Thoughts originating in bahrain – en route to Jordan – on Afghanistan.

The Middle East is a modern sandstorm.  From the sweeping expanse of desert speckled with architecturally challenging superstructures – - glass, glass, glass and more glass scallop the edge of the reclaimed sea, to the daunting mountain impregnated landscape between the mythical Babylon and the crumbled warzones.  The sky is hugged thickly by dust clouds, parting briefly to expose the skin-searing sun and the sultry secrets of Islam… Surrounded by this exotic world hidden behind the dark drapes of abaya, I peer out from my uncovered eyes and wonder…

Who are we Westerners to determine the appropriateness of Islamic law?

In Arabic, the word “hijab” means a curtain or cover, which originates from a word meaning “to cover, veil or shelter.”  In the Koran, Islam’s holy book, women are asked to draw their clothes around them… so that no harm will come to them.  But when will women’s rights be protected and not covered by the misinterpretations of the Koran?  Specifically in the Koran, it is written: "…say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and adornments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, sons and uncles…”In a massive blow to global women’s rights, Afghan President Hamid Karzai pushed through a law which essentially legalizes marital rape.  But the international community, including the United Nations, NATO and several Western nations have expressed their ‘concern.’ Hireheels agrees with President Obama…”ABHORRENT!”

Whether we like to admit it, The U.S. Constitution is America’s holy book, interpreted and revered by The People.  In order to form a more perfect Union, we have set rules to ensure the freedom of expression… even prayer, the right to vote and, of course, the right to bear arms. We respect that other nations follow different codes and not all global citizens are considered to exist on the same level.  However, when Karzai said that Western concerns about the new law are "inappropriate" and may have been based on "misinterpretations…" Point Taken.

My only question to President Karzai:  How can the legalization of marital rape be misinterpreted?

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This week was yet another in the race to lower the ethics bar of American Society. The sheer hypocrisy on display by America’s political, entertaintment and sports “ICONS” is now a weekly event. I don’t use the word ‘event’ lightly as it of great value to cable and media outlets. And with advertising budgets in the tank, desperate times call for even dirtier measures.

Hireheelers know politics is dirty business and that President Obama owes a whole lotta peeps in need of a good salt scrub (may i recommend the Caudalie Spa in the Bordeaux region). Mr. Daschle, who makes Joe the Plumber look like the Pope, is just one crony in a long line of Election 2008 creditors awaiting payment. I remain ever curious to see how dynamic duo from Hyde Park gets paid (can’t wait for that story to ‘ayer’). All this while our gal Hillary lugs around her six million dollar debt in her Birkan bag. Indeed, the more I hear about the personal lives of our American Poli-Idols who are expected to lead by example, the more I am reminded of the John Edwards endorsement last spring and what it shouldn’t have meant.

But I digress. I know it’s not productive to rehash old news. Who out there isn’t sick of being called a whiny white woman? But if we were to shut down HireHeels, I would doubtless end up in therapy, and that’s a costlier proposition than ranting in my zanotti stilettos. So you’re stuck with us for a little bit, while we retool the site to create more value for you!

If it doesn’t work out, we will enter the dirt collection business. We’ve got some stored in our closet on one certain political news analyst. We’ll throw it out there one day, when the time is right and watch it bubble up and ‘reGurgitate’ in the 24/7 news cycle.

Enough said.

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On January 28, 1985 Lionel Richie, Quincy Jones and the late Michael Jackson put together (literally) a Band of Brothers (and Sisters) to perform the now iconic single “We are the World” for African famine relief. The record raised more than $30 million and set a precedent for celebrity involvement in charitable causes.

Last evening new band of brothers and sisters, some of whom were not even born when the original single was produced, convened in the same studio as their predecessors. Together they sang to celebrate the Silver Anniversary of the single by recording a 2010 version to raise funds for the victims of earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

The 100-strong chorus crooned for over six hours and included such artists as: Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Tony Bennett, Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, Drake, LL Cool J, and will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas, as well as Justin Bieber, Wyclef Jean, Pink, Jeff Bridges, Vince Vaughn, Usher, Akon, T-Pain, Lil Wayne, Toni Braxton, Snoop Dogg and Josh Groban among others.

