Cute as a bug

The first time I saw M.I.A. (the rapper, Maya Arulpragasam) was on the televised Grammy Awards in 2009. She was dressed in maternity wear unlike any other. It wasn’t her radical political message that captured my attention, it was the fact that she was strutting around on her due date, singing her heart out, looking cute as a bug.

Here’s her New York Times Magazine cover for May 30th.

And here’s her sensational Grammy look.

Elsewhere in the magazine, I was intrigued by Pete Well’s confession that he’s been moving three unopened boxes containing 200 to 300 of those annoying eight-track tapes around with him for his last three moves where they’ve loitered in his various basements. He’d started his nostalgic collection after CD’s were already in vogue as a fond look back to earlier times and technologies.  I went from that article to one on the current trend favoring a rather retro interest in barefooted running.

I’m not sure I’d call these barefoot shoes cute as a bug in their muddy condition…. I can see it now, everybody sentimentally keeping boxes of sweaty sneakers packed up in their basements as a fond look back. I could understand it though, I ran in high school and college and loved it and remember my running shoes fondly, but I haven’t saved them in my basement.

Meanwhile, back to the runway….

Later baby!