Mercifully brief thoughts

Mercifully brief thoughts on reading through the entertainment section this morning. I noted the puff piece for the 2014 Winter Chamber Fest. Drool. But what gave me pause is the photo. Guys in suits and dolls in sleeveless gowns: the ubiquitous concert attire. What is that about?

In this serious (sic) music world, where the audience is, ostensibly, filled with the educated elite (feel free to carp at that stereotype), why must we be shown skin--or not shown skin? Beefcake cellist, anyone? A little wife-beater t-shirt action for the violinist? 

Why are there no dress-up options for men to show a little something? There are suits. There are tuxes. There are tails. I ask you, where are the bared male shoulders in all of this? 

This concerns me. I am newly 52. I spend a great deal of time thinking about indoor temperature. To generalize, guys are generally hot and women are generally cold. So why, when performing, are men suited up and women stripped down? 

Or is this reverse sexism? Women get to glow comfortable while men must sweat in layers upon layers? Wait. I'm starting to sound like political conservatives, railing against the mistreatment of white males . . . .

And what about tharm? Why must women, particularly string players, display their tharms jiggle--or lack thereof--whilst performing? Yes, the sleeveless gown is great for the 30-ish violinist who hasn't had babies yet. Check out those Michelle Obama lady guns! But my 52 year old tharms are not ready for prime time. And I'm not alone in that.

So if women submit to the public tharming, I think that 50 year old men should have to bare arms while performing, too. Because the tharm isn't only a girl-thing. The vibrating tharm of the middle-aged male can be seen, in all of its glory, every summer on motorcycles across the country. Why limit this exposure to the out of doors? Bring it into the concert hall! 

Beauty--and climate control--is in the eye of the beholder.