to Miri Ben-Ari's Promoter: What have Breasts Got To Do With It???

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Grammy Award-Winning artist, Miri Ben-Ari, also known as the hip-hop violinist, has been invited by First Lady Michelle Obama to perform at the annual celebration of Women’s History Month on Wednesday, March 30th 2011.

Ok, perhaps the title is a bit mis-leading based on the tag line. But I get lots of requests to publicize arts of all types. Without casting any aspersions on the award winning artist or her talents, I find it odd that the picture I received as part of the request for publicity has Ms Ben-Ari in a rather seductive post with her Breast displayed prominently.

I'm as much man as the next and I do happen to like breasts, but I am not sure their relevance to the news at hand. Does Michelle Obama prefer women to display their breasts? I suppose hip hop artists need to display a certain amount of sex appeal to attract an audience. But Miri Ben-Ari is an accomplished violinist. She played with the Israeli String Quartet and won numerous awards. Maybe some of the music she plays isn't technically all that difficult; it's hip hop which likes simple repetitive melodies. Not everything she does is so "simple" using double stops and rapid passages that scream virtuosity.

Miri Ben-Ari is a joy to watch, and not because she's got a great figure or round, full breasts. She is one of the top female artists of our day. Her invitation to the White House confirms this role. Miri is not only an accomplished musician, but dedicated to numerous other causes - so she's a great person. If you want to hear more about Miri, check her website or her catch her music on YouTube, MTV or VH1. She is so much more than her mammary glands.

Only 25 of America’s most distinguished women have been selected to join Mrs. Obama including Miri Ben-Ari, in her day long tour to a Washington, D.C. area high school to talk, share, inspire and encourage young women to go after their dreams. Participants include Hillary Swank, Anna Deveare Smith, Miri Ben-Ari, Lisa Leslie, Rashida Jones, Geena Davis and more! Several of the guest mentors are associated with the Lifetime Network, an organization that has been a leader in celebrating women and in fostering mentorship in young girls. In support of the First Lady’s work on mentoring, Lifetime will launch a public outreach program which will include leading subsequent mentoring events across the country and producing a public service announcement campaign on the subject.

Note: Yes, I realize sex sells. There are numerous topics on this blog alone that discuss this very topic. Still, I'm not sold on it (or by it). I didn't print this article because I thought Miri's sex-appeal was important --quite the opposite. She could have made it without the sex-appeal - but if talking about her breasts gets her a bit more notice... well, she's a great artist, so whatever works to get the word out.

Comments

Jess Albertine said…
I have a different opinion. I think it's great that she used a photo like this. Classical music has such a conservative, old-fashioned image that it's great to see someone modernize it, freshen it up. I know she wouldn't have used this photo if she were still just a 'classical' musician, but still. I like that a violin, rather than a guitar or microphone, can be associated with a young, sexy image. Let's make things more interesting for the younger generations who wouldn't otherwise glance at a violinist's promo photo.
March 29, 2011 at 6:10 PM
Chip Michael said…
Jess -

I agree with the idea of updating Classical Music's image... that's what my last sentence is all about.

*grin*

Glad we agree....

Miri's photo is hardly the most provocative I've ever seen (or posted).
March 30, 2011 at 8:08 AM
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