Recognizing that times are tough for all—we at hireheels.com ask you to support these efforts and the people of Haiti any way possible. The video for the single will be premiered on February 12, 2010 on NBC at the opening of the Vancouver Olympic games. Information on purchasing the single, which is still in production, is forthcoming. We’ll keep you posted.

Remember HireHeelers… You and Me are the collective WE—We are the World—so let’s stand tall (as we have so many times before). Together we can affect REAL change, protect those who are less fortunate and speak for those who don’t have the power or ability to speak for themselves.

Photo credit: “We Are The World 25 Years for Haiti” recording session held at Jim Henson Studios in Hollywood, California. Credit: Kevin Mazur / WireImage.

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I understand why everyone wants to touch Bill Clinton. I met Bill a couple of years ago at a fairly intimate 4th of July fundraiser for his wife Hillary at Terry McAuliffe’s home. Upon arrival, the President couldn’t even escape the walkway to reach the party, due to the collective weight of the instant cluster of folk in tow. Showing no trace of annoyance, he graciously indulged as many as he could, much to the chagrin of an unusually polite Secret Service detail.

With a worn copy of My Life in-hand (and no make-up on-face) I slinked through the all-male cluster to reach the President, intent on engaging him beyond a 15-second, gushing handshake. Thankfully, I succeeded.

I asked Mr. Clinton how ordinary citizens could play a more active role in idea-sharing events such as the Renaissance Weekends he and Hillary so inspiringly referenced in their apres White House memoirs. As I defended my circle of close-talking space, he revealed the release of his brand new book Giving and convincingly told a mesmerized crowd it only takes one person to change the world. It was his intensity on the topic that not only took over the moment but struck a cord with me. He elaborated how those Renaissance weekends inspired the creation of Clinton Global Initiative (then approaching its 3rd year) and how they would soon stream CGI over the internet so anyone who wanted to share and participate, could. Those five minutes changed my life.

That evening I was convinced that Hillary and Bill Clinton would become the next leaders of the free world. The truth is, they never stopped and still are.

To say that spending a week at the Clinton Global Initiative was inspiring simply doesn’t grab the gravitas of the experience. Indeed, it has taken me over a week to process and collect my thoughts on the entire journey, from receiving word of my approved credentials to my reflective flight home.

Perched just feet away from Bill’s mind-blowing brilliance for four consecutive days has its ups and downs though. Think Viagra for your brain…sent into overdrive with no “off” button…stimulating and exhausting.

One week later, it still hasn’t turned off.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL PRESS PHOTO COVERAGE, courtesy of Hireheels sugardaddy photog Rahim Kanani of Harvard Kennedy School of Government

[More reflections on CGI to come...]

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The Heels of the Hire variety are curiously clacking
in the halls of The 5th Annual Clinton Global
Initiative (CGI) in New York City to feast on a buffet
of knowledge, innovation and wisdom imparted by
more than 60 current and former heads of state and
private sector moguls. Think: E-Harmony for NGOs,
CEOs and ‘E’GOs on viagra, power-courting in
hopes of break-through sex…errr, sorry, I meant
breakout sessions.

Indeed Princess finds herself embedded in the very
press corps that once kicked Hillary Clinton to the
curb during the 2008 election. But I digress. This
year HireHeels is covering the entire event so that we
plug in to the very issues affecting Women around
the globe.

If you’ve been following our journey, you’re well
aware of the highs and lows… from slapping Chris
Matthews live on MSNBC’s Hardball to debating Fox’
s Neil Cavuto, we’ll take any pot-holed terrain that
threatens to destroy our sister-heels…not only here
in America’s power-chick capital, but also in places as
remote as Rwanda and Congo.

