LG SOTD Jun 16 2024 - Boundaries
photocontest
Theme: Black and White
- Brush: [unknown] - Boar Bristle
- Razor: Gillette - Slim Twist
- Blade: Gillette - Silver Blue
- Lather: Santa Maria Novella - Crema Pre-Dopo Barba
- Post Shave: 4711 - Echt Kölnisch Wasser Original Eau De Cologne - After Shave
- Fragrance: Knize Ten - Toilet Water
One of the most important influences from my father has been his insatiable curiosity.
Seeking to know more.
And therefore, be skeptical about what others may take for granted.
Embrace facts, but challenge conventions and question authority.
The documented facts are as follows:
- Santa Maria Novella, nominally est. 1612 but the monks' pharmacy dates back to 1221
- 4711 has a complicated history, but in spite of their Farina-related claims, in any case the brand was established in the 19th Century
- Knize, est. 1858 (for some initiatory reason, the English version of the company history is in German nonetheless)
Enough to know they are all older than me, but also enough to realize how hard it is to define something as apparently easy as a formal beginning.
We strive for clean-cut truths. Distinction through separation, like looking at the world in black and white, and then deciding that one is bad, and the other is good. This is the attitude that fueled Scientific Racism, a self-asserted "scientific" dogma that cherry-picked some incomplete "evidence" and then reframed it into a worldview to try and legitimize agendas of oppression and domination.
Dem Bones is a spiritual composed by James Weldon Johnson and his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson, two great African-American artists and activists who contributed to a more open culture during the first half of the 20th Century. The song evokes the resurrection of the army seen by Ezekiel in the Bible (no, not this bit), and offers an obsessive progression into the interconnectedness of the various bones of each body.
Its message of connectedness has an anti-establishment vibe that has been reflected in its use in a memorable episode of The Prisoner; on the other hand, the satyrical film The Ruling Class underlines the word DISCONNECT to bring about a message of fear and oppression.
This brings me to TODAY'S SPECIAL CHALLENGE: I am here to make a stand against any oppressive view based on black and white, polarizing disconnected-ness.
I first thought about going on strike against the auhtoritarian, frat-house attitude of "daring" people to submit to the request of doing something on a specific part of their body in exchange for a reward. Talk about toxic peer pressure. And what is with your voyeuristic insistence on looking at my body, my house, my intimacy?
But I remain a team player, I am not going to butt heads against you.
Rather than joining u/AirBudRulian in his paranoid solo antagonism, my most positive response is to share some sociable yet chaotic anarchism, just like the rebellious Number 48 interpreted by Alexis Kanner.
We are all connected.
Your thigh bone is connected to your hip bone.
As controversial as it may seem, butt is leg.
Your leg bones are literally part of your butt.
So, that's what I shaved today. Unfortunately, pics are not only NSFW, but posting and/or soliciting them may be considered a crime in most countries.
SOTD WRITEUP: A SPA(RTAN) SUNDAY
I had already used the S.M. Novella as a post-shave on Cream day, but today I used it for the first time as a soap replacement: its officicially listed use also as a shaving cream perfectly fits today's question about boundaries.
Both my razor and brush for today were my father's.
On my face, the brush felt as soft as sandpaper, and was pretty useless in getting a lather: in fact, the S.M. Novella cream seems to reject oppression, and doesn't want to be whipped. As I wanted to be a trooper and do every step in TODAY'S SPECIAL CHALLENGE, I still used the brush on my butt, which proved to be less caring about the scrub (u/Enndeegee, this is dedicated to you).
After the shave, the alcoholic splash felt like a slap on my face (I had no visible cuts, but I got that burn that makes you feel like a good Spartan: no pain no gain!), but just a tingle on my butt.
In the end, all four cheeks feel soft and relaxed.
I could definitely wear the shortest of shorts, like hot pants or some vintage Tom Ford Gucci Summerwear, and people would notice my clean and thorough shave.
Mission accomplished.
THE FRAG CONNECTION
The transition from the powdery soapiness of S.M. Novella to the classic cologne of 4711 to the leathery-animalic notes of Knize is less audaucious as some may think, as Knize's top notes are actually super-cologney: once again, there's no disconnect, just an organic transition, a continuum of awesomeness.
FOF
ODE TO THE RULEMAKERS: As part of this Sunday's supplement, here's a hint to solve the hidden puzzle in my SOTD entry from Day 4: today's ode to the rulemakers is contained under the title of that post, in the first 9 letters after the word "THEME". Additional hint: the first of the three words is KISS.
ROTY