By Lore Acevedo

Paisa femininity in 2010 is as controversial a topic now as it was during the feminist waves of the 20th century, and the concept is again being transformed by the cultural dynamics of the city. Some time ago femininity in Medellin morphed into a look and attitude that was hyper-focused on “the body”; femininity and sexuality thus became synonymous with the images of pre-pagos and grillas. The challenge we now face is to redefine femininity without the baggage of overtly sexual icons.

To back up for a moment, a few notes on being a woman in Medellin during the last few decades. The desire and capability to make fast money in Medellin, a city with a large gap between the rich and poor, lent a sort of bizarre social equity to the promotion of a certain aesthetic being applied to the notion of female beauty. Women in Medellin, already known for being beautiful, kind, sweet, and hard working, soon amassed a burden of expectations whereby their value was increasingly slanted towards physical beauty.

The city tacitly complied with this change. Beauty queens and runway shows from the textile and fashion fairs (the biggest and most important of the country) extended their reach to streets, parks, universities and clubs; anyplace was now a forum to hold a beauty fair. In this environment, beauty for some women has become an all-encompassing obsession. Daily life is a fashion show, and many participate in society as mere mannequins. Worse, those wildly obsessed with being “in shape” often resort to extreme diets, anorexia and bulimia, in response to which the Mayor’s office ultimately stepped in and created an anti-anorexia/bulimia campaign.

In Medellin’s valley of vanity, it is time to get out of the silicon mold and just let your hair get all messed up in the rain. The scalpel, the diets, and a narrow concept of beauty pretend to foster an authentic feminine paisa, which is decidedly not genuine. Medellin is now a city with an international outlook, increasingly visited by foreigners; our women should be known for their character, wits, and natural beauty, not an amalgamation of shallowness.

Many women have carried this fight, and their challenge now is to continue doing it while inviting others to join them in the struggle for authenticity. The concept of a feminine paisa cannot be based on looks alone. Being feminine is a matter of attitude; it comes from within, and it emerges when one realizes that every person has something unique that makes her attractive.

In the city of eternal spring, eternal youth does not exist. Our bodies change over time, and even silicon is by no means permanent. It is one’s personal essence that is eternal; it is one’s attitude that shapes real beauty, and that is what real paisa femininity is all about.

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Prime Cuts Medellin – Episode 8 by Prime Cuts Radio Medellin on Mixcloud

Broadcast from the University of Antioquia in Medellin, Colombia. This week with salsa trumpet artist Maite playing live in the studio.

Tune in to 101.9 FM every Saturday night at 9 PM to listen live or visit us here for the recorded version!

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Just released today is the XPLICITOS new video for the song, “lado oscuro”

The Medellin Hip Hop scene is a very independent one, made up of do-it-together artists. While the video quality is not Snooop Dogg hollywood, it is very raw and real and picks up on some of the darker themes that make up life in the barrios of Medellin, Colombia.

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This is a collection of photos we took for a shoot that will be in the next issue of the magazine. Real people from Medellin, friends, students, workers; a snapshot of the diversity of young people here in the city.

The next issue will be out in April 2010.

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Prime Cuts Medellin – Episode 7 by Prime Cuts Radio Medellin on Mixcloud

Broadcast from the University of Antioquia in Medellin, Colombia. This week with local band Killerfish in the studio playing live.

Tune in to 101.9 FM every Saturday night at 9 PM to listen live or visit us here for the recorded version!

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We found this really cool place in Barrio Laureles called Point. It is like a modern day arcade with new 2010 LED flat screen TVs, big cushy sofas, and tons of games on Wii, Xbox, and PS3. It was so cool we had to make a little video of it.

Taking note of Sergio’s awesome response to playing video games we had a request to follow up with a special video below, just of him.

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Prime Cuts Medellin – Episode 6 by Prime Cuts Radio Medellin on Mixcloud

Broadcast from the University of Antioquia. This is the sixth of our weekly Saturday night radio programs covering music and culture in Medellin, Colombia.

Tune in to 101.9 FM every Saturday night at 9 PM to listen live or visit us here for the recorded version!

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We were invited to a tango show in barrio Belen here in Medellin, and while we were expecting a small community theater performance we were rewarded with a 5-star performance the likes of Buenos Aires.

Medellin’s tango scene is on the rise, and if you get the chance to see the dance troop “A Puro Tango” be sure not to miss it. Check it out…

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Seeing bathrooms this zany gave us the inspiration to do a further investigation of the bar scene in Envigado – stay tuned. Envigado is the city immediately south of Medellin, Colombia.

MENS ROOM URINAL

LADIES ROOM TOILET

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