Rumor has it that CGI is exploring an ALL-CHICK
CGI. Some may call that reverse sexism but after
scanning the sea of empty seats at today’s “Investing
in Women and Girls” Opening Plenary session, it is
clear to me that this topic, to use Bill’s words earlier,
isn’t always sexy enough to take root. Have no fear…
HireHeels is here…with more to come on W.E.E.
(Women’s Economic Empowerment) and others
issues.

Meanwhile, you can plug into CGI’s vibrant vibe via
the streaming video (or pre-recorded sessions) in
Shoe-Tube. Princess is far from satiatied but will try
to share as much blister-free commentary as possible
with splashing, tweeting and posting along the way.

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We’re sure you ladies are familiar with that tasty treat of delectable dishin’—”Daily Candy.” The richly packed newsletter that pops into sassy and savvy gals’ email boxes all over the world each weekday. Recently its male counterpart “Urban Daddy,” a similarly snarky (although slightly chauvinistic), informational popped up on the e-scene. The boys wrote a beauty last Friday that we heels felt compelled to share (natch, with our customarily cheeky commentary)…

Not That You Need This, But…Save Your Relationship for Just $1

BHAHAHAHAHAHHHHAAAAAAAAA…
Incredibly entertaining… These “Urban Daddy” guys are the “Man.” Even more entertaining than the diatribe—is their handle… They call themselves the “Bastards.” The self-important, egomaniacal… Pardon us, we digress.

Note to All DUDES (or Would-be Duds) Everywhere:

WE GOT YOUR NUMBER PAL…
Some of us just choose to let you think we don’t notice all of your stupid behavioral flaws—but don’t think for a nanosecond that we’re so into you… that behaving like:

An ass
A non-committal, paranoid, wack job
A self-absorbed clod
A dickhead
A mean-spirited S.O.B.
An abominable Bad Boy

is all at acceptable.

Note to the Bastards or “Terds” (as Quentin T. would say)…Women don’t need a stupid $1 app (although one is available) to remember a man’s important STATS… If we don’t “remember” you on your
birthday—it’s not because we forgot the date, it’s because we don’t want you for one…

To all of you GOOD MEN out there, and yes there are a few—we’ll remember you on your birthday every year… And that secret place where we put our tongue (yes, the one that makes your eyes roll and toes curl), we’ll remember that often too!

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ON CONSIGNMENT: Amy Siskind is the founder of New Agenda, a women’s group which sprung up during the 2008 presidential election in defense of women’s rights.

Ah, the hacks that killed the women’s movement are back at it again. Yesterday, a young woman writer named Michelle Goldberg wrote a piece in The Daily Beast titled The Re-invention of Hillary Clinton, in which Michelle writes that she has apparently discovered (my emphasis added):

To the relief of who Michelle? You?

Yes – Michelle goes on (my emphasis again):

One year ago today, Hillary Clinton ended her presidential campaign, much to the relief of millions of ardent Barack Obama supporters like me. Throughout the primaries, I had been irritated and then outraged by those who argued feminism obliged women to back her… So when she made her rousing and gracious speech in the National Building Museum, conceding defeat but celebrating "18 million cracks" in that highest, hardest glass ceiling," I was too furious to really hear her.

Now, if you click on the "irritated" link above, you’ll be taken to an article the Michelle wrote titled "3 A.M. For Feminism" after the Democratic National Committee Rules Committee on May 31, 2008. The DNC RBC event is significant because, amongst other things, WomenCount, PUMA and Just Say No Deal were all born. Michelle, however, a self proclaimed "ardent Obama supporter" was not happy. Michelle interviewed me for her 3 A.M. article that day in DC after my speech: I’m Not Your Sweetie Howard Dean in which I described my disappointment with the DNC for turning a blind eye to the sexism directly at Hillary Clinton. Michelle, an ardent Obama supporter, didn’t like what I had to say. Now, let me pause for a moment and say this:  if Michelle Goldberg is ever attacked in a sexist way, The New Agenda will come to her defense. This is what we do!We speak out against sexism directly at any and all women. That said, women like Michelle are exactly the reason why feminist has fallen on hard times to begin with.  You see, Michelle is part of the clique, and if you don’t meet her criteria, then well, apparently you are not a feminist. Let me explain.

