In 1926: living at the edge of time - Monoskop

104 ARRAYS
ened by the layer of grease that they smear on their skin, to protect their
bodies from the cold. [see Endurance] Young intellectuals, such as the
playwright Bertolt Brecht, show a preference for tight, black leather
jackets (Lepp, "Ledermythen").
Displaying one's body under a shining surface and in tight clothes is a
means of self-staging that relegates all who gaze to a role of mere
spectatorship. One can be erotically attracted to such a staged body
without necessarily wishing to penetrate it. For since it reflects light, the
shining body offers resistance to the external gaze, and closes itself off
to interpretations that seek deep meaning and the satisfaction of erotic
desire. Not surprisingly, many men are confused by the fact that they are
attracted to Josephine Baker yet feel no erotic desire. [see Dancing]
Above all, giving a shape to one's hair and body-with Vaseline and
gomina, as well as with all the other techniques that transform bodies
into surfaces that lure the gaze-is an act that objectifies the body and
thus sets a distance between the body and the mind. Surface bodies
cannot be expressive bodies; they cannot be signifiers articulating whatever
is going on in a person's mind. Rather, as artifacts, they appeal to
judgments of taste and to artistic ambition, and they are not meant to
escape the control of the mind which has created them. Not even a
cross-country bicycle race will change the outline of the champion's
slicked-down hair. Completely detached from the minds of their human
creators and fully at their disposal, stylized bodies become the objects of
either purely aesthetic or purely sensual pleasure.
Ever since Rudolph Valentino separated from his second wife, Natasha
Rambova, he has been in a state of deep depression, and has engaged in
countless sexual liaisons with actresses and admirers. For some, it is
Rudy's hair which, more than any other part of his artifact-body, contains
and radiates a magic appeal. Mont Westmore, Valentino's makeup
artist, often overhears words of praise from the actor's amours, among
them Nita Naldi. While standing on the bridge of Valentino's cabin
cruiser, keeping his eyes peeled for the treacherous reefs off Catalina, "he
could hear her melodious voice extolling Rudy's capabilities. Mont always
was especially amused when she would comment on his soft,
sweet-smelling hair" (Morris, 177). Such hair is frequently associated
with drugs-as in Gardel's tango "Tiempos viejos"-and with other
controlled substances. During the years of Prohibition in the United
States, hair tonic serves as one of those liquids which the bootlegging