female on a plate

No, it's not the Tom Petty video for "Don't Come Around Here No More."

It's a contest by the Amateur Gourmet.

This week, in New York Magazine, Usher was asked (on page 22): "What kind of dish would you like to inspire?"

His response was: "Female on a Plate. It would be any kind of dessert I eat —chocolate cake, banana pudding. They have Sex on The Beach. Why Can't I have Female on a Plate?"

And so, ladies and gentlemen, I invite you to enter... The Amateur Gourmet's "Female On A Plate" Contest

As one person so aptly put it, I'm not sure if Usher is after a dessert that echoes the pleasures of female companionship (a tribute), or if he's being a pig and objectifying women.

I suspect that the truth is somewhere between the two, but I do find it interesting. Either way, I'm still drawing a blank about how to see this as good fun and an opportunity to interpret "female on a plate" in a positive and empowering way.

Meanwhile, check these out:
"Beyond Beats and Rhymes," a documentary that takes an in-depth look at machismo in rap music and hip-hop culture. Featuring revealing interviews with rappers and hip-hop moguls, female college students, and many others, "Beyond Beats and Rhymes" explores where creativity, poetic artistry, and mad beats collide with misogyny, violence, and homophobia.

"The Dinner Party," Judy Chicago's tribute to 39 powerful women in history, each represented by a unique (and very, shall we say, female-looking) ceramic dish.