.

Alton Brown was yakking about the judging panel, which this time consisted of Julie Chen, Co-Anchor of The Early Show on CBS, Alexandra Guarnaschelli, Executive Chef at Butter in Manhatten, and Andrew Knowlton, Restaurant Editor for Bon Appetit Magazine. As I was listening and looking at Knowlton, who happens to be young and somewhat attractive, I thought, "hmm, cute, young and his job is eating free food and talking about it. That's a Diva job if ever there was one."

This, of course, gave me another idea for a DIVAville discussion - which jobs or professions are DIVA and which aren't? Here's a few thoughts I had on the matter. Forgive me if I seem a little snippy about it. It's early, I haven't finished my latte, it's cold and rainy outside and I tend to be a bit arthritic and grumpy in the mornings:

WAITRESS:
Nope. They get paid minium wage, deal with snotty customers, get blamed for the bad food and they're on their feet all day. If they do get a decent tip they have to split it with the other restaurant employees and, the final insult, they have to wear some totally inane costume that fits in with the restaurant's theme. Would you want to wear the word "Hooters" on your hooters all day long?

SUPER MODEL:
Maybe. Okay, they get to wear designer clothing, jewels, furs and shoes, they get to travel to exotic locals, meet gorgeous male models, and get paid for it. BUT, those gorgeous male models are most likely gay. Nothing wrong with gay male models - unless you're a female model. PLUS those poor models have to stand still for long periods of time in contrived positions and the words fat, delicious and chocolate are NOT in their vocabulary.

ARTIST:
Think again. Only if you're not making your living at it. I do and I can tell you I work 14 - 18 hour days, I'm always covered in paint and so are my clothes, and I'm my own worst critic. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do but it's not like eating free food and getting paid for it.

FOOD CRITIC:
BINGO! Not only do they get to eat at world class restaurants for free, then they get to either ho-hum it, rave it or bitch about it, and they get paid for it!

What job would be a dream to you and which one a nightmare? Do you have a DIVA job? Or is your job an endless rotation of dreary, dragging, dungeon like days of dead-end drudgery? Drop me a comment and tell me about it. If it's DIVA you get a chance to boast . If it's not you get a chance to bi*ch and you'll feel better!

DISNEY BANS KIDS - DIVA OR NOT? YOU TELL ME!

According to the Canadian Press/Associated Press, Walt Disney World has banned children from one of it's restaurants. Starting this week children under the age of 10 are not allowed at Victoria & Albert's in the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Yup, that's right.

According to a spokesperson for Walt Disney World, Israel Perez, they want the restaurant (Walt Disney World's only restaurant with an AAA five-diamond rating) to be an "adult experience".

Now, I don't know about you, but it seems a little un-DIVA of Disney to ban children from anything connected to a piece of Uncle Walt's wonderful dream. Sure, I can understand a restaurant that starts it's prices at $125 a pop to want a genteel atmosphere, what with the harps and all. But really, do they think there will be the childlike pandemonium of a Chucky Cheese at those prices??

On the other hand, I like the idea of a child free dining experience. I just don't think that anything connected to Disney World is the venue to institute that particular concept. After all, Disneyland is for "kids of all ages", it's the "happiest place on earth". Tinkerbell lives there! Peter Pan plays there - the boy who never grew up!

I grew up on the dream of Disneyland. Walt Disney is one of my heroes. As a young child in Kansas I dreamed that someday I would go to Fantasyland, Tomorrowland and see Tinkerbell fly down from Sleeping Beauty's castle. To this day my favorite song in the world is "When You Wish Upon A Star" by Jiminy Cricket. The child in me is crying.

Mickey, for God's Sake, tell me it ain't so!

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Terri, aka PopArtDiva, The Martini Diva, The DIVA of TINY FOODS ,The Normal Challenged Artist, The DIVA of DIVAVILLE

I'M A DIVA, SHE'S A DIVA, HE'S A DIVA, WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO BE A DIVA TOO?

What is DIVA? Who is DIVA? How do you determine DIVAness from ordinary?

WHO IS DIVA? DIVA is someone or something that is unique and proud of it. DIVA is the person who colors outside the lines and creates a whole new artform. DIVA is wearing what you love and are comfortable in with a flair! DIVA is loving who you are, how you look and not dieting! DIVA is doing what you love and getting paid for it! DIVA is taking adventures. DIVA is bold, colorful, stylish and classy trash! DIVA is making a statement of who and what you are in all you do.

WHAT IS DIVA? Chocolate! Martinis! Freedom! Friends! Travel! Sleeping Late! Getting up early to see the sun rise! Love is DIVA. My dog, Pixel is DIVA! A ManiPedi is DIVA! Jewels are DIVA. Cash is DIVA! Classic Cars are DIVA. Riding horseback bareback is DIVA! Wearing a hat is DIVA.

There's not enough room to define all that is DIVA, but you get the idea. Anyone can be a DIVA - man, woman, dog (trust me - Pixel is the DIVA of Divas!) and anything can be DIVA - all is required is an attitude. DIVA is a state of mind, a way of living life with gusto and joy with a dash of style.

I want you to comment, subscribe, and send me your DIVA stories and photos. I plan to have a "Diva/Not Diva" section, the current DIVA motto, the coolest new DIVA gadget and other fun things like polls and contests. Recipes for great DIVA foods will be posted on my sister blogs The MARTINI DIVA and The DIVA of TINY FOODS. There's no telling what new content will show up in DIVAville!

Join me on the Road to DIVA and enjoy your visits to DIVAville.

The DIVA of DIVAville, PopArtDiva, Q.O.A.T.D.

WELCOME TO DIVAVILLE! My Blog Dedicated to DIVAS and All Things DIVA

This blog is dedicated to anyone who is a Diva or aspires to become a Diva.

Being a Diva is a state of mind. You are Diva when you think and act like a Diva. You don't have to be famous, rich or beautiful! You just have to be You - in all your unique and shining glory!

Diva's are people who bask in the glory of who they are! They love shoes, they love martinis, they love adventures and they love Life! They are the Queens of All Things Diva (Q.O.A.T.D.) and they are proud of it!

I am Pop Art Diva, also known as The Martini Diva, The Diva of Tiny Foods and The Diva of Pop Culture and here I will embrace my Diva essence - discussing all things of Divadom. Fashion, Food, Fellows, Fun and the Fantastic Freedom of Divahood - all will be dished and discovered.

Grab your lipstick, stash your cell phone in your bag, pop on your high heeled sneakers and come join me on the Road to DIVA!

The lipstick kiss image posted here is one of my pop art images that is especially Diva in nature - "Kiss Off" which you can buy in many sizes and medias at PopArtDiva.Com and soon on great products like cups, aprons and more at the PopArtDiva BOUTIQUE!

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