Thing About Episode 1: MONTY MONTAN

If you’ve ever met Monty, you’ve been impressed by her personal style, which she brings at a level 12 to every damn day. Both unique and polished, the idea of her not being a stylist is borderline grotesque. She is generous and curious when working with others, and she is most interested in bringing to life a biographical approach to one’s personal style over recreating more un-pinteresting looks from NY sidewalk-catwalks.

When asked what the flavor of her session might be, Monty brought up being at a crossroads in her career, looking for reflection and direction. Nineteen months after giving birth to a beayootiful child, she is finding her way back into the socially-recognized-version of the workforce (meaning more work on top of the unpaid work of parenting). Does that look like finding work through an outside employer or growing out her fledgling business turning people’s lives into Life Styles? As a person on the inside of creating the creation, we can’t always see ourselves clearly or be sure about what we are perceiving. “I’m just a girl standing in front of a group asking if my styling business is something I can and could do.”

We resoundingly voted in favor of her building up her own biz and offered up ideas of how, why, and with whom that could happen.

A person you know who is a boss pants professional but doesn’t have the time or interest to put together a wardrobe of thoughtful pieces that reflect their inner self?

Send them to Monty.

Coming up on a book tour that you need to have your Me As an Author lewk ready for?

Call Ms Montan.

Moved into an apartment without roommates for the first time but not sure how to take your space from dorm room to this-is-my-home?

You get the idea. It’s Monty.

We asked questions to help flesh out the dream-vs-reality of this project: Would certifications and/or training be a boon for getting/advising clients? What projects in the past have you most loved working on? Do you have a portfolio avail or in the works? Have you thought of x,y,z possible group as a clientele base and can we hook you up with them?

If you’d like to be in touch with Monty about a personal style renovation, whether your own or if someone you know could use a guiding hand, check her out here:

Website (more about her offerings here and some of her work here)

MARCH RESOURCE LIBRARY

Song from Abbey’s Shakeout Breakout

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EaYwmv7hcA

“Beam Me Up” by Midnight Magic

The word “zhuzh” is believed to have originated in the 1960s in the UK gay community. It may have come from Polari, a secret language used by gay men in the UK. It may also be onomatopoeic, similar to words like "whoosh" or "zoom".

Etymology

Polari: A secret language used by gay men in the UK in the early 20th century.

Onomatopoeic: Similar to words like "whoosh" or "zoom", which suggest dynamic movement.

Usage

“Zhuzh” is used as a verb or a noun to describe adding something special to an outfit, hairdo, or dish. For example, you might zhuzh up a basic bouquet of flowers or zhuzh a risotto with truffle butter.

Other spellings

“Zhuzh” is also spelled “zhoosh,” “jeuje,” or “tzhuj”.

And because I was not familiar, more about Polari!

Origin and Decline:

Polari emerged in the 1920s and 1930s as a coded language used by gay men to navigate a society that was often hostile to homosexuality. It was a mix of Italian, French, Lingua Franca, and various slang dialects. Polari fell out of common use in the 1970s as homosexuality became more accepted and decriminalized.

Words that Persist:

Many Polari words and phrases have found their way into mainstream English and are still used, often with a slightly altered meaning or context. Some examples include:

Butch/Femme: Masculine/feminine
Camp: Effeminate or funny, flamboyant
Trade: A casual sexual partner
Slap: Makeup
Drag: Women's clothes

Modern Usage:

While Polari is not a spoken language in the way it once was, it continues to have a presence in popular culture and LGBTQ+ spaces.

RuPaul's Drag Race: The popular reality show has popularized many Polari terms, such as "trade" and "queens".
Queer Eye: Carson Kressley popularized the word "zhuzh" on the original Queer Eye, which Jonathan Van Ness continued on the reboot.
Businesses and Media: Some gay businesses and media outlets have named themselves after Polari words, and it has appeared in films, music, and books.
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence: This group of queer activists adopted Polari as "the Language of the Occasion".

Revival of Interest:

There has been a recent resurgence of interest in Polari, with some young LGBTQ+ people eager to learn about their cultural heritage and the history of the language.

Roll call: Monty, Hannah, Emily, Kristen, Mel, Adriana, Catherine, Yasmin, Sydney, Rebecca, Kendall, Abbey, Kimmy

Thing About is born out of conversations about being creative people and wanting to talk with other creative people, invite feedback, motivate ourselves to keep going on projects that maybe we stalled out on on our own. Loose but not loose, interactional, directional, and potentially physical.

Here are some ways we imagine people holding the space:

MIXED MEDIA - inspo throwdown sharing books, articles, movies, music, podcasts and more

HOT TAKE/LETTER TO THE EDITOR - fresh opinions and socratic discourse on a potentially controversch topic, i.e. “What good is an MFA?”

I HAVE A QUESTION - you’re in the beginning stages of curiosity you want to research and present/have a brainstorm about

WORK IN PROGRESS - you're halfway there with your creative vision but could use some input and outside eyes/ears

I NEED TO SHARE - I’m about to bring something to the wider world and could use feedback from presenting to a smaller group first

HOW’D YOU MAKE THAT? - an interview of an artist's creative practice and approach, ex: "Hey, Abbey, how do you make a dance piece?"

COMPLIMENT CIRCLE - A blitz of “You’re good at” or “What I wish for you” aiding and abetting others’ visions with sources and resources

VENN DIAGRAM - two people collab on an overlapping interest approached from one or more directions, i.e. interest in uniforms and working as a stylist (Dora/Monty??)

POTLUCK/PICNIC - a themed meal, potluck or picnic mixer or presentation

SHOW US YOUR CLOSET - a fashion show of the marvelous things you wear and the stories behind them

SKILL SHARE - I know how to do a thing and now you can, too!

CROSSROADS - "I'm at the crossroads of my career/practice/relationship/etc and could use some sharing/feedback/fresh ideas." Asking for directions.