As many of you know, The New Agenda, along with many other organizations and blogs, spoke out about the Ms. Magazine Cover featuring President Obama. As a result of our speaking out, we were interviewed on CNN (see below) and as well, I wrote a piece
for The Daily Beast titled How Feminism Became the F-Word.

Ms. Magazine and its owner did not like that we were speaking out, and so, started a smear campaign. In an email blast to a listserve of feminist writers, as associate editor as Ms. sent around a note: The cover is generating some backlash online from Hillary supporters Michelle Goldberg was apparently part of this listserve – here was her response:

I quoted the woman who wrote about this for The Daily Beast months ago in my TNR piece about Hillary holdouts. She was cheering for John McCain. That’s not what a feminist looks like, as far as I’m concerned… (and apparently Michelle’s comment upset enough people on this listserve that my inbox got five copies.)

So, let’s see Michelle. First Hillary Clinton was not a feminist – oh until today when you discovered that she was. And any woman who is either a Republican or votes that way in any election is not a feminist either. Oh and I am not a feminist either since I spoke out about sexism in the DNC (sexism only counts if the Republicans do it). Who then Michelle is a feminist in your book?

You see this is the reason that feminism fell on tough times the membership ranks have dwindled in recent years. For Michelle, if you don’t fit every criteria on her list, then apparently, you are not good enough to be part of whatever she believes she is speaking for. But Michelle, you don’t speak for us. You speak for what has been and no longer is. You see, your clique is so small, you have become a self-contained unit of few. The future looks bright and frankly quite different. We call it Big Tent Feminism – it’s inclusive, it’s revolutionary, and it’s truly the way forward. So maybe Michelle, now that you are no longer too “furious to hear”, you can evolve to the next generation of the women’s movement and join us. Just like Motel 6, we’ll leave the light on!

P.S.: Just one side note: Michelle Goldberg actually had her publisher reach out to me in December 2008 to preview her upcoming book. I guess back then,
I was still a feminist!

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Unlike Gucci Gal, I’m no horsie gal, but couldn’t giddy up fast enough to post on this wonderfully inspiring story.

In one of the most amazing competitions ever witnessed, Rachel Alexandra outran her macho, co-contending colts to win the 134th Preakness Stakes yesterday at Pimlico Race Track. Spectactors watched in awe as Alexandra snagged the lead when she was halfway to the the finish.

Hardly a quirky racehorse name, “Rachel Alexandra” was named after the granddaughter of her original owner.  But he didn’t deem her worthy to compete with the ‘boys.’  It was her new owner, Jess Jackson of the famed Kendall-Jackson Vineyard, who knew she had the moxy to get the done!

This spectacularly beautiful filly deserves more than just few headlines. Though always a fave among her sister-fillies, Rachel Alexandra’s Preakness win was even grander because she was set against the ‘boys.’ But what this makes her victory so special is that she is the first filly to win the race since 1924, four years after women were given their voting rights.

How symbolic!

Indeed, the ladies were the winners yesterday, not just because so many at Pimlico placed their bets on Rachel Alexander, but because the win was earned by the best contender. Rachel Alexandra reminded us that girls do rule!

Now if we could only we could take the White House!

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The other night I rested my toes after a week’s worth of viral networking (of the wine, not swine variety) to take in the new beltway-based thriller, State Of Play. Even for you politistas and conspiratistas, I give it an ‘on demand’ rating — ’twill remind you why you liked Russell Crowe and why Ben’s acting roles should be limited to the pop-corny, fluffy stuff.

Without giving too much of the flick away, State of Play revolves around the extra-marital affair of a republican congressman, played by Affleck, and the incestuous ties to his former college roomie, a WashPo-esqe investigative reporter played by Crowe. So when I woke up on Monday morning to the revelation that John Edwards’ closest aides were plotting a secret plan to derail his candidacy if he won, I found my own convenient tie.

I know what you’re thinking: Does anyone really care about John Edwards, his cowardly candidacy or his penchant for a certain leopard-donning, docu-making-dominatrix?

Indeed, John Edwards’ campaign was nothing more than a massive waste of volunteer energy, voter enthusiasm and donor money. CNN’s Ed Rollins added his brilliant opinion yesterday: "I think he hurt the party." Party? Try a certain female’s candidacy!

But, it was the immeasurable waste of media airtime devoted to the massively-hyped (and hence coveted) John Edwards endorsement that was the cardinal sin, among others, of last year’s election. Indeed, The Obama campaign had a stake in not only Edwards’ staying in the race, but also dropping out.

But even as early as Iowa, Hillary Clinton could have conceivably wooed Edwards’ loyalists and won the Caucus, truly giving her, not Obama, the “MO.”

Who knows who knew what and when they knew it…though it’s clear many knew ‘IT,’ including Elizabeth Edwards. Mr. Edwards should have taken his wife’s sage advice by NOT seeking a second run for the presidency.

Regardless, this hireheeler calls the entire Edwards ‘affair’ a “State of Unfair Play!”

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Every hireheeler needs to break for a bit of comfort ever now and then… As a New Yorker who needs to heel-toe-it to see clients all over town— being in comfortable, yet attractive shoes, is an absolute must. As a comfy shoe wearer, I can attest… it really does makes a difference in your mood to have blister-less tooties. If I had to expedite my busy day teetering all over town in 5-inch sharpies, I would be a 100% b%$*#, while in comfy shoes I’m able to limit that to approximately 60%. In all seriousness, let me share some shoe wisdom.

1. Just because the shoe is flat does NOT mean you will save your feet. Totally flat shoes will not necessarily support and can also injure the bottoms of your feet— especially with the burning friction from the pavement.
2. High heels like Manolos and Louboutins may be good for your sex life but not for your back life.
3. Everyone’s foot is unique so try many different brands to find one that you personally find comfy. Myself, I have a pair of DKNY boots, and kitten heel sandals from Elie Tahari— that I just love!
4. Look for arch support and rubber soles for pavement pounding.
5. Brands worth checking out:

Merrell— buy a pair that matches your pants, so they blend in
Arche— have milk in their soles
Cole Haan— they’re in partnership with nike air, which will really help put a spring in your step for that long across-city run.
Me Too
Gentle Souls
Geox— lets your feet breathe
Kenneth Cole Reaction
Mephisto
Keen
Born
Dansko
Naturalizer
Softwalk

6. I personally like to buy my shoes at Nordstrom, because they are so customer service oriented and truly want me to be “happy with my purchases.” Translation: if the shoe doesn’t “fit,” bring it back and exchange it.
7. As for the best styles to promote shapely gams:
Avoid shoes with ankle straps as they will shorten the look of your legs.
“Toe cleavage” styles will elongate your legs and help them look at their shapely best.
8. As for color:
In these tight-wallet times, try a metallic. Choose a tone that looks best with your coloring. Metallics are extremely versatile and go with many more outfits than you’d expect.
Travel tip: Pack a pair of comfy metallic shoes to keep your look hip and your luggage light.
9. Shop around and do some research online:
Read the ratings by other shoppers say about the look, fit and ultimately wearability of the shoe you’re interested in. The current featured fave shoe on Nordstrom’s site and is by Soft.
10. Mix it up:
It’s good to wear varied heel heights from day to day. It’ll keep you on your toes and limit those blisterful woes!

Happy Sole Searching!!
Confessions of A (young) Old-Fashioned Girl in NYC
is written by our newest hireheel: Alexandra Greenawalt “Gucci Gal”
a fashion stylist working and living in New York City.
visit her at alexandrastylist.com

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